Buy Houses in Kirkland

Geography and Demographics 

Kirkland is a municipality located on the south western end of the Island of Montreal. It is bordered by the boroughs of Beaconsfield, Dollard Des Ormeaux, Pointe-Claire, Saint-Anne-De-Bellevue, and Pierrefonds-Roxboro. The town's population as of 2001 was 20,434 and is comprised of mainly native English speakers.

Municipal

Kirkland's town government is made up of a mayor and eight city councilors. Each councilor is responsible for one of the area's districts, including Timberlea, Holleuffer, Brunswick, Lacey Green West, Lacey Green East, Canvin, St. Charles, and Summerhill. The current mayor of Kirkland is John W. Meaney who has been involved in town politics for over thirty years. Mayor Meaney and the councilors oversee the public works, recreation, engineering, accounting, communications, and administrative departments of the town.

History

Kirkland was created by an edict from King Louis XIV of France in 1711. The King wanted a public parish named Sainte-Joachim de Pointe-Claire to be constructed in the area; it was ordained as a Catholic parish in the mid 1850s. In 1961, the parish was granted municipality status by the Canadian government and at this time it was renamed "Kirkland" in honor of the provincial politician Dr. Charles-Aime Kirkland, a beloved doctor and public servant who was a local member of the National Assembly. 1961 also saw the development of the Trans-Canada Highway that was constructed right across Kirkland. The introduction of the highway turned the residential community into a bustling commercial center, and many businesses began to build their local offices in Kirkland. One of the industries that was most drawn to the area after the creation of the highway was the medicinal drug development business, and many large companies like Merck-Frosst Canada Ltd and Burroughs, Wellcome and Pfizer Canada, made established their offices there. Like other boroughs on the Island, Kirkland was combined with the City of Montreal in 2002. However, the Kirkland government voted in favor of reclaiming independence as a separate municipality in 2004 when the opportunity was presented. The re-establishment referendum officially took effect on January 1, 2006, and the town is now an individual entity.

Real Estate in Kirkland 

In spite of the booming economic and commercial centers and industrial parks, Kirkland is still considered a mainly residential town. The most common residence is the single family home, however as business continues to grown, more apartment, townhouse, and condo communities are being built to accommodate the workforce. The center of arts and culture in Kirkland is the Lantier House in Heritage Park. The Lantier House is an antique farmhouse that was updated in 1979 and acts as a public art gallery and craft exhibit center.