Before you start looking for a new semi-detached home near Griffintown, it's worth comparing two neighbourhoods that have more in common than you might think.

Living in Sainte-Julie or Griffintown means choosing between two recent neighbourhoods, both shaped by their city's planning: one on the Lachine Canal, right up against downtown Montreal, the other around a golf course on the South Shore. The figures come from the 2021 Census (for Griffintown, the six dissemination areas that cover it) and from documents published by both cities.

Two neighbourhoods born of a plan

Griffintown is an area of the Le Sud-Ouest borough, between Notre-Dame Street West and the Lachine Canal. Montreal city council adopted a special planning program (PPU) for it on May 27, 2013. Its 2023 review reported close to 9,600 homes built in the area since 2007, five public spaces laid out and 4.7 km of streets rebuilt.

In Sainte-Julie, the City plans 400 to 500 units for Vilamo on 33.5 hectares laid out around the Vallée-du-Richelieu golf club, with 15% set aside for community and recreational space. Six builders share the lots, under architectural standards that govern how the neighbourhood looks. BÉAcité takes up one part of it: 50 lots on Geoffrion and Bissonnette streets, between Avenue des Bâtisseurs and Rue des Pionniers.

Neither one is finished: in 2022, the borough mentioned for Griffintown a "potential of nearly 9,000 new homes"; on Geoffrion Street, some 20 houses are still to be customized.

The canal on one side, the golf course on the other

Digging the Lachine Canal, from 1821 to 1825, marked the start of Montreal's industrialization; closed to shipping in November 1970, it has been run by Parks Canada since 1978. Its multi-use path, opened in 1977, 13.5 km long and part of the Route verte, takes about an hour to ride end to end. Kayakers, paddleboarders and dragon-boat crews share the water. The area has also gained new parks, including Bassin-à-Gravier Park and Place des Arrimeurs; Bassin-à-Bois Park is still to come.

In Vilamo, green space takes another shape: 600,000 sq ft of it, more than 15% of the neighbourhood, and a promenade for pedestrians, bikes and electric transportation. Sainte-Julie's walking and cycling network runs to more than 40 km, the Espace Tonik Nature bills itself as an extension of home into nature, and Mont-Saint-Bruno National Park borders the city, with Ski Saint-Bruno 8.8 km from Geoffrion Street.

Density and housing: two scales

The density figures tell the story at a glance: Griffintown had about 13,500 residents per km² in 2021, Sainte-Julie 619.6. Housing follows suit:

apartments in buildings of five storeys or more: 92.1% of homes in Griffintown, 0.0% in Sainte-Julie;
single-detached houses: 0.1% in Griffintown, 66.8% in Sainte-Julie;
semi-detached houses: none in Griffintown, 5.8% in Sainte-Julie;
condominiums: 84.2% in Griffintown, 11.5% in Sainte-Julie;
owner households: 45.5% in Griffintown, 79.8% in Sainte-Julie.

Home sizes differ too: in Griffintown, 52.0% of homes had just one bedroom; in Sainte-Julie, 69.3% had three or more.

Living in Sainte-Julie or Griffintown: how do you get around?

Griffintown walks: in 2021, 25.8% of its commuters went to work on foot, 19.9% by public transit and 3.3% by bike, against 48.0% by car. In Sainte-Julie, 90.2% drove and 3.8% walked. These figures date from May 2021, in the middle of the pandemic, when 53.8% of Griffintown's workers were working from home.

Sainte-Julie makes up for some of that: local public transit is free for everyone, and every home in Vilamo is less than 300 m from a bus stop. Downtown Montreal is about 35 minutes away without traffic, over the Jacques Cartier Bridge. Some habits come along with you: Arthur-Gauthier Park in Sainte-Julie has had its own BIXI station since October 5, 2026, just like Rue des Bassins in Griffintown, and the outlet in a BÉAcité garage takes over from the public charging stations on Ottawa Street.

Shops, studies and services

Griffintown lives along its streets: Notre-Dame West, William, Wellington, Ottawa, de la Montagne and Peel form the area's commercial fabric, with more than 120,000 m² of commercial and institutional space. The École de technologie supérieure has had its campus there since 1997, with more than 11,000 students.

In Vilamo, the commercial strip is within walking distance: medical services, a public market, restaurants, a Caisse Desjardins, a pharmacy. The Promenades St-Bruno, Quartier DIX30 and IKEA are close by.

Who lives there

The two populations look quite different. In Griffintown, 38.1% of residents were 25 to 34 in 2021, compared with 8.6% in Sainte-Julie; 55.5% of households were one person living alone (22.7% in Sainte-Julie), and 8.9% were couples with children (33.3% in Sainte-Julie). Griffintown moves a lot: 80.2% of its residents had moved in the previous five years, compared with 30.7% in Sainte-Julie.

Language differs as well: 95.9% of Sainte-Julie residents have French as their first official language spoken, compared with 54.9% in Griffintown, where 36.2% have English. What they share is a large bilingual share: 74.1% in Griffintown and 52.0% in Sainte-Julie know both languages. For English-speaking families, the Riverside School Board serves Sainte-Julie; access to English schooling is governed by Quebec law.

If you're a young family in Griffintown, these gaps matter even more: space and schools get an article of their own.

What you keep, what you leave behind

Moving from Griffintown to Sainte-Julie, you keep a recent, planned neighbourhood, new parks, your bike and electric charging. You leave behind metro stations within walking distance, shopping streets on foot and the canal at the end of the block. In return, you get a house at ground level: extra bedrooms, a garage, a garden-level backyard and upkeep handled by an all-inclusive program.

New construction doesn't get lost along the way: if that's what keeps you where you are, read our article on the turnkey new home near Griffintown.

Conclusion

Living in Sainte-Julie or Griffintown isn't a choice between old and new: both are recent neighbourhoods, one dense and walkable on the canal, the other roomier and car-oriented around a golf course. The choice comes down to how much space you need and how you want to get around. To see Vilamo for yourself, BÉAcité's sales office at 435 Geoffrion Street welcomes you Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and by appointment on evenings, Saturdays and Sundays.

Living in Sainte-Julie or Griffintown: the golf course or the canal