Milton Park, commonly known as the McGill Ghetto, is a neighbourhood in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is situated directly to the east of the McGill University campus in the borough of Plateau-Mont-Royal. It is named after the neighbourhood's two main streets, Milton Street and Park Avenue. Many McGill students live in this area, which is characterized by a mix of rowhouses and low- to mid-rise apartment buildings. The area is roughly bordered by University Street and the university campus to the west, Sherbrooke Street to the south, Pine Avenue to the north, and Park Avenue and the Lower Plateau neighborhood to the east, though McGill University considers this area to extend as far east as Saint Laurent Boulevard or just short of Saint-Louis Square. The neighbourhood has many historic townhouses built in the late 19th century, which housed affluent businessmen and their families. The area remained a wealthy enclave throughout the early half of the 20th century. Eventually, many of the affluent residents of the area moved to other boroughs such as Westmount or to the suburbs. While the space is colloquially known as the "Ghetto", the name for the area is used with the original definition of the word "ghetto": a socioeconomically homogeneous area. There is a movement against this nomenclature because it suggests that the area is completely inhabited by students, while in reality it is a historically significant district that is home to many families, working professionals and long-term residents. Montreal's historic Jewish "Ghetto" coincides in part with the present student Ghetto, meeting at the intersection of Duluth and Saint Laurent. The area has many small businesses catering to the needs of the local McGill community including The Word Bookstore, Café Lola Rosa, and several small convenience stores, as well as many "third place" hangouts.
Development and preservation
In the 1970s, community activists were concerned that the vast La Citémixed-use complex would destroy the neighbourhood's character. A campaign to stop further redevelopment was led by a residents' coalition and the then-newly formed historic preservation group Heritage Montreal. When McGill University acquired the hotel component of La Cité and transformed it into an undergraduate student residence, the student population in Milton Park increased by 650 people. La Cité also has a gym Club La Cité with an outdoor pool open year long and crosstraining facilities. In 2009, McGill University purchased a second hotel and transformed it into another student residence for use starting in the 2009-2010 school year.
