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Area · City of Beauharnois, South Shore of Montreal

Beauharnois

A legendary power station, ships passing right at the end of the street, and waterfalls in the heart of the old core. Here's my top 9, the neighbour's version, not the brochure version.

Let's talk about this area

Beauharnois is the quiet side of the South Shore. From my home base in Verdun, I take Route 132 or Highway 30 and land in a town of about 13,600 people, sitting between Lake Saint-Louis and its huge canal. People come here for lots you can't dream of finding anywhere else, for a real village core, and for an entry price that leaves the budget room to breathe. And since Highway 30 was completed, the area has woken up, and it shows.

I put this top 9 together for a simple reason: when you buy or sell, you're not just shopping for a property, you're shopping for a neighbourhood life. Each point comes with an opener to talk about. Use it.

Maxime Laforest, residential and commercial real estate broker · Équipe Loiselle, RE/MAX Dynamique

The town's top 9

What makes the heart of Beauharnois beat.

Nine reasons buyers fall for this town, and why the people already here don't leave.

01 The long brick facade of the Beauharnois power station seen from the water, in the Melocheville sector
The icon

The Beauharnois power station

In Melocheville, the Hydro-Québec power station blocks the canal with a red brick facade that stretches as far as the eye can see. Brought into service starting in the 1930s, it ranks among the largest run-of-river power stations on the grid, and Parks Canada has designated it a national historic site. It's part of the local landscape the way a church steeple is part of a village.

Ask me about it: ask me what living near the power station actually changes for a property owner in the area. The answer is a lot less complicated than people think.
02 The Route verte 3 bike path running along the Beauharnois canal corridor
Outdoors

One canal, two shores, 70 km of path

The Beauharnois-Salaberry regional park runs along the canal on both shores, with about 70 kilometres of paved path connected to the Route verte. You ride between water and fields, stop at the shaded rest areas to watch the cargo ships go by, and the Au Fil de l'eau lookout, right by the power station, opens onto a clear view of Lake Saint-Louis. Plenty of residents treat it as their outdoor gym.

Ask me about it: ask me which sectors let you hop on the path without taking the car out first. It's a small detail that changes your whole summer evening.
03 A cargo ship entering the Beauharnois lock, on the St. Lawrence Seaway
The show

The Seaway at the end of the street

The Beauharnois canal, dug in the 1930s, is part of the St. Lawrence Seaway: ships coming from the Great Lakes and beyond pass through the Beauharnois locks under the watch of onlookers. Route 132 even runs under the lock through the Melocheville tunnel. Watching a cargo ship slide through the lock right along the banks never gets old.

Ask me about it: ask me where to stand to watch the ships go by. Everyone around here has their own favourite spot.
04 The Saint-Louis River waterfalls in winter, with the houses of old Beauharnois behind
Nature downtown

Waterfalls right in the heart of town

The Saint-Louis River crosses the town and tumbles down the Saint-Louis falls right next to the church, in the middle of the old core. The Préville bridge leads to an observation platform and the remains of a former wool mill, and the Bois Robert lines up its forest trails close by. Few municipalities can boast a waterfall in the middle of their downtown.

Ask me about it: ask me which streets get a view of the river or the lake. There are fewer than you'd think, and it shows when it's time to sell.
05 The two green steeples of Saint-Clément church in Beauharnois between the trees
Heritage

Saint-Clément and Old Beauharnois

Built in the mid-1840s, the Saint-Clément church watches over the old core with its two green steeples. Around it, Saint-Louis road and Ellice street keep their period buildings, a reminder of the Beauharnois seigneury and the Patriotes' passage through in 1838. The local high school is even named after them. You can feel you're in a town that existed well before the highways.

Ask me about it: ask me what buying a century home in the old core involves. I'd rather prepare you before the showing than after.
06 The main pavilion of the Pointe-du-Buisson archaeology museum, in the Melocheville sector
History

Pointe-du-Buisson, 5,000 years of history

In the Melocheville sector, Pointe-du-Buisson is a fishing site used by First Nations for five thousand years. The Quebec archaeology museum protects 21 hectares of forest along the river there, along with dig sites that have yielded a reference collection known across the northeastern continent. You go for the exhibits, and you come back for the walk under the trees.

Ask me about it: ask me why this stretch of the river has drawn people for 5,000 years. The same reasons still hold when it's time to choose where to settle.
07
Access

Highway 30 and the Madeleine-Parent bridge

Since late 2012, Highway 30 has crossed the canal on the Madeleine-Parent bridge, two and a half kilometres long. The result: Vaudreuil and Highway 20 on one side, Châteauguay and Highway 15 on the other, without ever touching the island. Route 132 remains the regulars' road along the water, and exo's Line 1 connects Beauharnois to the Angrignon terminus, right onto the metro.

Ask me about it: ask me how long the drive to your job actually takes, at the hours you really drive. We work it out together before the showing.
08 The Saint-Louis River and its rapids between the trees, in Beauharnois
The neighbourhoods

Three former villages in one town

Since 2002, Beauharnois has combined three former municipalities: the historic core along the Saint-Louis River, Maple Grove with its quiet streets near the lake, and Melocheville, tucked between the power station and the St. Lawrence. Each sector has kept its own character and its own crowd. That gives you three distinct vibes in a single town, with the water never far away.

Ask me about it: ask me which of the three sectors fits your project. The answer changes everything, from budget to house style.
09
The momentum

Google chose Beauharnois

The web giant picked Beauharnois to build its first data centre in the country, an announced investment of over 700 million dollars on land next to Hydro-Québec's facilities. With the industrial eco-park developing and the power station's energy right next door, the town is drawing a new wave of investment. For a municipality this size, that's quite the vote of confidence.

Ask me about it: ask me what a player like Google moving in can change for a local property owner. We look at it clear-eyed, no crystal ball needed.
Let's talk

Thinking about buying or selling in Beauharnois? Let's start with a conversation.

A free evaluation of your property, a picture of the local market, or simply answers to your questions. No strings attached, and a straight answer.

Start my real estate project

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