Anjou
In 1886, the parish of Saint-Léonard-de-Port-Maurice was detached from the parishes of Saint-François-d'Assise-de-la-Longue-Pointe and Sault-au-Récollet.
On March 5, 1915, by Statute 5 George V, chapter 105, the parish of Saint-Léonard-de-Port-Maurice became the town of Saint-Léonard-de-Port-Maurice (what is today the borough of Saint-Léonard)
Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce
Today, Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grace is one of the 19 boroughs of the City of Montréal. Since the municipal mergers in 2002, it has been composed of two parts: Côte-des-Neiges and Notre-Dame-de-Grace, both former towns that were annexed by the city of Montreal on June 4, 1910.
L’Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève
Our borough was created by the merger of two old municipalities, each with its own great and glorious story that history buffs love to talk and write about. On October 24, 1678, the Frontenac government granted the island then known as Bonaventure Island to Jacques Bizard as a seigneury, marking the beginnings of the history of Ile-Bizard.
LaSalle
Contrary to what their name would have us believe, the Lachine rapids are actually in LaSalle. This is due to the fact that during the French Regime, the core of the Lachine parish was situated within the present limits of LaSalle. Since then, the heart of the village gradually moved to what is now called Old Lachine, while the area in front of the mighty rapids took the name of explorer Robert René Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle.
Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
The borough of Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve was formed by parishes annexed by Montréal prior to 1918. The borough is named for Honoré Mercier, an influential 19th century politician, the Indian village of Hochelaga, and the founder of Montréal, Paul de Chomedey, Sieur de Maisonneuve.
Outremont
In 1663, the St. Sulpice order became the Seigneurs of the Island of Montréal. In a bid to increase farming on their land, they divided it up into rows of long, narrow tracts. On November 9, 1694, Doiller de Casson granted six of these tracts on the north slope of Mont Royal to the Tessier, Gervais and Prud'homme families. This grant, which accounts for a large portion of present-day Outremont, became known as Côte-Sainte-Catherine.
Pierrefonds-Roxboro
The history of the old city of Pierrefonds dates back to 1741 and the founding of the parish of Sainte-Geneviève. At the time, the parish was made up of what we knew as the towns of Pierrefonds, Île-Bizard, Sainte-Genevieve, Roxboro and Dollard-des-Ormeaux. In 1904, having already been divided several times, the town of Sainte-Geneviève was split into two new villages: Sainte-Geneviève and Sainte-Geneviève de Pierrefonds, which marked the first use of the name Pierrefonds.
Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles
The origin of Pointe-aux-Trembles dates as far back as 1674. A former municipality bore the name from that time up until it was annexed by the City of Montréal in 1982.
One of the attractions of the borough of Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles is Fort Pointe-aux-Trembles on the Island of Montréal.
Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie
In 2005, one of the borough’s neighbourhoods marked its centenary: it was in 1905 that the municipality of La Petite-Côte became the village of Rosemont. At that time, it was bounded by the CPR tracks to the west, Boulevard Rosemont to the north, Rue Rachel to the the south, and Boulevard Pie-IX to the east.
Saint-Laurent
Saint-Laurent shares its name with the great river baptized by Jacques Cartier when he began to make his way up it on August 10, 1535, on the feast of Saint Laurent.
The Sulpicians gave the name of coste Saint-Laurent to a country road that ran east-west in the center of the island, along the route of the present-day Metropolitan highway.
Saint-Léonard
The history of Saint-Léonard, from its founding in 1886 until today, falls into three major periods.
FROM 1886 TO THE MID-1950s
This period is dominated by rural life and a stable, homogenous Saint-Léonard community. The number of inhabitants changed little: the population rose from a couple of hundred residents in 1886 to 326 in 1921 and 925 in 1956.
Verdun
Designated as Côte des Argoulets in its infancy, the territory of the future city of Verdun was a strategic fortification for Ville-Marie, where the population would take refuge during the frequent Iroquois attacks in the 17th century. The term Argoulets recalls a group of 16th century musketeers renowned in France for their skill as sharpshooters.
Ville-Marie
Although centuries have passed since Montréal was founded, the city still bears the imprint of those who built it. As one might imagine, Ville-Marie’s history is inextricably linked to that of the city itself. For nearly 200 years, all of Montréal was contained within the area of the present day borough, until industrialization and urbanization began to push out the traditional boundaries of the city (established in 1792 at a radius of two kilometers from the fortifications).
Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension
Up until the end of the 19th century, the present-day borough of Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension was a vast stretch of countryside dotted with farmland. Development of the area began with the opening of the Canadian Pacific Railway line in 1878 and the introduction of the electric streetcar in 1892.
