Need help finding an area of Montreal to live in (apartments, rent)

[thefoodgeek]

I'm hoping to move to Montreal around the end of September or October and was wondering about possible areas to move to. I'd like to keep my rent around the $650 mark for a large 1 bedroom or small 2 bedroom.

I don't drive and have no plans to start driving, so an area that has all the amenities within walking distance or bus ride would be preferable. I do love to cook so nearby butcher shops, fruit/veggie markets and bakeries are a plus. A clean and affordable fitness club is an even bigger plus.

I speak some french, but nowhere near enough to consider myself fluent, or even bilingual. I'll be taking some french classes to help with that aspect, and a french speaking area will most definitely help me learn a lot faster.

What areas of Montreal should I be looking in?

Are there any sketchy areas I should stay away from?

I'd appreciate any suggestions you have.

Thanks in advance,
TFG

[jambo101]

Verdun will meet your needs.
Verdun, Quebec - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[thefoodgeek]

Thanks for the tip. I thought parts of the south shores of Montreal were sketchy, or is that just limited to parts of Lasalle and Lachine?

[jambo101]

South shore would be anything on the other side of the river, Verdun,lasalle Lachine wouldnt be considered south shore.
I thought of Verdun because its close to downtown, as lots of shopping potential and restaurants, has bakeries and butcher shops,is on the Metroline and is one of the more affordable areas close to downtown,
Sketchy? i'd call it more of an honest working class neighborhood.http://www.tagg.org/maps/MontrealMap2.JPG (broken link)

[VitaminJ]

I dunno about Verdun, it's low cost for sure, but I'm trying to think of a way to describe it without being insulting. It's "up and coming".

Here's one tool that may help you pinpoint rent cost. Montreal's pretty easy. Anywhere near a metro ('M' on the Google Map) will give you quick, easy access to the downtown core, without needing a car at all.

May I suggest living just outside of the downtown core to save costs. Somwhere like upper NDG (around chemin Queen Mary and ave Monkland). Westmount is also nice, with the secret being that anything west of Claremont is actually NDG, so you get mostly the same stuff, but don't pay Westmount price.

Maybe you are willing to settle for a more shabby place in the plateau, which means a more vibrant social life. In which case, I'd recommend above ave Mont-Royal, below the train tracks, west of ave Papineau. This area is rather quiet for being so close to the action on blvd St. Laurent and rue St. DenisMap

Remember that most areas east of Papineau are predominately French-speaking, so if you are not interested in that...

Also, a lot of university students live near metro Lionel-Groulx. It's not as quaint of an area (except near the Atwater market, where things are more pricey) as the plateau.

[Nick99]

Verdun has a lot of character and many services. It is traditionally a poorer neighbourhood but is gentrifying a bit and getting trendier.

I personally would stay away from NDG, CDN, Westmount, and those more anglo neighbourhoods. I find they lack vibrancy. The area around Beaubien metro is very nice, west of Papineau, but even east which I believe is Rosemont nice apartments can be had and lost of services. I like Villeray too, basically between Jarry and Jean-Talon east of St-Laurent. Close to J-T market and Little Italy, and served by both the blue and orange metro lines.

Park Ex is nowhere near as nice as years ago, but still very cosmopilitan, lost of bakeries, cafes, restos, produce markets, Greek, Middle Eastern , Southeast Asian, Turkish, you name it. Served by the 80 bus which goes downtown by the mountain, and Acadie and Parc metro stations on the blue line. Also very close to the 15 and 40 highways, Marché Central, J-T market.

My favourite area in Mtl are Outremont, the area west of Parc, from Van Horne south to Mont-Royal. The area around Laurier and Bernard are very nice, restaurants, cafés, markets, pastry shops, bars. East of Parc is Mile End which is less posh than Outremont, but with more action, more artsy, bohemian. Lots of services. The stretch of St-Laurent at about this level (ie. south of Little Italy, but north of Plateau) has developed quite a bit the last decade. Lots of restaurants and bars.

Parc itself has a lot of services, Greek restos, produce markets, some bars, coffee shops, pastry/bakery.