Westmount

History

There are indications of a First Nations presence 4000 to 5000 years ago. A large number of prehistoric burial sites were found within the area of Westmount. The Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) peoples have historically inhabited the Island of Montreal as well as much of Quebec. When the first French colonists settled in the area in the middle of the seventeenth century, this area was known by several names including La Petite Montagne, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and Côte-Saint-Antoine. A former farmhouse from this era, Hurtubise House, is the oldest house still standing in Westmount. The Village of Côte St-Antoine was first incorporated in 1874. It later became the Town of Côte St-Antoine. It was renamed Westmount, in 1895, reflecting the geographical location of the city on the southwest slope of Mount Royal and the presence of a large English-speaking population. During the twentieth century, Westmount became a wealthy residential area within the island of Montreal; a small city dotted with many green spaces. Architect Robert Findlay, a resident in the early twentieth century, designed many municipal buildings in the city, including the library, Westmount City Hall and several other buildings of public order. In the twentieth century, Westmount was home to some of Montreal's wealthiest families including the Bronfmans and the Molsons. This made the city a symbolic target of Front de libération du Québec terrorist bombings in the 1960s, culminating in the 1970 October Crisis. Following the death of former Quebec Premier René Lévesque in 1987, the city of Montreal renamed Dorchester Boulevard René Lévesque Boulevard. After the city of Montreal changed the name, Westmount retained the name of Dorchester on their portion, as did Montréal-Est. In 2001, while…

Geography

The city is roughly , and occupies an area of land on the south face of Westmount Summit, the western peak of Mount Royal. The city, most of which is on steep terrain, extends from the summit to the end of the narrow plateau at the foot of the mountain.

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  98,779
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  95,772
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  82,472
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  82,366
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  77,480
• Ring-billed Gull

  Larus delawarensis Ord, 1815 · Aves
  68,328
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  66,855
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  66,166

Most recent

• M 2.7 — 2026-01-20
  26 km N of L'Orignal, Canada
• M 2.7 — 2025-10-14
  4 km NNW of Chazy, New York
• M 2.5 — 2025-01-01
  6 km SSE of Fort Covington Hamlet, New York
• M 2.6 — 2024-10-02
  7 km ENE of Chertsey, Canada
• M 3.8 — 2024-09-01
  5 km SE of Pierreville, Canada
• M 2.8 — 2024-07-29
  11 km SSW of Sainte-Martine, Canada