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Area · Hampstead, a related municipality on the island of Montreal

Hampstead

A 1914 garden city where the curving streets were designed to slow life down, and where plenty of families never leave once they arrive. My top 10, the neighbour's version, not the brochure version.

Let's talk about this area

Hampstead is a related municipality of 1.79 square kilometres, tucked between Côte-Saint-Luc and NDG, and yet you change worlds within a single street: curving roads, mature trees, eight parks, no stores at all. A garden city founded in 1914 that has kept its original plan, its human scale of about 7,000 residents and, above all, its quiet.

I put this top 10 together for a simple reason: when you buy or sell, you are not just shopping for a property, you are shopping for a neighbourhood life. Each point comes with a conversation starter, feel free to use it.

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

The area's top 10

What makes the heart of Hampstead beat.

Ten reasons buyers fall for this area, and why the ones who live here never leave.

01 A curving, tree-lined residential street in Hampstead in the 1940s, photographed by Conrad Poirier
Heritage

A genuine garden city from 1914

Incorporated in 1914, Hampstead was laid out on the garden city model: curving streets designed to discourage through traffic, large lots, trees everywhere. More than a hundred years later, the original plan is still visible on every corner, and that's exactly what gives the area its value.

Ask me about it, and I'll tell you why the streets carry names borrowed from London, Fleet, Finchley, Kilburn. The story behind it is worth hearing.
02 Hampstead's town hall, one of the few non-residential buildings in the city
The quiet

No stores, a hundred percent residential

No retail businesses anywhere on the territory, a residential character that's been protected since the city was founded, something exceedingly rare in Canada. The result: no commercial traffic, a real and lasting quiet, while the shops of Côte-Saint-Luc, Queen Mary Road and NDG stay five minutes away.

Ask me about it, and I'll tell you what this unique zoning changes at resale time. Buyers who are looking for this are looking for nothing else.
03 A beach volleyball court at Hampstead Park
Nature

Eight parks packed into under 2 square kilometres

Hampstead, Aldred, Applewood, des Conseillers, Dufferin, Ellerdale, Langhorne, Wexford: eight municipal parks linked by walking paths, all within 1.79 square kilometres. In practical terms, no one lives more than a few minutes' walk from a green space. For a family, that changes daily life.

Ask me about it, and I'll tell you which of the eight parks is the best-kept secret, and which streets benefit from it without the noise.
04 The wading pool at Hampstead Park in the 1940s, photographed by Conrad Poirier
Active living

Hampstead Park, a real recreation complex

Kids were already swimming at Hampstead Park back in the 1940s. Today it's home to the Irving L. Adessky Community Centre, tennis courts with a pro shop, a pool with a splash pad, a hockey rink, basketball and baseball courts, a dog park, and tennis and pickleball programs.

Ask me about it, and I'll tell you which streets get you there on a five-minute walk. It's an argument that comes up on every single showing.
05 The entrance to the Snowdon metro station, at the eastern edge of Hampstead
Transit

Snowdon metro station right at the city's edge

On the eastern edge of the city, Snowdon station links the orange and blue lines, and buses 51, 66, 161 and 166 serve the area. To the southwest, Montreal West station (exo Vaudreuil-Hudson and Saint-Jérôme lines) leads downtown. And no highway cuts through Hampstead: quiet comes first here.

Ask me about it, and I'll tell you which addresses are truly within walking distance of the metro. In a city this size, it varies a lot from one street to the next.
06 The entrance to Hampstead Elementary School, on Thurlow Road
Family life

A century-old elementary school in the city

Hampstead Elementary School, an English-language school founded in 1925 with more than a hundred years of history, welcomes local kids at 83 Thurlow Road. Add the eight parks, the pool, the splash pad and the municipal recreation programs: a city built for families, with high schools and French-language schools close by.

Ask me about it, and I'll tell you how to check eligibility for English school before you make an offer. It's a detail that can change an entire plan.
07 A floral 'HAMPSTEAD' sign at the entrance to Hampstead Park
The safe bet

Cottages on large lots, a rare offering

About 2,600 private dwellings in total: a scarcity market, dominated by detached and semi-detached homes inherited from the garden city plan, with condos concentrated along Côte-Saint-Luc Road. It's one of the suburbs with the highest median household incomes in Canada, where carefully maintained regulations protect the character, and the value.

Ask me about it, and I'll tell you how you market a property here, where signs are limited and can't be illuminated. Strategy makes all the difference.
08 A curving, shaded Hampstead street in the 1940s, photographed by Conrad Poirier
History

The quiet boom of the '30s and '40s

Hampstead counted just 457 residents at the time of the 1929 crash; by 1945 there were 2,268, the strongest growth on the island of Montreal for that period. The 1930s gave the town its landmarks, including Queen Mary United Church in 1931 and Saint Malachy in 1932, while the curving streets of the original plan filled up with cottages. Today's scenery descends straight from that era.

Ask me about it, and I'll tell you how to spot a well-preserved 1930s cottage. Those homes ride out every trend without losing their value.
09 Hampstead Town Hall, home base of the municipal services
Safety

A town that watches over you day and night

Hampstead maintains its own public security service: a director, two lieutenants and officers patrolling the territory 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Residents can request extra watches on their home while on vacation and even have a child car seat installation checked for free. In a town of less than 2 km², that adds up to a real sense of a protected village.

Ask me about it, and I'll tell you why this kind of municipal service keeps coming up in my buyers' criteria. Peace of mind holds its value at resale too.
10 The Hampstead Park monument commemorating the 1939 royal visit, photographed by Conrad Poirier
Local lore

May 1939: a king passes through the park

In Hampstead Park stands a stone erected to mark the visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in May 1939, the very first by a reigning monarch on Canadian soil. The royal tour crossed Montreal on May 18, 1939 before enormous crowds, and Hampstead made sure to keep a trace of it. A little piece of history steps from the swings.

Ask me about it, and I'll tell you which other details of Hampstead's heritage escape hurried visitors. They're often what makes a buyer fall in love.
Let's talk

Thinking about buying or selling in Hampstead? 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.

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