Town Of Mount Royal

The Town of Mount Royal is an affluent on-island suburb located on the northwest side of Mount Royal, north of Downtown Montreal, on the Island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is completely surrounded by Montreal. The population was 19,503 as of the Canada 2011 Census. In 2008, most of the Town of Mount Royal was designated a National Historic Site of Canada, as a " synthesis of urban renewal movements of the early 20th century, reflecting the influence of the City Beautiful, Garden City and Garden Suburb movements". The town celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2012.

History

The town was founded in 1912. It was created at the initiative of the Canadian Northern Railway. The town was designed by Frederick Todd, a planner who was heavily influenced by the likes of Ebenezer Howard and incorporated many aspects of the Garden City Movement as well some elements of the earlier City Beautiful movement into his design. The plan was to build a model city at the foot of the mountain. The company bought 4,800 acres (1,900 ha) of farmland, and then built a rail tunnel under Mount Royal connecting their land to downtown Montreal. The profits from the venture helped finance the development of Canadian Northern's transcontinental railroad, which eventually became a significant constituent of the Canadian National Railway system. The town was designed by Canadian Northern's chief engineer, Henry Wicksteed, based loosely on Washington, D.C.