17 Facts About West Island

West Island is the unofficial name given to the cities, towns and boroughs at the western end of the Island of Montreal, in Quebec, Canada.

Curiously, as late as the 1960s, much of the West Island was farmland populated by French Canadians, which in turn accounts for a significant Francophone cultural influence in the region.

The West Island is home to one of the last large remaining tracts of Montreal-region wilderness on island.

West Island has a cosmopolitan feel and at times an eclectic design .

Environment and climate of the West Island is almost identical to that of Montreal, and is affected by the same ecological conditions, namely, it is a large open plain of wide plateaus and marshland.

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The West Island is surrounded by the other islands in the Hochelaga Archipelago as well as Lake of Two Mountains and Lac Saint-Louis and their inter-connected rivers and creeks.

The West Island has numerous large tracts of uncultivated land, some of which are protected parks while in other cases they're merely the fallow fields of former farms, waiting to be sold to residential property developers.

Flora and fauna found in the West Island fall within the broader spectrum of the Eastern Great Lakes lowland forests ecoregion.

Mammalian species that inhabit the greater West Island region include white-tailed deer, coyote and cottontail rabbits.

The West Island has enough variation in suitable habitats, such as marsh, ponds, forest and field that many species of birds nest here.

West Island is an informal term for a large territory of low-density middle and upper-middle class housing, low and medium density commercial sectors and vast industrial operations roughly constituting the western third of the Island of Montreal.

The West Island is not a city, but rather a collection of independent cities, towns and villages in addition to several boroughs of the City of Montreal that share an intimate relationship and identity with the citizens of Montreal, and yet have developed a unique common identity and strong sense of local character.

West Island is home to Quebec's largest concentration of native English-speakers, most of whom are bilingual.

English-language instruction in the West island is provided primarily by the Lester B Pearson School Board while French-language instruction is provided by the Commission scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys.

West Island is served by several weekly newspapers including the English-language The Suburban, West Island Gazette and Montreal Times as well as Cites Nouvelles, published in French.

All West Island residents have access to amateur sports clubs and associations, and minor-level hockey, soccer, basketball and football are all quite popular.

DDO and Pointe Claire both boast large civic centres replete with Olympic-sized pools and appropriate diving platforms, and the West Island has a noticeable youth subculture focused on swimming, diving and life-guarding at community pools.