Griffintown: From industrial to trendy in the Sud-Ouest

One of the most historically rich neighbourhoods of Montreal, Griffintown, which is part of the city’s Sud-Ouest borough, is now one of the most sought-after parts of the city, with buyers and businesses moving in by the thousands. Case in point: according to the numbers published by Regroupement économique et social du Sud-Ouest, approximately 1,118 people were living in the neighbourhood in 2001; today, 16,000 residents are expected to move in as condos are popping up by the hundreds all over Griffintown.

Dominic St-Pierre, director for Royal LePage for the Quebec region, confirmed the attractiveness of Griffintown with the newspaper La Voix Pop, “It’s Montreal’s new trendy spot. Up until now, Ville-Marie was the favourite. Griffintown has now taken the lead,” he explained in an April 2015 interview with reporter André Desroches.

However, it was not always the case for this part of the city located directly southwest of downtown Montreal. Formerly known as the industrial heart of Montreal, the neighbourhood is rich in history and represents the cradle of industrialization in Canada; many worked there, often in extremely challenging, even unhealthy, conditions.

This is also where Irish immigrants fleeing the potato famine that plagued their country in the 19^th century came to work and live. A short walk around the Sud-Ouest borough reveals the Irish heritage of this area with street names such as Hibernia, Dublin, Rushbrooke, St-Patrick, and many more.

Falling into decline following the closure of the Lachine Canal, which led in turn to the closure of many factories in the neighbourhood, Griffintown has long been neglected, despite its high real estate value due to the fact that it is located a few minutes walk from downtown Montreal.

But, at the turn of the 2000s and particularly since 2008, a wind of change has blown through this neighbourhood. Real estate projects by the dozens, trendy shops, and restaurants that are amongst the most popular in town settled in. Griffintown has today become the golden child of Montreal’s southwest borough, and more and more Montrealers continue to discover all that it has to offer.