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My husband and I will soon be visiting Montreal on vacation, but also to determine whether or not we would like to move there. We are both from the mid western United States, currently residing outside of Cleveland. We are in our early/ mid twenties and looking for a place to settle with an emphasis on arts, music, culture, food etc. I am a francophone, aspiring pastry chef (with an obsession with French macarons) with a degree in art. My husband is an anglophone musician with a current interest in experimental/ ambient/ avant jazz/ improv style music. I am writing to ask whether or not the city would suit us, and from a local's perspective (or a person who knows the area well), how can we make the most of our trip to learn about the city we are considering living in.
-What are some cool (non-touristy) spots to check out in Montreal and surrounding areas? Food, art, music, scenic, etc?
-Can an anglophone survive (or get a job) in Montreal, and if so, what is the best place for this (Westmount?)? And what are some cool things to do/ know about these areas? Best neighborhoods?
-What is the experimental/ independent music and/ or arts "scene" like? Is there an area with a strong presence of these things in a primarily anglophone part of the city?
Much appreciated!!
Last edited by sunshineleith; 05-18-2012 at 04:20 AM..
Reason: .
Yeah, you guys seem like you could be a good fit for the city! That is, assuming there's no immigration issue, and if there is we've got a thread for that you can post in. While our city is gritty and unpretentious, it's well known as a very creative city with great art, music, and food. It sort of flows naturally out of what Montreal is as a place.
- In response to your first question, the place you're wanting to check out is the Plateau Mont-Royal and everyone will tell you the same. It's a truly great, vibrant neighbourhood and is the epicentre of all the things it seems you love. Adjacent Rosemont is similar, but a little less gentrified.
- This question is tougher than you think. The fact of the matter is, central Montreal is neither French nor English dominated - it's bilingual. The Western half is traditionally Anglophone and the East is Francophone, but these distinctions are blurry and there are Anglos and Francos and trilingual immigrants everywhere. The Plateau is mostly Francophone and in the East, The most similar "Anglophone" neighbourhood would be Notre-Dame-des Graces, but it's considerably more residential, less of a bohemian vibe. Westmount is just an Old Money Anglo residential area and there's few businesses. The West Island suburbs are the most English part of the Island and here English really is the dominant language, but it's suburbia. Whether he can get work, even in the West island, is industry specific. Music is universal, so I don't see a problem there, but any job where he interacts with the public would be out of the question without at least basic French. There's certainly some joe jobs though, like video game tester, warehouse worker etc., but I suspect he's likely got more on his resume than to need to do these jobs, just can't recommend any avenues without knowing his background.
- Great scene, lots of Anglos involved in it, main venues are downtown and in the Plateau, neither of which are dominated by Anglophones (I don't see this as a negative though). You shouldn't worry about this too much though, Anglophones tend to run in the same circles, so if you know some they'll likely introduce you disproportionately to others in the scene who speak English. I'd like to add, though, that while Montreal, and Quebec in general, has a long history of sometimes bitter ethnic conflict between these two groups, people are not that ghettoized and Montreal social circles regularly cross linguistic divides, especially in town. You can live in an Anglo bubble or participate fully in the scene, it might be tough to do both, so I suggest you teach your husband enough French to make life in Montreal more enjoyable and full.
-What are some cool (non-touristy) spots to check out in Montreal and surrounding areas? Food, art, music, scenic, etc?
-Can an anglophone survive (or get a job) in Montreal, and if so, what is the best place for this (Westmount?)? And what are some cool things to do/ know about these areas? Best neighborhoods?
-What is the experimental/ independent music and/ or arts "scene" like? Is there an area with a strong presence of these things in a primarily anglophone part of the city?
Much appreciated!!
-I'd suggest you walk on Saint Laurent, Saint Denis, and saint Catherine to find your own cool places. Otherwise it can still be categorized as touristic
-Of course you can. But it is harder and needs more skills. Read this link to find out how to nail it Find a job in Canada
-Montreal is very rich in that area. I wouldn't care too much about English or French. Art is art.
I agree with BimBam. You'll need to teach your husband some French because he will run into areas where they will refuse to speak to him in English. Especially if you intend to live there. All services are provided only in French. That is if you want to speak to the electric company, phone company, etc, expect it to be in their native language French. French afterall is the primary language there in Quebec. I know, I come from there. I don't live there presently and I miss it since I am completely bilingual. You're first obstacle will be immigration. Unless being sponsored to work there you will not just be able to up and move there from the states. I know, I'm living in the states now but that is only because I married an american and it was very difficult coming the other way. When doing research for immigration going that way up to Canada was even more expensive. You have a real challenge on your trek. Enjoy your vacation though. I'm sure you'll enjoy it. I miss home at times. Best to you!
My wife and I moved to Montreal seven years ago and at the time she didn't speak French at all but she was able to get a job with a large multinational company in the West Island. If you are dealing with the general public (stores, customers service, etc) it is a must to know French but there are a lot of office jobs where most of the work is done in English. The most anglophone neiborhoods in Montreal are the ones surrounding the two English universities in the city (Mcgill and Concordia). Centre ville and Mcgill Guetto are very good for single people. If you want to be a bit further from downtown you can look at Wesmount (expensive), NDG and Cote Saint-Luc which are still very walkable and more upscale than downtown. For the best neighborhoods for families, you should look at Beaconsfield, Pierrefonds and Kirkland, only problem would be the commute to downtown however most of the companies hiring anglophones are located close to those areas. An easy solution to figure out where's best for you is using this website called Navut.com - it takes your personal lifestyle preferences and suggests the most suitable neighborhoods. Good luck!
My husband and I will soon be visiting Montreal on vacation, but also to determine whether or not we would like to move there. We are both from the mid western United States, currently residing outside of Cleveland. We are in our early/ mid twenties and looking for a place to settle with an emphasis on arts, music, culture, food etc. I am a francophone, aspiring pastry chef (with an obsession with French macarons) with a degree in art. My husband is an anglophone musician with a current interest in experimental/ ambient/ avant jazz/ improv style music. I am writing to ask whether or not the city would suit us, and from a local's perspective (or a person who knows the area well), how can we make the most of our trip to learn about the city we are considering living in.
-What are some cool (non-touristy) spots to check out in Montreal and surrounding areas? Food, art, music, scenic, etc?
-Can an anglophone survive (or get a job) in Montreal, and if so, what is the best place for this (Westmount?)? And what are some cool things to do/ know about these areas? Best neighborhoods?
-What is the experimental/ independent music and/ or arts "scene" like? Is there an area with a strong presence of these things in a primarily anglophone part of the city?
Much appreciated!!
A lot of information from housing, jobs, basic needs to summer and winter activities can be found in the following link: Living in Montreal. You can check out various info from the top menu.
I considered moving to Montreal but for my career, I would need fluency in French and I am not even close.
There are people in Montreal who do NOT speak any French and they live and work and go to school in English. So, don't worry about your hubby. He will learn quickly if you live in a Francophone area and he takes classes. You should immediately stop talking to him in English (today!) in preparation for the move. LOL.
The local newspapers have Apartment for rent sections, Craigslist is probably the biggest listing for apartments,,Or perhaps something on one of these sites
This site also advertises for not only apartments but many other categories for English speaking people in Montreal. I've used it several times already to find orthodentists and optometrists in English.
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