Property on Ile des Soeurs

Geography

Nuns Island, officially named Ile des Soeurs, is a small island community located off the south eastern coast of the Island of Montreal. Nuns Island is associated with the municipality of Verdun and is part of the Verdun Borough. Verdun is part of the Island of Montreal and is situated along the south eastern coast. Like Verdun, Nuns Island is considered a part of the city of Montreal and is mainly connected to it by the Champlain Bridge and Autoroute 15, though several smaller bridges, like the Clement Bridge, cross between the two islands as well. Though technically party of the city, Nuns Island remains a quiet and wealthy district free from traffic and metropolitan bustle.

History

The island was first called the Ile Saint-Paul after the first father of Montreal, Paul Chomedey. It started being referred to colloquially as Nuns Island after the Sisters of the Congregation of Notre-Dame settled on part of the island in 1706. In 1899 it was established as a municipality under the name L'Ile Saint Paul and was merged with the city of Verdun as part of the new borough in 1956. Around this time, the name was officially changed to Nuns Island, and it began to be developed as a fashionable commuter apartment community in the 1960s. Also during the 1960s, Ludwig Mies van de Rohe, acclaimed German architect, developed several properties on the island in his famous "skin and bones" minimalist and modern style.

Key Features

Today, it is one of Montreal's most affluent districts. The island has been developed primarily with wealthy apartment communities, including three high-rise apartment buildings, and also big businesses like Kodak. Due to the lack of single family homes on the island and large commuter population, Nuns Island is a community populated primarily by young professionals and retired couples with no children living at home. Accordingly, there is only one school on the island, the Ecole Ile Des Soeurs.

While it has been developed as a luxury apartment and commercial district, Nuns Island is also famous for its green spaces and is considered to be one of the best places to live in the city due to its balance between natural and architectural beauty. The West Vancouver Park and Battures Lake are two of the most spectacular parks on the island. The West Vancouver Park is situated on the St. Lawrence River and is famous for its stunning vistas, while Battures lake is renowned for its myriad bike paths.