Relocation services for British Columbia, Canada

Vancouver West

This area of Vancouver covers some of the most attractive real estate in the world. With the revitalized downtown core, the multi-million dollar homes in Shaughnessy and Point Grey and the fashionable restaurants and shops of Kitsilano, Vancouver West delivers on the promise of the west coast lifestyle.

Real Estate

In the last few years Vancouver’s property prices have been rising steadily, but with the recent world financial crisis, prices have slipped of late.

The regeneration of the downtown core has seen the development of a number of new condo’s and this will continue with the developments scheduled up to the 2010 Olympics.

The development of the Canada Line, linking downtown Vancouver, Richmond and the Airport, will be disruptive during it’s construction, but could have a positive impact on property prices once the transport links are in place.

Below is a table showing the Benchmark prices for typical property in Vancouver West. This comes from the Vancouver Real Estate Board’s monthly statistics. More real estate information is available directly from us or our real estate site - gr8team.com:

Benchmark Prices: Vancouver West as at May 2010
Category	Benchmark $	1 Yr Change	3 Yr Change
Apartment	$510,885	15.00%	12.10%
Attached	$765,044	16.00%	13.40%
Detached	$1,679,797	31.90%	26.40%
Source:Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver - MLS ®

The section below gives a brief sketch of the main areas and provides statistics on property sales within these areas.

Coal Harbour

This area adjoins Stanley Park to the West and runs North of Georgia Street. It has views North across the Burrard Inlet to North Vancouver. The area is made up almost exclusively of apartments. The area is expensive and attracts older residents who appreciate it’s relative quiet and proximity to downtown.

If you are curious about what is for sale now, you can use the following MLS® search on VancouverForHomes.com:

See apartments for sale in Coal Harbour now

Downtown

The Vancouver skyline with Mount Baker in the distanceThis area cover the area north of False Creek, east to Main St and west to Burrard. The downtown population has tripled in the last ten years as the downtown core undergoes a renaissance with the development of new condominiums.

The former garment district, Yaletown, has been transformed into an upscale shopping and residential neighbourhood, featuring converted warehouses with offices, boutiques, lofts and trendy restaurants and bars. The area attracts young urban professionals.

Downtown’s property consists of condos and apartments, varying widely in price according to their location and views.

If you are curious about what is for sale now, you can use the following MLS® search on VancouverForHomes.com:

Find downtown apartments for sale

Kitsilano

Kits as it is known is the area that extends south of English Bay, west to Alma St, east to Burrard and south to 16th Ave. The beach is a popular spot in the summer. The shopping around 4th Ave and Broadway, and the many restaurants and chic shops suggest that Kits continues to be a fashionable place for young, fashion conscious and upwardly mobile Vancouverites.

The property in the area is a mix of low rise apartments, condos and older homes. There is a large rental market.

If you are curious about what is for sale now, you can use the following MLS® search on VancouverForHomes.com:

See condos for sale in Kitsilano

Point Grey

Point Grey is one of Vancouver’s most affluent neighbourhoods, including multi-million dollar homes with ocean views. The area extends west of Kitsilano, from Alma St to the University Endowment Lands to the west and borders the sands of Spanish Banks and Jericho Beach to the north.

The area is primarily one of detached houses, in quiet, tree-lined streets. It’s proximity to the beaches and UBC means it is appealing to affluent families with children.

If you are curious about what is for sale now, you can use the following MLS® search on VancouverForHomes.com:

See houses for sale in Point Grey

Shaughnessy

This area is centered around Granville Street and is bordered on the east by Oak St and on the west by West Boulevard, to the north 16th Ave and 41st Ave to the south.

Shaughnessy’s origins are as an exclusive community for Canadian Pacific Railway executives (in 1909) and the area still retains its exclusivity. The area has large homes on it’s winding tree-lined streets.

The Van Dusen Gardens are a well-known attraction in the community.

If you are curious about what is for sale now, you can use the following MLS® search on VancouverForHomes.com:

Search for house for sale in Shaughnessy

West End

This area is one of the most densely populated neighbourhoods in the Lower Mainland. It is located between Stanley Park to the west and English Bay to the south, with Vancouver’s business district making it’s eastern boundary at Burrard Street and Georgia Street to the north.

Robson Street, a popular shopping destination for both visitors and locals, is within the area, as is Denman Street with it’s more relaxed and informal feel. This area is popular with Vancouver’s gay community and is the site for the annual Gay Pride parade each August.

Real estate in this neighbourhood is largely older low and high rise apartments. The popularity of this area, with it’s lively local scene, proximity to the downtown business district and Stanley Park, means that rental vacancy rates are very low.

If you are curious about what is for sale now, you can use the following MLS® search on VancouverForHomes.com:

Search for apartments for sale in the West End

Schools

Vancouver’s public schools are managed by the Vancouver School Board, and are divided into three areas: North, Centre and South. Each school has its own catchment area and belongs to a family of schools so that elementary schools and annexes feed into a particular secondary school.

The board manages:

• 18 secondary schools
• 76 elementary schools
• 15 elementary annexes

[Also see our article on transferring into school.]

The school board’s web site has information on all the schools in the district. Most individual schools also have their own web sites. If you are interested in a particular school, then it is a good idea to contact them to arrange a visit.

If you are interested in independent schools then the Federation of Independent School Associations has a directory of schools. You will need to contact schools directly. In Vancouver West there are a number of independent schools.

• Vancouver School Board
  • Elementary Schools
  • Elementary School Annexes
    (usually kindergarten to grade 3 or 4)
  • Secondary Schools
  • School catchment areas
    download the map from the above link
• Federation of Independent School Associations
  • École Saint Sacrement (3020 Heather Street)
    French immersion
  • Century High School (300-1788 West Broadway)
  • Columbia College (500 - 555 Seymour Street)
  • Crofton House School (3200 West 41st Avenue)
  • Fraser Academy (2294 West 10th Avenue)
  • Immaculate Conception School (3745 West 28th Avenue)
  • Madrona School (101 - 910 West 6th Avenue)
  • North Creek Montessori School (#108-1500 Howe Street)
    no web site - e-mail or call 604 687 6701
  • Our Lady of Perpetual Help Elementary (2550 Camosun St)
  • St. Andrew’s Elementary (450 East 47th Avenue)
  • St. Augustine’s School (2145 West 8th Avenue)
  • St. Francis Xavier (428 Great Northern Way)
  • St. George’s School (4175 West 29th Avenue)
  • St. John’s International School (938 West 8th Avenue)
  • St. John’s School (2215 West 10th Avenue)
  • St. Patrick’s Elementary School (2850 Quebec Street)
  • St. Patrick’s Regional Secondary School (115 East 11th Avenue)
  • Vancouver College (5400 Cartier Street)
  • Vancouver Hebrew Academy (1545 West 62nd Avenue)
  • Vancouver Montessori School (8650 Barnard Street)
    No web site - call 604 261 0315
  • Vancouver Talmud Torah (998 West 26th Avenue)
  • West Point Grey Academy (4125 West 8th Avenue)
  • Westside Christian School (5210 University Boulevard)
  • York House School (4176 Alexandra Street)

Other Links

• City of Vancouver
• MapQuest Vancouver map
• Google satellite picture of Vancouver