Sud Ouest DistrictPointe Saint-Charles
Pointe Saint-Charles is bordered to North by the Lachine Canal, to the East by the Bonaventure Highway, to the South by the majestic St-Lawrence River and to the West by the Highway 15. Before the arrival of the Europeans, the territory was occupied by the Mohawks where they fished and hunted geese. Now most of them live in Kahnawake. Once upon a time, the magnificent St-Lawrence waters held runs of atlantic salmon as far up as Montreal and beyond. Nowadays, after more than 325 years, the neighbourhood still offers a strong sense of belonging to its residents. 
At one point, Pointe Saint-Charles became the most important industrial sector of Montreal and of Canada. During nearly 70 years, from 1860 to 1930, the factories rolled to full mode and the trade with the West of Canada and the North of United States was quite lucrative. In 1930, the district was almost entirely built and provided a stable and well ordered life to its residents. By the end of the Second World War though, several factories closed their doors, which accelerated the closing movement that started in 1920. Many owners abandoned their old factories and settled in the new industrial parks in the suburbs in the North and in the South of Montreal. From 1960 and on, massive lay offs and the diminution of the purchasing power of the people living in the area forced many retailers and service providers to close. 
In the 1970's, families from various South American countries like Chile settled in the neighbourhood. In the 1980’s and 1990’s families of Indian origin like Tamils and Sikhs also settled in the neighbourhood. And since the middle of the 1990’s, Africans from Rwanda and the Zaïre started to arrive. The architecture deserves a detour. Several of the crossing streets are anything but right angled. This special arrangement of the land resulted in the construction of houses with surprising silhouettes. Sherbrooke Street, to name only one, presents a series of very colourful houses. On Wellington or Charlevoix, it’s the Victorian spirit of some of the houses that prevails. The architecture testifies of a time when the area was like a small city with all its social classes - high, middle and working classes. The area offers parks like the Marguerite Bourgeois Park on Wellington. It also offers the Maison Saint-Gabriel, a museum and an historic site on Place Dublin. Both are quite worth visiting. Thank you for visiting Pointe Saint-Charles. Sud Ouest District / Sud Ouest Borough Web Sites We Like
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