Mount Royal, Quebec

Mount Royal is a town located on the northwest side of Mount Royal, just northwest of Downtown Montreal, on the Island of Montreal in Quebec, Canada. The town is completely surrounded by the city of Montreal. As of the 2021 Canadian census, the population was 20,953 people.

In 2008, most of the Town of Mount Royal was named a National Historic Site of Canada. This is because it shows a special mix of ideas from urban renewal movements from the early 1900s. These ideas came from movements like the City Beautiful, Garden City, and Garden Suburb movements.

The town celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2012. It is known as an affluent on-island suburban town.

History

The Town of Mount Royal, often called TMR, was founded in 1912. It started because of the Canadian Northern Railway, which wanted to build a tunnel under Mount Royal to connect to downtown Montreal. A planner named Frederick Todd designed the town, inspired by ideas from famous planners like Sir Ebenezer Howard. The town was meant to be a beautiful place to live at the foot of Mount Royal. The railway company bought farmlands and built a rail tunnel, and the money from this helped build more railways across Canada.

The town's coat of arms has special meanings. It includes a crown for its French roots, roses for England, a mountain shape for its location, and ancient shield designs. The motto “Regium Donum” means “gift of the king.” Originally a small farming area known for growing special Montreal melons, the town later grew into a quiet community. After being part of Montreal from 2002 to 2006, it became its own town again in 2006.

Geography

Two main roads, Laird Boulevard and Graham Boulevard, cross the town and meet at Connaught Park, a green space in the middle. A light metro station is nearby, and trains can reach downtown Montreal in just eight minutes through the Mount Royal Tunnel. Both roads end at Jean Talon Street and near a highway.

The town is surrounded on three sides by a highway, a fence, and a rail line. The highway, called Metropolitan Boulevard, is part of Autoroute 40. In Mount Royal, it was built at ground level instead of elevated, as requested by the town’s council. A fence along the eastern border helps keep children and pets safe from the busy street and aims to prevent vandalism. The rail line is part of Canadian Pacific’s Adirondack subdivision.

Demographics

Mont-Royal has been recognized as a bilingual municipality since 2005.

In the 2021 Census, Mont-Royal had a population of 20,953 people living in 7,732 homes. The town covers an area of 7.55 km², with a population density of 2,775.2 per km².

Government

Mount Royal has a mayor and council that help run the town. Peter J. Malouf has been the mayor since 2021. He was re-elected in 2025. The town is divided into eight areas, each with its own councillor.

Many people have served as mayor of Mount Royal over the years, starting with Thomas S. Darling in 1913.

Mount Royal is part of the federal riding of Mount Royal. A well-known leader from this area was Pierre Trudeau. Today, Anthony Housefather represents the area in the federal government.

For provincial elections, Mount Royal is part of the Mont-Royal–Outremont district. Since October 2022, it has been represented by Michelle Setlakwe.

Education

The Commission scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys (CSMB) runs French-speaking public schools in the area. Some of these schools include École secondaire Mont-Royal and École secondaire Pierre-Laporte for older students, and École primaire Académie Saint-Clément, École primaire Saint-Clément Ouest, and École primaire Saint-Clément Est for younger students.

The English Montreal School Board (EMSB) operates English-speaking public schools, such as Carlyle Elementary School and Dunrae Gardens Elementary School. The town also has its own library called the Reginald J. P. Dawson Library, which is not part of the larger Montreal library system.