Traditionally a working-class district for factory and navy employees, St-Roch has been slowly gentrifying over the past decade or so. On the main artery, Rue St-Joseph, spiffy restaurants and bars have sprung up among the junk shops and secondhand clothing stores. Private art galleries are also found here and along Rue St-Vallier Est.

　　Walking down Côte Ste-Geneviève in St-Jean-Baptiste, you will come to a steep staircase called Escalier de la Chapelle, which will take you down to St-Roch.