Country Canada Province Québec | City Montreal Borough Le Plateau-Mont-Royal | |
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Restaurants Chef On Call, Lola Rosa Café, Buonanotte, Alto, Bistro Isakaya Hotels L'Apparte Hôtel, Carrefour Sherbroo, Parc Suites Hotel, Hotel 10, Four Points‑M | ||
Milton Park (French: Milton-Parc), commonly known as the McGill Ghetto, is a neighbourhood in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is situated directly to the east of the McGill University campus in the borough of Plateau-Mont-Royal. It is named after the neighbourhood's two main streets, Milton Street and Parc Avenue. Many McGill students live in this area, which is characterized by a mix of rowhouses and low- to mid-rise apartment buildings. The area is roughly bordered by University Street and the university campus to the west, Sherbrooke Street to the south, Pine Avenue to the north, and Parc Avenue to the east, though McGill University considers this area to extend as far east as Saint Laurent Boulevard or just short of Saint-Louis Square.
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Map of Milton Park, Montr%C3%A9al, QC, Canada
The neighbourhood has many historic townhouses built in the late 19th century, which housed affluent businessmen and their families. The area remained a wealthy enclave throughout the early half of the 20th century. Eventually, many of the affluent residents of the area moved to other boroughs such as Westmount or to the suburbs.
While the space is colloquially known as the "Ghetto", the name for the area is used with the original definition of the word "ghetto": a socioeconomically homogeneous area. There is a movement against this nomenclature because it suggests that the area is completely inhabited by students, while in reality it is a historically significant district that is home to many families, working professionals and long-term residents. Montreal's historic Jewish "Ghetto" coincides in part with the present student Ghetto since the old Jewish Ghetto, established at the beginning of the twentieth century and existing as such until mid-century, was centered close to the present student area, at the intersection of Duluth and Saint Laurent.
The area has many small businesses catering to the needs of the local McGill community including The Word Bookstore, Café Lola Rosa, and several small convenience stores, as well as many "third places" hangouts.
Development and preservation
In the 1970s, community activists were concerned that the vast La Cité mixed-use complex (consisting of apartments, offices, a mall, and a hotel - now McGill's New Residence) would destroy the neighbourhood's character. A campaign to stop further redevelopment was led by a residents' coalition and the then-newly formed historic preservation group Heritage Montreal.
When McGill University acquired the hotel component of La Cité (at Parc and Prince Arthur) and transformed it into an undergraduate student residence (called New Residence Hall), the student population in Milton Parc increased by 650 people. La Cité also has a gym Club La Cité with an outdoor pool open year long and crosstraining facilities. In 2009, McGill University purchased a second hotel (Four-Points on Sherbrooke) and transformed it into another student residence for use starting in the 2009-2010 school year.