Montreal’s enticing lore is finally going global. You can feel it from Mile-Ex labs to Old Port cobble as the city is increasingly lauded for urban initiatives like its #20 Biking ranking with fresh segments of its protected REV corridors. Then there’s the continued funding for nine pedestrian-only main streets, each backed by about $700,000 per year, alongside a previously announced $22-million boost for cycling. Those safer streets support a #36 Overall Livability finish – and the café-lined urbanism that locals (and increasingly, enlightened visitors) love. And talent: a #20 University ranking and #9 Educational Attainment, anchored by McGill, Université de Montréal/Polytechnique/HEC, and feed-Ax-C, the new downtown innovation hub opened in 2025 to co-locate founders, researchers and capital. AI and video-game studios continue to scale, building on a transport backbone that still puts the continent within reach from the St. Lawrence. Riverfront reinvention powers the buzzing real-estate market. The Quartier Molson bridging the Old Port toward the Jacques Cartier Bridge broke ground in 2025 as a $2.5-billion, multi-phase district that preserves brewery heritage while adding housing, offices, retail and riverfront public space. The revitalized Espace St-Denis is programming new shows in the Latin Quarter, and the Quartier des Spectacles keeps blowing global minds.