Situated east of the Latin Quarter, west of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve and south of the trendier-than-thou Plateau neighborhood, the Montreal Gay Village is one of the city's younger districts, administered by the Borough of Ville-Marie. Having built itself up since the mid-80s, Montreal's Village Gai, commonly referred to as "Le Village," spreads over roughly one kilometer (0.6 miles) of the easternmost part of downtown. Neighborhood limits vary by source but most agree that Ste. Catherine Street, from Amherst to Papineau, is gay village territory while others include up to Berri in the west and far as De Lorimier in the east.
Residents are a pleasant mix of the LGBT community, gay and straight families, young professionals and university students, gay and straight. Students may appreciate the neighborhood's proximity to Université du Québec à Montréal, about ten to 15 minutes away by foot.
As for language, one can get by with English, as most of downtown districts are comfortably bilingual (with the exception of the Latin Quarter), but beyond a short-term stay, learning French is a must.
Sources: Queer Montreal INFO, Tourism Montreal, Montreal Gay and Lesbian Community Centre, Société de Développement Commercial du Village
