Little Maghreb (French: Petit Maghreb) is a neighbourhood in the borough of Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension in Montreal. The neighbourhood is centered on fifteen blocks of Jean Talon Street stretching from Saint-Michel Boulevard in the West to Pie-IX Boulevard in the East.[1] Maghrebi merchants in the area, mainly from Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, have joined together to create a Little Maghreb identity for the neighbourhood, in the same way as Chinatown had become a symbol for Chinese Montrealers, and Little Italy had become the focal point of the city's Italian community.[2]
Little Maghreb
Le Petit Maghreb | |
|---|---|
  Little Maghreb Location of Downtown Montreal | |
| Coordinates: 45°33′47″N 73°35′41″W / 45.562930°N 73.594753°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Quebec |
| City | Montreal |
| Borough | Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension |
| Postal Code | |
| Area code(s) | 514, 438 |
Originally a part of the Saint-Michel neighbourhood, the late 1990s marked the beginning of the neighbourhood's Maghrebi flavour. This was a product of the opening of the Dar Al-Arkam Mosque on the corner of Jean-Talon and 17th Avenue and the arrival of thousands of immigrants from Algeria, Morocco, Libya, and Tunisia.[3]
Little Maghreb is served by the Saint-Michel Metro station on the Blue Line, with the upcoming eastbound extension of the Blue Line also continuing under the district.
References
edit- ^ DeWolf, Christopher (2008-01-10). "Welcome to Little Maghreb". Spacing Montreal. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
- ^ Saint-Pierre, Brigitte (2007-08-28). "Macadam - Le Petit Maghreb". Société (in French). Le Devoir. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
- ^ "A slice of North Africa". The Gazette (Montreal). 2008-10-01. Archived from the original on 2012-03-16. Retrieved 2009-06-08.