Saint-Henri was ranked among the world's coolest neighbourhoods but locals have some thoughts
Montreal's Saint-Henri was recently named one of the coolest neighbourhoods in the world, claiming the title of #1 coolest in Canada. But despite the fanfare, some locals disagree.
Time Out's annual ranking, released last month, was created collaboratively by a global team of writers and editors who vetted each neighbourhood against criteria including food, drink, arts, culture, street life, community and one-of-a-kind local flavour.
This year, Saint-Henri came in 13th overall, beating iconic international tourist destinations like Flatbush (New York City), East Hollywood (Los Angeles) and Mount Pleasant (Washington DC).
Curious to see what our readers thought about Saint-Henri being dubbed Canada's hippest district, we took to Facebook to see the reaction — and people had some opinions.
"Montreal's St-Henri has been ranked as one of the coolest places to live in the world, do you think this is true?" we asked our online community.
"Approved by the Dubois family," the top response says. This tongue-in-cheek comment garnered some laughs, as it references a French-Canadian gang of mobster brothers with roots in Saint-Henri.
While no one else raised suspicions of criminal interference, some commenters did wonder if the results of this ranking were truly accurate.
"In the world? By whom? Anyone who has gone as far as Mount Royal in their life?" one commenter wrote.
"[They're] confusing cool and trendy," wrote another.
Some commenters brought up the fact that they feel unsafe in the Saint-Henri area; however, one person pointed out how things have changed in recent years. Others praised the area's poutine and smoked meat, but that's not necessarily specific to Saint-Henri.
Meanwhile, some Saint-Henri residents defended their neighbourhood with pride, though they weren’t ready to completely set aside their concerns.
"I live in St-Henri/Old Port and it’s nice, but I wouldn’t call it 'cool,'" one person wrote.
"Don't say it too loud, rents will go up," wrote another.
At the same time, few alternative choices were proposed to take Saint-Henri's spot — at least not in any meaningful way.
"Ville-Marie is much better, everyone talks to each other, okay, they talk to themselves, but oh well..." someone wrote.
So, what do you think? Is Saint-Henri the coolest neighbourhood in the country — or even the city? Head to our Facebook post to chime in.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
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