WEST END VW VANCOUVER WEST, BC
Like all of Vancouver, the West End was originally a forested wilderness. The area was purchased in 1862 by John Morton, Samuel Brighouse, and William Hailstone, three men known as the "Three Greenhorn Englishmen," or just the "Three Greenhorns," owing to the belief that the naive men paid too much for the remote land. With the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway, with its terminus at nearby Coal Harbour, the West End became Vancouver's first upscale neighbourhood, home to the richest railroad families. Following World War II, a significant German commercial community emerged along Robson Street, giving birth to the nickname Robsonstrasse, a name still occasionally used in marketing despite the loss of its original meaning.
The West End is particularly famous among visitors for Robson Street. It was historically known as the Robsonstrasse, for the postwar period when it was a hub for immigrants from Germany, and was home to owner operated boutiques, schnitzel houses and other bistro-style dining establishments until the 1980s when the transition to the current fashionable shopping and dining area stretching from Burrard Street to Jervis Street, began. Many restaurants and shops can also be found along Denman Street closer to Stanley Park, and Davie Street between Burrard and Jervis streets. (source: wikipedia)
Share via Google+
Share via Facebook
Share via Twitter
Share via email
- MAP VIEW |
- LIST VIEW |
- GRID VIEW
WEST END VW:
The West End is located in the most densely populated, intensively active portion of the Lower Mainland. It shares the peninsula with the Downtown, Central Business District and Stanley Park. Until the turn of the century, the West End was only sparsely settled, due to its distance from the old Granville Townsite (Gastown).
The West End is home to a mixed population, old and young, of Canadians, immigrants and international transient residents. Close to 45,000 people of all ages, incomes, ethnicities, and sexual orientations live in the West End. The West End is also home to Western Canada’s largest LGBTQ community. Vancouver's gay village, called Davie Village, is centred primarily on Davie Street between Burrard and Bute.
Did you know?
- A popular annual event, the Gay Pride Parade, follows a route through the West End and finishes at Sunset Beach.
- A marble drinking fountain with the name "Fortes" sits at the edge of Alexandra Park at English Bay. The fountain honours Joe Fortes, an early pioneer and the city's first lifeguard. From the 1890s, until his death in 1922, Fortes was famous for being at English Bay Beach and teaching generations of Vancouver children to swim.
- The first settler, John Morton, was a potter by trade and was lured to the area from New Westminster by the local deposits of coal and clay. In the summer of 1859, a survey ship had found coal on the shore of Burrard Inlet near the foot of Bute Street. Although coal was never actively mined in the area, its discovery led Morton and two partners to lay claim to the land with the intention of establishing a brick making operation.
- When St. Paul's Hospital was first established by the Catholic Church in 1894, it was located at the end of the Burrard Street trail "way out in the bush." A pathway extended southward to English Bay and a rutted wagon trail connected to Yaletown.
source: vancouver.ca
West End neighborhood
English Bay Beach
Davie Village
St. Paul's Hospital
Vancouver Aquatic Centre
The West End of Vancouver is one of the most popular places to hang out in the city.
SCHOOL:
Lord Roberts Annex offers kindergarten to grade 3. The student population of Lord Roberts Elementary School (k-grade 7) represents 43 countries and 37 languages. King George Secondary School (grades 8-12) celebrated 100 years in 2014. (source:
HOUSING:
Gabriola, (at the northwest corner of Davie and Nicola), is the last of the Through the 1890s the forest was logged and gradually replaced with grand Victorian homes for upper-income families. In 1910, the West End's role as a "high-class" residential area declined and the community's second stage of development began. Apartments were built, homes along the Robson, Denman and Davie (all streetcar lines) were redeveloped as shops, and larger homes were converted into rooming houses. The community's first apartments were constructed on the streetcar line that ran down Robson Street. DuringRead More...
RECREATION:
Recreational amenities are within walking distance for residents of this high-density area. The West End includes Davie Village – traditionally a hub for the city's gay community – and Denman Street, which together provide local shopping and restaurants. This area also has high-end retail on Robson Street and Alberni
LOCATION:
The West End lies west of Downtown, and, on three sides, is bounded by water: English Bay, Coal Harbour, and Lost Lagoon in world-famous Stanley
SHOPING AND RESTAURANTS:
The West End includes Davie Village – traditionally a hub for the city's gay community – and Denman Street, which together provide local shopping and restaurants. This area also has high-end retail on Robson Street and Alberni
TRANSPORTATION:
The West End is serviced by TransLink buses from the Central Business District. If travelling from other parts of Vancouver by public transit, you will generally have to get downtown first and then board one of the following:
- #5 - heads to English Bay via Robson Street
- #6 - heads to English Bay via Davie Street
- #19 - ends in Stanley Park with connections on Pender Street Downtown and at Metrotown in Burnaby
- #23 - a community shuttle (mini-bus) route that serves the English Bay and Sunset Beaches along Beach Avenue, and travelsRead More...
WEST END VW BENCHMARK PERFORMANCE OVER TIME