The city of Montreal lies on an island in the St. Lawrence Seaway, and can generally be divided along a northwest/southeast line, running approximately along St. Laurent. To the west and south lies the mountain (Mont Royal), and the downtown and english neighbourhoods; in the opposite direction, the french neighbourhoods. Ethnic neighbourhoods generally form a buffer between the two, following St. Laurent north: Portuguese, Greek, Italian, Jewish.

The Plateau is located at the south end of St. Laurent, just north of downtown. St. Laurent and Pins is considered the social heart of the city, among the under thirty crowd.

St-Laurent street is the root of Montreal. More commonly known to locals as The Main.It stands as the dividing line between what is considered the eastern and western sides of the city. Adresses on the E/W axis of the city rise as they move further away from st-laurent. N/S adresses originate at the waterfront in old montreal and ascend as you travel further north.