• Sunday, May 20, 2012
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Montreal Tops > Attractions > Boulevard Saint-Laurent

Boulevard Saint-Laurent

Saint Lawrence Boulevard or Boulevard Saint-Laurent is a major street in Montreal. A commercial artery and cultural heritage site, the street runs north-south through the near-centre of city and is nicknamed The Main.

Beginning at De la Commune Street at the edge of the Saint Lawrence River, it crosses the whole island through the boroughs of Ville-Marie, Le Plateau-Mont-Royal, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, Villeray­Saint-Michel­Parc-Extension, and Ahuntsic-Cartierville to Rue Somerville at the edge of Rivière des Prairies­ a total length of about 11.25 kilometres.

St. Laurent Street became a boulevard in 1905, and is affectionately referred to as The Main by many Montrealers. It serves as the city's physical division of east and west. Street numbers begin at Saint Lawrence and continue outward, with street names being suffixed by Ouest (West) or Est (East), depending on their orientation.

The street traditionally divides Montreal by language, ethnicity, and class. Saint Lawrence Street was for generations the symbolic dividing line for the city, with the predominantly English-speaking population to the west, French-speaking population to the east, and immigrant communities in between along the Main and Park Avenue. The Main runs through many of Montreal's ethnic communities, a first stop for immigrant communities for over 100 years — initially Jewish, Chinese and Italian, and later Portuguese, Greek, Arab, Haitian and others.

The southern section of the street in downtown Montreal and the Plateau is lined with trendy shops and restaurants, and is the site of many street-fairs and festivals.