Sud Ouest BoroughPetite-Bourgogne
The Petite-Bourgogne, located north of the Lachine Canal, owes its lovely name to some nostalgic French colonists. A charming countryside called "Terres de Bourgogne" became urbanized at the turning of the 20th century with the arrival of factory workers and of employees working for the railway companies. A social mixture has always been a characteristic of the vicinity. Workmen, craftsmen and professionals often shared the same space. The small hill north of St-Antoine has not always been uninhabited and “concreted” as it is now. With its nice residences and gardens, the area was once one of the most attractive sectors of the Sud Ouest. In this unique area, a majority of Francophones cohabited with a strong Irish minority and an important Anglophone black population that came from the United States, the East of Canada and the West Indies. 
Because of great artists like Oscar Peterson and Oliver Jones, the district became one of the most important jazz societies of Canada including the ever so popular Festival International de Jazz de Montréal. The sector, like its neighbours, suffered from the closing of many of its factories. In the 1960's, and in spite of strong oppositions, thousands of residents were forced out because thousands of residences, allegedly decayed, were practically “bulldozered". Then, between the 1960's and the 1980's, the district has slowly been rebuilt - Habitations à Loyer Modique - HLM in the north, cottages in the center and condominiums along the Lachine Canal. 
This traditionally bilingual area is less and less francophone and more and more allophone. The territory accommodated successive waves of immigrants with low incomes. Approximately 40% of its residents live in HLM. Paradoxically, there is a growing surge of well-off residents along the banks of the Lachine Canal. The "urban restoration" continues to have decisive impacts on the life of the residents. The mobility of the poor population living in HLM makes it difficult for the residents to develop a feeling of belonging. The quasi absence of housing for middle class people forces some of its residents to move out. Because of a large number of people with either low or high incomes, the area is a divided one with very few public places to socialise and to recreate the social mixture that existed in the old days. Thank you for visiting Petite-Bourgogne. Sud Ouest District / Sud Ouest Borough Web Sites We Like
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