View source for Verdun, Quebec

{{Other uses|Verdun (disambiguation)}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
|name                   = Verdun
|settlement_type        = [[Boroughs of Montreal|Borough]] of [[Montreal]]
|official_name          = 
|nickname               = 
|motto                  = 
|image_blank_emblem     = Logoverdun.png
|blank_emblem_size      = 175px
|image_skyline          = Verdun vue de Ile des Soeurs.jpg
|imagesize              = 275px
|image_caption          = Verdun seen from [[Nuns' Island]]
|image_flag             = 
|image_seal             =
|image_map              = Carte localisation Montréal - Verdun.svg
|mapsize                = 275px
|map_caption            = '''''Location (in red) of Verdun on the Island of Montreal. <br /> (Grey areas indicate demerged municipalities).'''''
|subdivision_type       = Country
|subdivision_name       = {{CAN}}
|subdivision_type1      = [[Provinces and territories of Canada|Province]]
|subdivision_name1      = {{QC}}
|subdivision_type2      = City
|subdivision_name2      = [[Montreal]]
|subdivision_type3      = [[List of Quebec regions|Region]]
|subdivision_name3      = [[Montréal (region)|Montréal]]
|seat_type         =Electoral&nbsp;Districts <br />[[List of Canadian federal electoral districts|Federal]]
|seat              =<br />     [[LaSalle—Émard—Verdun]]<br />[[Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Sœurs]]
|parts_type        =[[List of Quebec provincial electoral districts|Provincial]]
|parts             =[[Verdun (provincial electoral district)|Verdun]]
|government_footnotes   =<ref name="AMRQ">{{Cite web |url=http://www.mamrot.gouv.qc.ca/repertoire-des-municipalites/fiche/arrondissement/REM12/ |title=Ministère des Affaires Municipales et Régions: Verdun |access-date=2012-03-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120104044621/http://www.mamrot.gouv.qc.ca/repertoire-des-municipalites/fiche/arrondissement/REM12 |archive-date=2012-01-04 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/HFER/hfer.asp?Language=E&Search=Det&Include=Y&rid=1394 |title=Parliament of Canada Federal Riding History: JEANNE-LE BER (Quebec) |access-date=2009-04-22 |archive-date=2009-06-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090618195312/http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/HFER/hfer.asp?Language=E&Search=Det&Include=Y&rid=1394 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>[http://www.electionsquebec.qc.ca/en/resultats_gen.asp?bsq=Verdun&section=resultats_gen&even='2008'&mode='n3'#resul Chief Electoral Officer of Québec - 40th General Election Riding Results: VERDUN]{{dead link|date=July 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
|government_type        = Borough
|leader_title           = Mayor
|leader_name            = Marie-Andrée Mauger ([[Projet Montréal|PM]])
|leader_title1          = Federal [[House of Commons of Canada|MP]](s)
|leader_name1           = [[Claude Guay]] ([[Liberal Party of Canada|LPC]])<br />[[Marc Miller (politician)|Marc Miller]] ([[Liberal Party of Canada|LPC]])
|leader_title2          = Quebec [[National Assembly of Quebec|MNA]](s)
|leader_name2           = [[Alejandra Zaga Mendez]] ([[Québec solidaire|QS]])
|established_title      = 
|established_date       = 
|established_title2     = 
|established_date2      = 
|established_title3     =  Merger into<br /> Montreal
|established_date3      = January 01, 2002
|area_footnotes         =<ref name="SC2006">{{Cite web |url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=2466035&Geo2=PR&Code2=24&Data=Count&SearchText=verdun&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=24&B1=Custom&Custom=1000 |title=2006 Statistics Canada Community Profile: Verdun, Quebec |access-date=2009-04-15 |archive-date=2011-07-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720053941/http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=2466035&Geo2=PR&Code2=24&Data=Count&SearchText=verdun&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=24&B1=Custom&Custom=1000 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|area_total_km2         = 
|area_land_km2          = 9.7
|area_water_km2         = 
|area_water_percent     = 
|population_as_of       = [[Canada 2016 Census|2016]]
|population_footnotes  =<ref name="ville.montreal.qc.ca">{{cite web | url=http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/pls/portal/docs/PAGE/MTL_STATS_FR/MEDIA/DOCUMENTS/PROFIL_SOCIOD%C9MO_VERDUN%202016.PDF | title=PROFIL SOCIODÉMOGRAPHIQUE - Arrondissement de Verdun | date=May 2018 | access-date=2018-12-03 | archive-date=2021-05-25 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525225930/http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/pls/portal/docs/PAGE/MTL_STATS_FR/MEDIA/DOCUMENTS/PROFIL_SOCIOD%C9MO_VERDUN%202016.PDF | url-status=live }}</ref>
|population_note        = 
|population_total       =    69,229
|population_density_km2     =   7,126.0
|population_blank2_title         = Dwellings
|population_blank2               = 33,990
|population_density_metro_km2 =
|population_density_metro_sq_mi =
|population_urban       = 
|timezone               = [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern]] (EST)
|utc_offset             = −5
|timezone_DST           = EDT
|utc_offset_DST         = −4
|coordinates            = 
|elevation_m              = 
|postal_code_type       = [[Canadian postal code|Postal code(s)]]
|postal_code            =[[List of H postal codes of Canada|H3E, H4G, H4H]]
|area_codes              = [[Area code 514/438|(514) and (438)]]
|blank_name             = Access&nbsp;Routes<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.quebec511.gouv.qc.ca/fr/carte_routiere/ |title=Official Transport Quebec Road Map |access-date=2009-04-15 |archive-date=2011-02-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110224075355/http://www.quebec511.gouv.qc.ca/fr/carte%5Froutiere/ |url-status=live }}</ref> <br /> {{jct|state=QC|A|10}} <br /> {{jct|state=QC|A|15}}
|blank_info             = <br /> '''{{jct|state=QC|A|20}}'''
|website                ={{URL|https://montreal.ca/en/verdun}}
|footnotes              = 
}}

'''Verdun''' ({{IPAc-en|v|əɹ|ˈ|d|ʌ|n}} {{respell|vər|DUN}}, {{IPA|fr-CA|vaɛ̯ʁdœ̃˞|label=[[Quebec French]]:}}) is a [[Montreal borough|borough]] (''[[arrondissement]]'') of the city of [[Montreal]], Quebec, located in the southeastern part of the island.

Long known as a [[working class]] neighbourhood, it has experienced significant [[gentrification]] and [[social change]] in the 21st century.<ref name="gentrification1">{{cite news|title=Gentrification in Montreal not helping poorer families|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/680387/gentrification-in-montreal-not-helping-poorer-families/|publisher=[[Global News]]|location=Montreal|date=28 June 2013|access-date=4 February 2021|archive-date=20 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120010603/https://globalnews.ca/news/680387/gentrification-in-montreal-not-helping-poorer-families/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="gentrification2">{{cite news|title=Verdun's First Microbrewery Reflects Gentrification of Montreal Neighbourhood|url=https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/ex/sustainablecitiescollective/verdun-s-first-microbrewery-reflects-gentrification-montreal-neighbou/1025196/|publisher=Smart Cities Drive|location=Montreal|date=|access-date=4 February 2021|archive-date=15 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515141250/https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/ex/sustainablecitiescollective/verdun-s-first-microbrewery-reflects-gentrification-montreal-neighbou/1025196/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Etymology==
The borough's name is a shortening of [[Saverdun]], in France, the hometown of its early settler [[Zacharie Dupuy]].{{citation needed|date=April 2024}}

==History==
=== Early history ===
[[File:Maison Nivard-De Saint-Dizier 1.jpg|thumb|left|[[Maison Étienne Nivard de Saint-Dizier]], built in 1710]]
There is archaeological evidence of [[indigenous peoples of the Americas|indigenous peoples]] in the area as early as 5,500 years ago.<ref name="maison">{{cite web |title=Maison Nivard-De Saint-Dizier |url=https://maisonnivard-de-saint-dizier.com/ |access-date=14 March 2022 |language=fr-CA}}</ref> A [[portage]] along what is now the boulevard LaSalle was used to pass the [[Lachine Rapids]].<ref name="shgv">{{cite web |title=Un peu d'histoire... Bref historique de Verdun |url=http://www.ville.verdun.qc.ca/shgv/histoire.htm |access-date=14 March 2022 |website=www.ville.verdun.qc.ca |archive-date=6 January 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070106144602/http://www.ville.verdun.qc.ca/shgv/histoire.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

A [[trading post]] was established at nearby [[Fort Ville-Marie]] in 1611 and colonization of the [[Island of Montreal]] began in 1642. In 1664 the Île-Saint-Paul (now Nuns' Island) became a seigneury.{{citation needed|date=November 2024}}

The first colonial settlers were [[militia]]men granted [[Concession (contract)|concessions]] in 1665 in exchange for defence against the [[Iroquois]]. Afterwards, the area was known as ''Côte-des-Argoulets'' (Sharpshooter's Ridge), in reference to the [[arquebus]], an infantry gun.<ref name="noyau" /> The settlement was where the [[Saint Pierre River (Montreal)|grande Saint-Pierre]] river drained Lac à la Loutre into the [[St. Lawrence River]]. The lake has since been filled to create the Turcot [[rail yard]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Doyon |first=Frédérique |date=2012-10-06 |title=Dans les rivières souterraines de Montréal - Retour aux sources des villes |url=https://www.ledevoir.com/culture/cinema/360904/retour-aux-sources-des-villes |access-date=2022-03-14 |website=Le Devoir |language=fr}}</ref> and the St. Pierre partly covered over and partly integrated with canals.

In 1671, the [[Fief]] of Verdun is created when land is granted to [[Zacharie Dupuy]], who derived the name Verdun from his native village of Saverdun in France.<ref name="cdn-encyclo">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Verdun |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/verdun |encyclopedia=[[The Canadian Encyclopedia]] |date=March 4, 2015 |access-date=14 March 2022 |archive-date=4 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211204102709/https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/verdun |url-status=live }}</ref> Two years later he donated the land to the [[Congrégation de Notre-Dame]],<ref name="dicobio">{{Cite DCB |title=Dupuy, Zacharie |volume=1 |last=Auger |first=Roland-J |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/dupuy_zacharie_1E.html |access-date=14 March 2022}}</ref> who in 1710 built the building now preserved as the [[Maison Nivard-De Saint-Dizier]]. This house is named for [[Étienne Nivard Saint-Dizier]], whose father bought the lands from the nuns in 1769.<ref name="Le voisinage Crawford.">[http://patrimoine.ville.montreal.qc.ca/inventaire/fiche_zone.php?affichage=fiche&civique=&voie=0&est_ouest=&appellation=&arrondissement=26&protection=0&batiment=oui&zone=oui&lignes=25&type_requete=simple&id=1209 "Le voisinage Crawford."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006130552/http://patrimoine.ville.montreal.qc.ca/inventaire/fiche_zone.php?affichage=fiche&civique=&voie=0&est_ouest=&appellation=&arrondissement=26&protection=0&batiment=oui&zone=oui&lignes=25&type_requete=simple&id=1209 |date=2011-10-06 }} Grand répertoire du patrimoine bâti de Montréal. Accessed 1 July 2011.</ref>

Following the [[Great Peace of Montreal]] in 1701, farmers settled along Lower Lachine Road (now boulevard LaSalle), which connected Fort Ville-Marie with [[Lachine, Quebec|Lachine]].<ref name="noyau"/>

Around 1800, Chemin de la Rivière-Saint-Pierre (now rue de l'Église) was opened.<ref name="noyau">[http://patrimoine.ville.montreal.qc.ca/inventaire/fiche_zone.php?affichage=fiche&civique=&voie=0&est_ouest=&appellation=&arrondissement=26&protection=0&batiment=oui&zone=oui&lignes=25&type_requete=simple&id=1205 "Le noyau institutionnel et commerçant de Verdun."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006130544/http://patrimoine.ville.montreal.qc.ca/inventaire/fiche_zone.php?affichage=fiche&civique=&voie=0&est_ouest=&appellation=&arrondissement=26&protection=0&batiment=oui&zone=oui&lignes=25&type_requete=simple&id=1205 |date=2011-10-06 }} Grand répertoire du patrimoine bâti de Montréal. Accessed 1 July 2011.</ref> The [[Canal de l'Aqueduc]], now Verdun's northwestern boundary, was dug in 1854 to furnish Montreal with drinking water from the St. Lawrence.<ref name="aqueduc">[http://patrimoine.ville.montreal.qc.ca/inventaire/fiche_zone.php?affichage=fiche&civique=&voie=0&est_ouest=&appellation=&arrondissement=26&protection=0&batiment=oui&zone=oui&lignes=25&type_requete=simple&id=1199 "Secteur du canal de l'aqueduc."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006130703/http://patrimoine.ville.montreal.qc.ca/inventaire/fiche_zone.php?affichage=fiche&civique=&voie=0&est_ouest=&appellation=&arrondissement=26&protection=0&batiment=oui&zone=oui&lignes=25&type_requete=simple&id=1199 |date=2011-10-06 }} Grand répertoire du patrimoine bâti de Montréal. Accessed 1 July 2011.</ref>

In 1874, a group of local land-owners met in a farmhouse called Le Pavillon, located at the corner of Lower Lachine Road and Chemin de la Rivière-Saint-Pierre, and decided to found the village of Rivière-Saint-Pierre. Chartered by the government of Quebec, it became the municipality of Verdun the following year.{{citation needed|date=November 2024}} Settlement had been hampered due to frequent flooding, but a dyke was built starting in 1896; its completion resulted in a population boom.{{citation needed|date=November 2024}} The dyke itself became host to Verdun's popular Boardwalk, before land reclamation in the 70s led to the expansion of the waterfront park along the whole length of Verdun's riverbank.{{citation needed|date=November 2024}}

The first Église Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs (now part of the school of the same name) was built in 1899, followed by a combined town hall, fire hall, and police station in 1908. The tramway also arrived in 1899, connecting Verdun to downtown. A larger [[Église Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs de Montréal]] was built in 1914.<ref name="noyau" />

=== 20th century ===
[[File:Moving Day. 4th Ave. Verdun BAnQ P48S1P02642.jpg|thumb|right|[[Moving Day (Quebec)|Moving day]] on 4th avenue, 1938]]In 1881, the Montreal Hospital for the Insane was founded as a Protestant counterpart to the Catholic Hôpital Saint-Jean-de-Dieu (now Hôpital Louis-H.-Lafontaine) east of the city. It would be built on two farms, purchased in 1887 and 1907, in the western end of Verdun. Affiliated with [[McGill University]] in 1946, it was renamed the Douglas Hospital in 1965.<ref name="aqueduc" /> Today, not only is it one of Verdun's largest public institutions, but its campus is one of the borough's most important greenspaces.

Verdun became a town in 1907 and a city in 1912. Between 1911 and 1924 the population tripled and urbanization expanded rapidly "westward" (according to [[Geography of Montreal#Street directions|"Montreal directions"]] - actually due southward), and the farms were divided for residential use. The Moffat area west of rue Desmarchais was built in with "plexes"—the typical Montreal layered apartment—between 1920 and 1930,<ref>[http://patrimoine.ville.montreal.qc.ca/inventaire/fiche_zone.php?affichage=fiche&civique=&voie=0&est_ouest=&appellation=&arrondissement=26&protection=0&batiment=oui&zone=oui&lignes=25&type_requete=simple&id=1207 "Le voisinage Moffat."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006130751/http://patrimoine.ville.montreal.qc.ca/inventaire/fiche_zone.php?affichage=fiche&civique=&voie=0&est_ouest=&appellation=&arrondissement=26&protection=0&batiment=oui&zone=oui&lignes=25&type_requete=simple&id=1207 |date=2011-10-06 }} Grand répertoire du patrimoine bâti de Montréal. Accessed 1 July 2011.</ref> and the Crawford Park area in the far west of the town was built starting in 1945, in a more suburban style unlike the orthogonal grid used in the rest of Verdun.<ref name="Le voisinage Crawford."/> The [[Verdun Natatorium]] was built in 1930, the Verdun Hospital in 1932, and the [[Verdun Auditorium]] in 1938.

The municipality of Île-Saint-Paul, occupying what was by then universally known as [[Nuns' Island|Nuns' Island or Île des Sœurs]], was annexed to Verdun in 1956. Then a chiefly agricultural area, it was rapidly urbanized following the opening of the [[Champlain Bridge, Montreal|Champlain Bridge]] in 1962, with development including contributions by the famous Modernist architect [[Ludwig Mies van der Rohe]].<ref>[http://patrimoine.ville.montreal.qc.ca/inventaire/fiche_zone.php?affichage=fiche&civique=&voie=0&est_ouest=&appellation=&arrondissement=26&protection=0&batiment=oui&zone=oui&lignes=25&type_requete=simple&id=1210 "L'île des Soeurs."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006130757/http://patrimoine.ville.montreal.qc.ca/inventaire/fiche_zone.php?affichage=fiche&civique=&voie=0&est_ouest=&appellation=&arrondissement=26&protection=0&batiment=oui&zone=oui&lignes=25&type_requete=simple&id=1210 |date=2011-10-06 }} Grand répertoire du patrimoine bâti de Montréal. Accessed 1 July 2011.</ref> Rapid development would continue to the present day, with the erosion of the sensitive natural woodland of the Domaine Saint-Pierre becoming an increasingly pressing concern.

[[File:Bureau d'arrondissement de Verdun.jpg|thumb|left|Verdun City Hall, now the borough hall.]]
Back in Verdun proper, in the post-war period, the area around the church, along rue Wellington and rue de l'Église, became the nucleus of commercial development. A new city hall was built on Rue de Verdun in 1958.<ref>[http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/pls/portal/url/page/arr_ver_en/rep_vie_quartier/rep_histoire_patrimoine/rep_batiments_historiques/hotel_de_ville_verdun "History and Heritage: Verdun City Hall."] Ville de Montréal: Arrondissement de Verdun. Accessed 1 July 2011.</ref> The Green Line of the [[Montreal Metro]] was extended into Verdun in 1978, its construction delayed due to a collapse in rue Wellington during the construction of [[De L'Église (Montreal Metro)|De L'Église]] station.<ref>[http://www.metrodemontreal.com/green/deleglise/history.html "De l'Église Metro: History and trivia."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606223230/http://www.metrodemontreal.com/green/deleglise/history.html |date=2011-06-06 }} Metrodemontreal.com. Accessed 1 July 2011.</ref> Besides De l'Église in downtown Verdun and [[Verdun (Montreal Metro)|Verdun]] station in front of the town hall, [[LaSalle (Montreal Metro)|LaSalle]] station was built in vacant land in a former industrial area in the east of the borough, left vacant by the demolition of the vast British Munitions Supply Co. facilities; the Metro station would become the heart of a new residential area called La Poudrière after the munitions factories.<ref>[http://www.metrodemontreal.com/green/lasalle/history.html "LaSalle Metro: History and trivia."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606223538/http://www.metrodemontreal.com/green/lasalle/history.html |date=2011-06-06 }} Metrodemontreal.com. Accessed 1 July 2011.</ref>

However, improved access to downtown Montreal meant a decline in local commerce. A program of subsidies and revitalization starting in the 1990s reinvigorated the rue Wellington commercial corridor.<ref name="noyau" />

Verduners voted 68% "no" in the [[1980 Quebec referendum|1980 sovereignty referendum]] and 59.6% "no" in the [[1995 Quebec referendum|1995 referendum]]. In 1992, Verduners voted 53.66% in favour of the [[Charlottetown Accord]].

=== 21st century ===

In 2002, the municipal [[reorganization of Montreal]] saw the city of Verdun become a borough of Montreal. [[2004 Quebec municipal referendums|The majority of Verduners chose not to hold a demerger referendum in 2004-2006.]]

Earlier in the 20th century, Verdun was a partially [[Dry county|dry community]], with taverns, night clubs and cabarets banned since 1965, and alcohol sales restricted to restaurants with liquor licences, grocery stores and the [[Société des alcools du Québec|SAQ]].<ref>[http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/portal/page?_pageid=2480,4772982&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL "'Prohibition' in Verdun and the Scott Act."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121002091129/http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/portal/page?_pageid=2480,4772982&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL |date=2012-10-02 }} Ville de Montréal: Arrondissement de Verdun. Accessed July 1, 2011.</ref> In December 2010, the borough announced that it was planning to allow some microbreweries or performance spaces to sell alcohol.<ref name=SRC>{{cite news|last=Coutié|first=Maxime|title=Feu vert à l'ouverture de bars et tavernes|url=http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/Montreal/2010/12/09/002-verdun-bars-permis.shtml|access-date=28 December 2011|newspaper=[[CBC News]]|date=9 December 2010|language=fr|archive-date=23 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120523190207/http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/Montreal/2010/12/09/002-verdun-bars-permis.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> The ban was eventually lifted entirely in 2013, and today Verdun is home to many thriving [[microbreweries]] and bars.<ref name="gentrification2" />

In recent years, Verdun, along with the neighbouring [[Le Sud-Ouest]] borough, have experienced rapid [[gentrification]] and social change. Long considered to be one of the city's poorer neighbourhoods, it's today one Montreal's most desirable areas to live, with a large influx of students and professionals arriving in the last decade.<ref name="gentrification1" /><ref name="gentrification2" />

In 2019, Verdun hosted a part of the [[Montreal International Jazz Festival|Jazz Fest]] on [[Wellington Street, Montreal|Wellington Street]], to much praise from the public and critics.<ref name="Jazz fest">{{cite news|title=Verdun satellite site a hit with Montreal jazz festival fans|url=https://montrealgazette.com/entertainment/music/jazz-fests-new-verdun-satellite-site-a-hit-with-residents-visitors|publisher=[[Montreal Gazette]]|location=Montreal|date=29 June 2019|access-date=4 February 2021}}</ref>

In 2020, it was listed as the eleventh "coolest" neighbourhood in the world by [[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]] magazine.<ref name="Coolest">{{cite news|title=Montreal's Verdun borough ranked as world's 11th 'coolest' neighbourhood|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/7387278/montreal-verdun-11th-coolest-neighbourhood/|publisher=[[Global News]]|location=Montreal|date=8 October 2020|access-date=4 February 2021|archive-date=13 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210113154035/https://globalnews.ca/news/7387278/montreal-verdun-11th-coolest-neighbourhood/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/coolest-neighbourhoods-in-the-world|title=The 49 coolest neighbourhoods in the world|date=11 October 2022|access-date=22 February 2021|archive-date=31 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331130452/https://www.timeout.com/coolest-neighbourhoods-in-the-world|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Geography==
The borough of Verdun is partly located on the [[Island of Montreal]], as well as including all of [[Nuns' Island]].

The Montreal Island part of the borough is defined on its eastern side by the [[St. Lawrence River]], and on the west by the [[Canal de l'Aqueduc]]. Several bridges cross the canal to connect Verdun with [[Ville-Émard]] and [[Côte-Saint-Paul]]. To the south it extends to Avenue Gérald and [[LaSalle, Quebec|LaSalle]]. To the north it extends to [[Pointe-Saint-Charles]] and the [[Quebec Autoroute 15]] which connects it to Nun's Island.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://portail-m4s.s3.montreal.ca/pdf/panneau_37x55.75-carte_verdun-2022.pdf |title="Verdun borough map" |access-date=2022-09-01 |archive-date=2022-09-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220901160556/https://portail-m4s.s3.montreal.ca/pdf/panneau_37x55.75-carte_verdun-2022.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

Neighbourhoods within Verdun include;
*'''Desmarchais-Crawford''' (also called West Verdun), which includes dense early 20th-century residential development, the sprawling Douglas Hospital campus, and the post-war suburban area of Crawford Park
*'''Wellington-De l'Église''', the borough's commercial and institutional downtown surrounded with historically working-class blocks of two- and three-story "plexes" (duplexes, 3-, 4-, 5- and 6-plexes) with their characteristic winding staircases and balconies
*'''L'Île-des-Sœurs''' (Nuns' Island), located offshore, home to upscale condo developments and BCE's headquarters

==Demographics==
Demographics of Verdun:<ref name="ville.montreal.qc.ca"/>
{{Historical populations
|title       = Historical populations
|type        = Canada
|align       = right
|width       = 
|state       = Quebec
|shading     = 
|percentages = 
|footnote    = 
|[[1881 Canadian census|1881]]|278
|[[1891 Canadian census|1891]]|296
|[[1901 Canadian census|1901]]|1,898
|[[Canada 1911 Census|1911]]|11,629
|[[Canada 1921 Census|1921]]|25,001
|[[Canada 1931 Census|1931]]|60,745
|[[Canada 1941 Census|1941]]|67,349
|[[Canada 1951 Census|1951]]|77,391
|[[1956 Canadian census|1956]]|78,262
|[[1961 Canadian census|1961]]|78,317
|[[1966 Canadian census|1966]]|76,832
|[[Canada 1971 Census|1971]]|74,715|[[Canada 1976 Census|1976]]|68,013|[[Canada 1981 Census|1981]]|61,287|[[Canada 1986 Census|1986]]|60,246|[[Canada 1991 Census|1991]]|61,307|[[Canada 1996 Census|1996]]|59,714|[[Canada 2001 Census|2001]]|60,564|[[Canada 2006 Census|2006]]|66,078|[[Canada 2011 Census|2011]]|66,158|[[Canada 2016 Census|2016]]|69,229}}
[[File:Verdun side street.jpg|thumb|A typical side street in Verdun.]]
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|+'''Home language''' ([[Canada 2016 Census|2016]])
! Language
! Population
! Percentage (%)
|-
| [[French language|French]]
|  41,085
| 64%
|-
| [[English language|English]]
| 13,880
| 22%
|-
| Other languages
| 9,080
| 14%
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
|+'''Mother tongue''' ([[Canada 2016 Census|2016]])
! Language
! Population
! Percentage (%)
|-
| [[French language|French]]
| 40,120
| 61%
|-
| [[English language|English]]
| 10,870
| 17%
|-
| Other languages
| 14,530
| 22%
|}
[[File:Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs-Verdun.jpg|thumb|upright|Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs church, at the centre of downtown Verdun]]
In the early part of the 20th century, Verdun had a majority [[English-speaking Quebecer|English-speaking]] population and until 1954 — when the 80,000 residents made Verdun the third largest city in Quebec— the anglophone and francophone populations were roughly equal.<ref>[http://bibnum2.bnquebec.ca/bna/petitj/src/1954/04/04/164399_059_0824.pdf Population description]</ref> It is now about two-thirds [[French-speaking Quebecer|French-speaking]].

{| class="wikitable"
|-
|+'''Visible Minorities''' ([[Canada 2016 Census|2016]])
! Ethnicity
! Population
! Percentage (%)
|-
| Not a visible minority
| 53,340
| 79.2%
|-
| [[Visible minorities]]
| 13,995
| 20.8%
|}

==Economy==
[[File:Bell Campus Montreal 01.jpg|thumb|The head office of [[Bell Canada]] is located on the northern tip of [[Nuns' Island]].]]

Verdun was historically a chiefly residential area; however, the late 1990s and 2000s saw a gradual revival of the [[Wellington Street, Montreal|Wellington Street]] commercial artery, with several shops, restaurants, and cafés opening.

By 2020, Wellington was considered one of the city's trendiest streets, comparable to [[Mount Royal Avenue]] in the [[Le Plateau-Mont-Royal|Plateau]],<ref name="gentrification1" /><ref name="gentrification2" /><ref name="Coolest" /> and hosted part of the [[Montreal International Jazz Festival|Jazz Fest]] in 2019.<ref name="Jazz fest" />

[[Bell Canada]] is also headquartered in Verdun, on the northern tip of Nuns' Island.<ref>"[http://www.bce.ca/en/contact/ Contact Us] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211204756/http://bce.ca/en/contact/ |date=2009-02-11 }}." [[Bell Canada]]. Retrieved on August 24, 2009.</ref>

Other commercial areas include Verdun Street, Church Street (rue de l'Eglise) and Commerce Place (Place du Commerce) on Nuns' Island.

The [[Montreal Highland Games]], located in Verdun, bring visitors to the neighbourhood each August.

==Transport==
Verdun is served by Quebec Autoroutes [[Quebec Autoroute 15|15]] and [[Quebec Autoroute 20|20]], which skirt the northern and eastern edges of its mainland portion and merge with [[Quebec Autoroute 10|Autoroute 10]] on Nuns' Island. The island is connected to the Island of Montreal and the South Shore via the [[Champlain Bridge (Montreal)|Champlain Bridge]].

The borough is contemplating the possibility of building a service bridge between the Island of Montreal and Nuns' Island. The bridge would connect Boul. Marguerite-Bourgeoys on Nuns' Island with Rue Galt in mainland Verdun. It would be accessible only to city services, public transit, cyclists, and pedestrians.<ref>[http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/pls/portal/docs/PAGE/ARR_VER_EN/MEDIA/DOCUMENTS/PONT_IDS_RAPPORT_FINALL-30-06-08-%20ANG-2.PDF "Report by the special committee examining the appropriateness of building a bridge connecting the two shores of the Verdun borough."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121002091320/http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/pls/portal/docs/PAGE/ARR_VER_EN/MEDIA/DOCUMENTS/PONT_IDS_RAPPORT_FINALL-30-06-08-%20ANG-2.PDF |date=2012-10-02 }} Arrondissement de Verdun, July 2, 2008. Accessed July 4, 2011.</ref>

The borough is served by the [[Line 1 Green (Montreal Metro)|Green Line]] of the Montreal Metro: [[Verdun (Montreal Metro)|Verdun]], [[De L'Église (Montreal Metro)|De l'Église]], and [[LaSalle (Montreal Metro)|LaSalle]] stations, along with [[Jolicoeur (Montreal Metro)|Jolicoeur]] station immediately across the aqueduct in [[Ville-Émard]]. All of these stations have been in service since 1978. Other than the metro, there is also the bus. [[List of Société de transport de Montréal bus routes|The following bus routes]] pass through Verdun: 12 Ile Des Soeurs, 37 Jolicoeur, 38 De l'Église, 61 Wellington, 71 Pointe-Saint-Charles, 107 Verdun, 108 Bannantyne, 112 Airlie and 114 Angrignon.

The [[Réseau express métropolitain]] light metro serves Verdun at [[Île-des-Soeurs station]], with the station opening on July 31, 2023. This provides automated train service connecting Verdun to [[Montreal Central Station]], [[Brossard]], [[Downtown Montreal]] and other areas of [[Greater Montreal]], including, by 2027, [[Montreal-Trudeau International Airport]] at the [[YUL–Montréal–Trudeau Airport station]].

==Health==
Significant medical facilities in the borough include the [[Douglas Mental Health University Institute]] (commonly known as "the Douglas"), a [[McGill University Faculty of Medicine|McGill University]] psychiatric hospital.

The francophone [[Hôpital de Verdun]], affiliated with the [[Université de Montréal Faculty of Medicine]], is also in the borough.

==Recreation==
Recreational facilities include the [[Verdun Auditorium]], a hockey arena and concert hall, the home of the now defunct [[Montreal Junior Hockey Club|Junior de Montréal]] team.

Expansive parks (L'Honorable-George-O'Reilly, Mgr-J-A-Richard, and Arthur-Therrien) with bike paths line the banks of the St. Lawrence River, making Verdun one of the few parts of the Island of Montreal to open onto the whole length of its waterfront, a legacy of the flooding that once impeded settlement. The waterfront also features the Verdun Natatorium, public-access docks and a marina, an open-air dancing shell, a [[lawn bowling]] green, and football, baseball, and soccer fields. In 2019, a public beach was opened behind the Auditorium.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/5421460/verdun-beach-finally-opens/|title=Verdun beach finally opens - Montreal &#124; Globalnews.ca|access-date=2019-08-25|archive-date=2019-08-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190825143347/https://globalnews.ca/news/5421460/verdun-beach-finally-opens/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Cycling is also available along the Canal de l'Aqueduc on the opposite edge of the borough; on rue de Verdun; and around and through Nuns' Island, including the cycle-accessible Champlain Bridge ice structure connecting to [[Île Notre-Dame]] and the south shore.

Another of the borough's major green spaces, the Domaine Saint-Paul (Boisé de l'Île-des-Sœurs), preserves the natural woodland of Nuns' Island, home to more than a hundred species of birds as well as the scarce [[Storeria|brown snake]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2015}} Trails lead through the woodland. The campus of the Douglas Hospital is also a major green space open to the public.

The borough's community centres are the Centre communautaire Marcel-Giroux, near the borough hall; the Centre communautaire Elgar on Nuns' Island; and the Centre culturel de Verdun, in the western part of the borough. The latter two facilities include public libraries and art exhibition spaces.

==Government==

===Municipal===

Verdun is governed by a borough council consisting of the borough mayor and of one city councillor and two borough councillors elected by each of two council districts, for a total of seven members. The borough mayor and the two city councillors represent Verdun on [[Montreal City Council]].

As of the [[2021 Montreal municipal election|November 7, 2021 Montreal municipal election]], the current borough council consists of the following councillors:

{| class="wikitable" border="1"
! District
! Position
! Name
! width="30" | &nbsp;
! Party
|-
|&nbsp;—
| Borough mayor<br />[[Montreal City Council|City councillor]]
| [[Marie-Andrée Mauger]]
| {{Canadian party colour|MTL|Projet|background}} | &nbsp;
| [[Projet Montréal]]<ref name="Conseil d'arrondissement de Verdun">{{cite web | url=https://montreal.ca/conseils-decisionnels/conseil-darrondissement-de-verdun | title=Conseil d'arrondissement de Verdun | date=5 September 2023 }}</ref>
|-
| rowspan=3 | Champlain–L'Île-des-Sœurs
| City councillor
| [[Véronique Tremblay]]
| {{Canadian party colour|MTL|Projet|background}} | &nbsp;
| [[Projet Montréal]]<ref name="Conseil d'arrondissement de Verdun"/>
|-
| rowspan=2 | Borough councillor
| Céline-Audrey Beauregard
| {{Canadian party colour|MTL|Projet|background}} | &nbsp;
| [[Projet Montréal]]
|-
| Enrique Machado
| {{Canadian party colour|MTL|Projet|background}} | &nbsp;
| [[Projet Montréal]]
|-
| rowspan=3 | Desmarchais-Crawford
| City councillor
| [[Sterling Downey]]
| {{Canadian party colour|MTL|Projet|background}} | &nbsp;
| [[Projet Montréal]]
|-
| rowspan=2 | Borough councillor
| Kaïla A. Munro
| {{Canadian party colour|MTL|Projet|background}} | &nbsp;
| [[Projet Montréal]]
|-
| Benoit Gratton
| {{Canadian party colour|MTL|Projet|background}} | &nbsp;
| [[Projet Montréal]]
|}

===Federal and provincial===

The borough is part of the federal ridings of [[LaSalle—Émard—Verdun]] and [[Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Sœurs]] and is coextensive with the provincial riding of [[Verdun (provincial electoral district)|Verdun]].

==Education==

===Elementary and high schools===
[[File:Beurling Academy.jpg|thumb|[[Beurling Academy]]]]
The ''[[Commission scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys]]'' (CSMB) operates Francophone public schools.<ref>"[http://www.csmb.qc.ca/fr-CA/recherche-etablissement.aspx ÉCOLES ET CENTRES] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141203094019/http://www.csmb.qc.ca/fr-CA/recherche-etablissement.aspx |date=2014-12-03 }}." ''[[Commission Scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys]]''. Retrieved on December 7, 2014.</ref>

Adult education centres include:
* ''Centre d'éducation des adultes Champlain''

Professional development centres include:
* ''Centre de formation professionnelle de Verdun''
* ''Collège d’informatique et d’administration Verdun-LaSalle''

High schools include:
* ''[[École secondaire Monseigneur-Richard]]''

Elementary schools include:
* ''Chanoine-Joseph-Théorêt''
* ''Île-des-Soeurs''
* ''Lévis-Sauvé''
* ''Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde''
* ''Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix''
* ''Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes''
* ''Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs''
* ''Saules Rieurs''

The [[Lester B. Pearson School Board]] (LBPSB) operates Anglophone public schools.
* [[Beurling Academy]] (high school)
* Verdun Elementary School and Riverview Elementary School <ref>"[http://www.lbpsb.qc.ca/content/CSLBP_Carte_2016_v06.pdf School Board Map] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170921001425/http://www.lbpsb.qc.ca/content/CSLBP_Carte_2016_v06.pdf |date=2017-09-21 }}." [[Lester B. Pearson School Board]]. Retrieved on September 28, 2017.</ref>

Prior to 1998 [[Commission des écoles catholiques de Verdun]] operated Roman Catholic schools of all language backgrounds.

===Public libraries===
The [[Montreal Public Libraries Network]] operates the Île des Sœurs Branch and the Verdun Branch in Verdun.<ref>"[http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/portal/page?_pageid=4276,6695558&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL Les bibliothèques par arrondissement] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071022083625/http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/portal/page?_pageid=4276,6695558&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL |date=2007-10-22 }}." [[Montreal Public Libraries Network]]. Retrieved on December 7, 2014.</ref>

==Notable people==
*[[Jim Bartlett]], hockey player, born in Verdun in 1932
*[[George Beurling|George Frederick Beurling]], Canada's most decorated and successful WW2 fighter ace, born in Verdun in 1921
*[[Mike Bossy]], hockey player, born in Verdun in 1957
*[[Scotty Bowman]], hockey coach, born in Verdun in 1933
*[[Fred Burchell (ice hockey)|Frederick "Skippy" Burchell]] hockey player, born in Verdun in 1933
*[[Ian Clyde]], boxer, born in Verdun in 1956
*[[Norman Dawe]] (1898–1948), Canadian sports executive<ref>{{cite news|title=R. Norman Dawe Sportsman, Dead|date=January 5, 1948|newspaper=The Gazette|location=Montreal, Quebec|page=3|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/77337880/dawe-1948/|archive-date=November 13, 2021|access-date=October 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211113210757/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/77337880/dawe-1948/|url-status=live}}{{free access}}</ref>
*[[John Dunning (film producer)|John Dunning]], film producer, born in Verdun in 1927
*[[David Fennario]], Playwright and performer.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=1499|title=David Fennario|access-date=2017-07-16|archive-date=2017-08-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817034455/http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=1499|url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[Maynard Ferguson]], trumpet player and band leader
*[[Denis Juneau]], artist born in Verdun in 1925
*[[Ron Lapointe]], hockey player and coach, born in Verdun in 1949
*[[Bobby Lee (ice hockey)|Bobby Lee]], ice hockey player
*[[René Lépine]], real-estate developer & businessman, born in Verdun
*[[Rick Martin]], hockey player, born 1951 in Verdun
*[[Lise Payette]], journalist and politician, born in Verdun in 1931
*[[Ron Piché]], baseball player, born in Verdun in 1935
*[[Joe Poirier]], football player, born in Verdun in 1937
*[[Gilles Proulx]], radio host, born in Verdun in 1940
*[[Yvon Robert]], professional wrestler, born in Verdun in 1914
*[[Denis Savard]], hockey player, raised in Verdun
*[[Dollard St. Laurent]], hockey player, born in Verdun in 1929
*[[Gino Soccio]], Disco guitarist, and producer, born in Verdun in 1955
*[[Daniel Turp]], politician, member of the National Assembly, born in Verdun in 1955
*[[Stéphane Venne]], composer, born in Verdun in 1941
*[[Juanita Westmoreland-Traoré]], Quebec's first black female judge, born in Verdun in 1942
*[[Walter Young (athlete)|Walter Young]], runner, winner of the 1937 Boston marathon. He worked as a firefighter and was a captain with the Verdun fire department until his retirement in 1978

==See also==
* [[Boroughs of Montreal#List of Montreal boroughs|Boroughs of Montreal]]
* [[Districts of Montreal]]
* [[List of former municipalities in Quebec|List of former cities in Quebec]]
* [[Municipal reorganization in Quebec]]
*''[[Where I'm From (film)|Where I'm From]]'', a 2014 documentary film by Claude Demers about his childhood in Verdun

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Geographic Location (8-way)
 | Centre    = [[Image:Flag of Montreal.svg|25px]] Verdun (Montreal)
 | North     = [[Image:Flag of Montreal.svg|25px]] [[Le Sud-Ouest]] ([[Montreal]])
 | Northeast = [[Image:Flag of Montreal.svg|25px]] [[Ville-Marie, Montreal|Ville-Marie]] ([[Montreal]])
 | East      = [[Image:Flag of Montreal.svg|25px]] [[Le Sud-Ouest]] ([[Montreal]])
 | Southeast = 
 | South     = ''[[Saint Lawrence River]]''
 | Southwest = [[Image:Flag of Montreal.svg|25px]] [[LaSalle, Quebec|LaSalle]] ([[Montreal]])
 | West      = [[Image:Flag of Montreal.svg|25px]] [[Le Sud-Ouest]] ([[Montreal]])
 | Northwest = 
}}

==External links==
* [http://maisonnivard-de-saint-dizier.com/ Maison Nivard de Saint-Dizier]: museum and historic site.

{{MontrealNeighbourhoods}}
{{Authority control}}
{{coord|45|27|N|73|34|W|region:CA_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki|display=title}}

[[Category:Verdun, Quebec| ]]
[[Category:Boroughs of Montreal]]
[[Category:Former municipalities in Quebec]]
[[Category:Former cities in Quebec]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1671]]
[[Category:Populated places disestablished in 2002]]
[[Category:Quebec populated places on the Saint Lawrence River]]
[[Category:1671 establishments in the French colonial empire]]
[[Category:Irish-Canadian culture in Montreal]]
[[Category:Gentrification in Canada]]