Park Extension

Park Extension Parc-Extension
—  Neighbourhood  —
Jean-Talon railway station
Nickname(s): Park Ex
Coordinates: 45°32′09″N 73°47′43″W
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
City	Montreal
Borough	Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension
Established	1910
Government
• City Councillor	Mary Deros (Union Montreal)
Area
• Total	1.6 km2 (0.6 sq mi)
Population (Canada 2006 Census)
• Total	35,020
• Density	22,000/km2 (57,000/sq mi)

Park Extension is a neighbourhood in the city of Montreal, Quebec. It is located in the borough of Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension and has a population of 35,000 and an area of 1.6 km². The name derives from the fact that it is situated at the north end of Park Avenue and is literally an "extension" of the artery. The area is known by locals as "Park Ex."

Geography

The area is bounded by the Metropolitan Expressway Autoroute 40, to the north; l'Acadie Blvd, to the west; and CPR railway tracks on the east and south (near Park Avenue and Beaumont Avenue, respectively). The surrounding neighborhoods are Villeray and Little Italy to the east, Mile End and Outremont to the south, the Town of Mont-Royal to the west and Ahuntsic-Cartierville to the north.

Virtually the entire neighborhood is residential, with a small amount of commercial and light manufacturing concentrated in the south. Most of the buildings were built between 1930 and 1980.^{[citation needed]} Over 35,000 people live in only 1.6 square kilometres, more than the average population density in Montreal, but the same density as the Plateau, Villeray, St-Michel and Mile End.

Regarding Park Avenue itself, it should be mentioned that a further three block section of Park Avenue (Ave. du Parc) exists north of Metropolitan Blvd (i.e. beyond Park Extension). This street handles one-way, northbound-only traffic from Cremazie Blvd. and ends at Chabanel, in the city's garment district. In addition, a short section of Park Avenue runs north from the western end of Liege St. just east of the CPR railway tracks. This stretch of road is essentially a driveway serving loading docks of various fruit and vegetable warehouses.

Note: All compass directions above are given in nominal terms. For much of the City of Montreal, nominal "north" is actually to the west-northwest.

Government

Municipal

Mary Deros is the city councillor representing Park Extension under the Union Montreal party. She was elected city councillor under Vision Montreal for Park Extension in 1998 and re-elected in November 2001.

Former city councillors

• Konstantinos Georgoulis
• Stavros Zagakos
• Sofoklis Rasoulis
• Demetrios Manolakos

The district is part of the borough of Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension.

Federal and provincial

The district is part of the following federal riding:

• Papineau

It is part of the following provincial electoral district:

• Laurier-Dorion

History

The area has always been a working class neighborhood, and understanding Park X's place in Montreal is to know how Montreal developed. Montreal started from a small fortified city by the Saint Lawrence River (Fleuve St-Laurent); and expanded north towards the Laurentians. Being at the head of Park Avenue, Park X forms the northern end of Montreal's immigrant corridor. Today Park X is an inexpensive neighborhood which is often the first home for new immigrants with modest means. This explains the low median income. After several years, however, these immigrants, tend to move to more upscale neighborhoods, only to be replaced by the next wave of immigration. And so, all ethnic groups have been represented in Park X through its long history.

Park X was an early 20th century suburb. It was literally the 'sticks' back in the 20's to 50's. From the early 1950s there was rapid housing development in the northern reaches of Park Extension. A significant Jewish population migrated there, mostly from the Plateau Mont Royal area, and established a thriving community. Several hundred families built and maintained a synagogue, Congregation Beth Aaron. By the mid-70's, the Jewish community was diminishing. Congregation Beth Aaron merged with the Beth Israel Congregation in 1986 [1], and the building was sold. Despite this, this community still owns property and businesses on Beaumont; the southernmost part of Park X. There is also a mortuary and a kosher bakery in operation to this day.

Many Greek immigrants settled in the neighborhood from the mid-60s through the 80s, both from the Plateau Mont-Royal area and directly from Greece. In the 1970s Park X was almost 70% Greek, and almost all the businesses along Jean Talon Street between L'Acadie and Park Avenue were Greek-owned in 1977 (over 100), whereas today there are only a dozen left. Four Greek churches remain, catering to the predominantly older Greek residents who still live in the area. Other younger Greeks have since moved to suburbs such as Chomedey, Laval and the West Island.

Today, most of the immigrant population is made up of South Asians from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, as well as Latin American and Caribbean immigrants, and a dwindling population of Greeks. Accordingly, Park Extension can be seen as one of Canada's more ethnically diverse neighbourhoods.

Recently, more people are moving to Park Extension from areas like the Plateau and Mile End as the housing is similar but much cheaper to rent and to buy. The area, as of 2009, is increasingly home to artists and musicians who wish to make Park Extension their permanent home.

During the "red scare" of the 1950s, according to an article in "On and Off the Record" in the Montreal Gazette dated April 24, 1956, page 4: "The Park Extension district is currently a hot-bed of Communist activity; much or all of which is known to anti-communist authorities and groups, who are keeping it under surveillance." This reflected both the suspicion of new immigrants in general, and the fact that many of these immigrants left their homelands because of political persecution.

Points of interest

• Acadie metro station.
• Parc metro station.
• Parc commuter train station.
• The Park Extension library in the William Hingston community centre.
• The old Park Avenue train station, now owned by Loblaw's which operates a Joe Fresh outlet there.
• The former studios for CFCF-TV, now the borough's City Hall.
• Koimisis tis Theotokou (Greek orthodox church on Saint-Roch).
• Howie Morenz Arena (Also known as Republic Arena).
• Greek Festival on Saint Roch (August 15).

Sports

The neighborhood is known for taking amateur athletics to a whole other level. The locals prefer watching their local athletes fight instead of watching millionaires amuse themselves as is the case with pro sports. Though many sports are played in the Parc-Extension area, dating back to the Montreal Expos Baseball team at Jarry Park. The primary sports of choice for the locals are ball hockey and cricket.

The Province wide QBHA (Quebec Ball Hockey Association) has three Parc-Extension area teams. "The Hellenic Republic of Parc-Ex]" (HRoPX) and the "Park X Streets", are the two main teams who rival for success and bring a huge following to their games at Howie Morenz arena during the summer months. The third and most successful team, in the Park-Ex area, is A.A.Hellas. 2008's "Battle of Park Ex" was met with a huge upset as the Hellenic Republic of Parc-Ex, in their first season as a QBHA team, were able to defeat the heavily favored Park X Streets by a score of 1-0.

Most of the parks and arenas are filled with kids and adults who contest in a variety of sports year round. Also of note, the city wide soccer league has a strong connection to Park Extension as the local "Panellinios" soccer team has been dominant in recent years.

Culture

Music

The instrumental jazz group Parc-X Trio is named for the borough of Park Extension and there is a well known rapper Akshun Man in Park Extension.

Efrim Menuck's recent album High Gospel opens with the track Our Lady of Parc Extension

Fence with the Town of Mount Royal (TMR) along L'Acadie

A fence runs along the western border of Park Extension, on the opposite side of L'Acadie Boulevard. While the stated purpose of the fence is to prevent children from running into the busy thoroughfare, some have contended that it was built to keep residents of the working-class Park Extension neighbourhood out of TMR.

The north-south streets of Parc Extension have the same names as those in line with them in Outremont, south of the railway tracks, from Hutchison Street in the east to Birnam in the west. McEachran Street was renamed L'Acadie Boulevard when the street was widened in the late '50s. The area covered by the residences in the Town of Mount Royal from L'Acadie in the east to Rockland in the west and between Lockhart in the south to Cremazie in the north was once an 9 hole golf course. The golf course was sub-divided during the 1950s and the fence was erected after all the houses covered the golf course land.

This fence originally had several gates built into it, which then became a subject of controversy when they were locked one year at Halloween, preventing children from Park Extension from trick-or-treating in TMR. The Mount Royal town council responded by removing the gates. As of 2007, the gates were restored, with signs stating that this is for the safety of children and pedestrians.

See also

• Greektown, Montreal
• Jarry Park
• Jarry Park Stadium
• Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension

External links

• (French) Borough website
• http://www.montrealmirror.com/ARCHIVES/1999/040199/cover.html
• http://www.montrealmirror.com/ARCHIVES/2003/090403/kristian.html
• http://www.px-news.com/