Montréal-Est, Quebec, is a charming on-island suburb nestled in southwestern Quebec, Canada. Located on the island of Montreal, this community has been a hub for large oil refineries since 1915.
The establishment of Montréal-Est as a municipality was spearheaded in 1910 by businessman Joseph Versailles. He purchased 6 square kilometers of land in the area, leading to the town's incorporation on June 4, 1910, under the name Montreal East. This incorporation marked its separation from Pointe-aux-Trembles and Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rivière-des-Prairies. Versailles served as the town's mayor until his demise in 1931.
On January 1, 2002, as part of the 2002–2006 municipal reorganization of Montreal, Montréal-Est was merged into the City of Montreal. It became part of the borough of Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles–Montréal-Est. However, following a change of government and a 2004 referendum, Montréal-Est was the only community in the eastern half of the Island of Montreal that de-merged. It was re-constituted as a city on January 1, 2006.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Montréal-Est had a population of 4,394. This population was living in 2,018 of its 2,124 total private dwellings, marking a 14.1% increase from its 2016 population of 3,850. With a land area of 12.15 km2, Montréal-Est had a population density of 361.6/km2 in 2021.
One of the notable attractions in Montréal-Est is the Dufresne-Nincheri Museum. This historic building, located in the borough of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve in Montreal, is dedicated to preserving, studying, and influencing the history and heritage of Montréal-Est. Originally, it was named the Château Dufresne Museum.
Montréal-Est is well-served by Notre-Dame Street and Sherbrooke Street, which run east-west through large portions of the Island of Montreal. Interestingly, Montréal-Est, along with Westmount, are the only Montreal island municipalities that refused to adopt the name of Boulevard René-Lévesque for their portion of the major east-west street, Dorchester. To this day, the street is called Rue Dorchester in Montréal-Est.
The city also preserves a section of Rue de Montigny, which has otherwise been replaced by Boulevard de Maisonneuve apart from one block downtown. Rue Sainte-Catherine and Rue Ontario also reappear in Montréal-Est, far away from their main downtown sections. North-south streets in the city include Avenue Georges-V and Avenue Marien.
