Downtown Montreal is the main business district of Montreal. Sainte-Catherine Street is its main hub. But downtown is also an important residential area, enjoying an incredible cultural vitality and economic diversity which comes from its local population very diverse in terms of origins, language, age, wealth and occupation. It is this diversity that makes it so popular, to its residents as well as visitors and tourists.

The Western Downtown area is of unique architectural and historic interest, a solid value and a constant motivation and mobilizing force that facilitate residential and business development.

The Downtown district has developed an identity as a multicultural hub of knowledge, mainly because of the presence or proximity of many post-secondary institutions - Concordia University, Montreal College Major Seminary, LaSalle College, Inter-Dec College, Dawson College, Herzing College and many language schools. The area welcomes and hosts the largest number of students in Canada.

A century-old tradition of shows and performances in Downtown Montreal makes the Quartier des spectacles the heart of today’s cultural metropolis. Within this square kilometer of the city, one can find over 80 cultural venues, including 30 performance halls with almost 28,000 seats.