Montréal - Boulevard Saint-Laurent

The Boulevard Saint-Laurent, one of Montréal's main shopping streets, marks the dividing line between the French-Canadians on one side and the Anglo-Canadians on the other, but in fact is highly cosmopolitan along its length, especially around the Rue Laurier where newcomers tended to first settle down in the 18th c. Between 1900 and 1930 the district was predominantly Jewish, then Greek, followed by Eastern Europeans and most recently Hispanics. As all the different cultures mix and mingle in a welter of languages, the many small stores selling specialties from all over the world give parts of the street quite a bazaar-like atmosphere.