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Area · Borough of Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension

Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension

Three neighbourhoods, three personalities, the same real Montreal energy. My top 7, neighbour's version, not brochure version.

Let's talk about this area

Villeray, the urban village. Saint-Michel, the family neighbourhood in the middle of a renaissance. Parc-Extension, the crossroads of the world. One borough, the third most populated in Montreal, with 61 parks, 9 metro stations, and more than 75 cultural communities. It's an area I cover constantly as a broker, and there's always a street that still manages to surprise me.

I put this top 7 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 a way in to start a conversation. Use it.

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

The area's top 7

What makes the heart of Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension beat.

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

01 The pond and fountain at Jarry park in summer
Nature

Jarry Park

One of Montreal's largest urban parks, about 36 hectares: an outdoor pool, a pond that turns into a skating rink in winter, tennis, soccer, cricket, pétanque. It's the green lung between Villeray and Parc-Extension, and the number one draw for buyers who want the city without giving up the outdoors.

Ask me about it, why the park's address is on Gary-Carter street. Hint: on April 14, 1969, the Expos played the very first Major League game ever held outside the United States there. The streets around here have stories to tell.
02 Aerial view of Stade IGA, in Jarry park
The icon

World class tennis at Stade IGA

Every summer, the tennis world descends on Jarry park: Stade IGA, with its 11,991 seats, hosts the National Bank Open presented by Rogers, from August 1 to 13 in 2026. And Tennis Canada announced in June 2026 that it wants to build a roughly 15,000 seat stadium there with a retractable roof, a project worth watching, though not yet under construction.

Ask me about it, what two weeks of international tournament do to rental demand around the park. It's a detail a lot of local landlords have figured out.
03 The circular TOHU pavilion, at the Cité des arts du cirque
Culture

Saint-Michel, circus capital

The Cité des arts du cirque brings together the TOHU, the only venue in North America dedicated to circus arts, the National Circus School, and Cirque du Soleil's international headquarters, based here to help revitalize the neighbourhood. Right next door, the former quarry rehabilitated as Frédéric-Back park already offers about 48 hectares of green space.

Ask me about it, what Saint-Michel's revitalization actually means for a first purchase. It's one of the few places left where you can still get onto the island without going broke.
04 The stalls of the main hall at Jean-Talon market
The table

Jean-Talon Market at the neighbourhood's doorstep

Opened in 1933, it's one of the largest open air public markets in North America, and it sits right at Villeray's southern edge, a few minutes' walk away, on the Jean-Talon metro side. Doing your grocery shopping year round without taking out the car: not many Montreal neighbourhoods can offer that.

Ask me about it, which side of Villeray to look at if you want to walk to the market. That kind of proximity shows up at resale too.
05 Parc station, the gateway to Parc-Extension
Transport

Nine metro stations and a train station

Nine metro stations on the Orange and Blue lines, Parc station putting downtown about 25 minutes away, the Pie-IX rapid bus in service since November 2022 on the Saint-Michel side, and five new Blue Line stations under construction, expected to open around 2031. One of the best connected boroughs in Montreal.

Ask me about it, which pockets stand to benefit most from the Blue Line extension. No magic appreciation promised, just a map and the facts.
06 The De Castelnau metro entrance, in the heart of Villeray
Neighbourhood life

Villeray, the urban village ranked "cool"

In 2021, Time Out ranked Villeray the 18th coolest neighbourhood in the world, one of only two Canadian entries on the list. On the ground, that looks like De Castelnau street, closed to traffic in summer between De Gaspé and Henri-Julien, cafés like Larue & Fils and Ferlucci, and a Jarry Est street in the middle of a food scene boom.

Ask me about it, where Villeray still hides its quiet streets just steps from the action. That's often where the best deals are.
07 Typical stone and brick duplexes in Parc-Extension
The safe bet

The realm of the Montreal plex

Brick duplexes, triplexes, and quadruplexes from the early twentieth century: exterior staircases in Villeray, rental buildings in Parc-Extension, one of the most multicultural neighbourhoods in Canada, and postwar family homes in Saint-Michel. A market popular with owner-occupants: you live in one unit, and the others help pay the mortgage.

Ask me about it, how to compare a Villeray triplex to a Parc-Extension triplex. The math isn't the same, and that's exactly my job.
Let's talk

Thinking about buying or selling in Villeray, Saint-Michel, or Parc-Extension? 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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