ike Williamsburg in Brooklyn, Queen West in Toronto, and Kreuzberg in Berlin, Montreal's Mile End has become a haven for young, pontificating, tight-jean wearers with AA bags and big glasses. The neighbourhood has long been a study in contradictions and that push-and-pull tradition continues.

Located in the perpetually intriguing and fervently adored Plateau, the Mile End's paradoxical name hints at the complexity of the area. In the country's largest Francophone city, the area has an overtly Anglophone name. Fiercely multicultural and at turns burgeoning and dilapidated, it has always been a haven for the displaced. Immortalized by Mordecai Richler, the district's streets have storied pasts. Bordered by a mountain and a set of train tracks, the parameters of Mile End, natural and man-made, also speak to its intricacy.

After Richler, the area endured an era of popular neglect, but has recently enjoyed a renaissance. Thanks in part to the emerging music scene of the last decade, live venues have sprung up and cultivated loyal followings. Casa del Popolo and La Sala Rossa continue to book intriguing and imperative acts, while bars like the Mile End Bar have enjoyed success. Restaurants abound and the multicultural makeup allows for myriad dining options. Also, there are popular wine-heavy restos, like BU, and veggie-friendly cafes, like Le Cagibi, so placation is never a problem.

Noting the growing potential in the revitalized neighbourhood, the city of Montreal recently allocated almost $9 million for an area regeneration that will see infrastructure improved and businesses enticed. Worries of the dreaded G word (gentrification for the uninitiated) will surely abound, but any attempt to rectify the train track debacle should be welcomed. Hit the Mile End now so as to ensure your pre-redux, cool cachet. -S.T.