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Wikipedia

West End, Vancouver

February 16, 2024

The West End is a neighbourhood in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, located between the Coal Harbour neighbourhood and the financial and central business districts of Downtown Vancouver to the east, Stanley Park to the northwest, the English Bay to the west, and Kitsilano to the southwest across the False Creek opening.

West End
Neighbourhood
View of the West End and English Bay at sunset
Location of the West End shown in red
Coordinates: 49°17′06″N 123°08′02″W / 49.285°N 123.134°W / 49.285; -123.134
CountryCanada
ProvinceBritish Columbia
CityVancouver
Area
[1]
 • Land1.98 km2 (0.76 sq mi)
Population
 (2016)[1]
 • Total47,200
 • Density23,838.4/km2 (61,741/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC−08:00 (PST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−07:00 (PDT)
Forward sortation area
V6E
Area codes604, 778, 236, 672
Websitevancouver.ca/community_profiles/west_end/index.htm

The West End is not to be confused with the West Side (which denotes the western half of the non-downtown part of Vancouver city to the south) or West Vancouver ("West Van"), a separate municipality (conversely, and to the confusion of some, "East Van", "the East End", and "the East Side" all denote East Vancouver).

The definition of the "official neighbourhood" of the West End, according to the city, is the area west of Burrard Street, east of Lost Lagoon, and south of West Georgia Street.[2] Historically the term originated and remains used by Vancouverites to refer to everything from Burrard Street to Stanley Park, including the Stanley Park Neighbourhood west of Denman Street and the Coal Harbour Neighbourhood. Coal Harbour Neighbourhood is officially designated as west of Burrard and to the north of West Georgia, although the newly built areas between West Pender Street and the waterfront are expressly "Coal Harbour" and not considered part of the West End.

History edit

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", a nickname they earned from others who thought they were buying a massive plot of wild land at an inflated price.[3] The men had plans to establish a brickworks on the shore of Coal Harbour, and their land claim was originally staked with the hopeful intent of mining for porcelain clays, but the grade of clay was not fine enough for that use. When those plans failed (a lack of transportation being a key factor) they sold a good portion of the area, by then known as the Brickmaker's Claim, to Victoria investors who in turn tried to promote its development as New Liverpool. The only thing that happened with that scheme was a subdivision plan registered with the Land Titles office in New Westminster. Another name used for the property was the Brighouse Estate (Brighouse as a name came to refer to a particular part of Richmond, where "Greenhorn" J. Morton also owned property). One of the partners, observant that brick was a valuable building commodity despite the abundance of timber in the region, moved the brick-clay operations to Sumas Mountain, establishing the community of Clayburn, now a neighbourhood of Abbotsford.

 
A couple of typical older-era houses on Comox Street

Later, 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. Many of these families lived along Georgia Street, known at that time as "Blue Blood Alley" for all the posh mansions built there.[4] Later mansions (including the Davie mansion) were built in then remoter areas of the West End as the financial district's land values displaced the high-toned residences. This role was ultimately dropped with the increasing vogue for the upscale Shaughnessy neighbourhood, and as middle-class housing of various kinds began to fill out the West End. As the city grew, the West End became a transitory place for new arrivals from elsewhere in Canada, the United Kingdom, and later for immigrants from other countries, establishing a tradition of diversity. 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.[5]

Sex work displacement edit

West End residents have been very active in shaping their neighbourhood and maintaining its liveability. In the 1970s, residents banded together to calm traffic that was using the neighbourhood as a shortcut between downtown Vancouver and the suburbs of the North Shore, across the Lions' Gate Bridge. They also staged a successful, yet destructive "Shame the Johns" campaign to rid the West End of the sex work that was then visible in the neighbourhood. This campaign was formed by a group of politicians called the Concerned Residents of the West End (CROWE), prominently containing cisgender white gay men, who aided in the formation of a 1984 injunction granted by then-B.C. Supreme Court Justice Allan McEachern. This injunction banned sex workers from working west of Granville Street, which forcibly displaced them away from the relative safety and community support of Davie Street.[6] Following this, they were forced into Yaletown, then Mount Pleasant, where they were repeatedly protested by "Shame the Johns vigilantes", down East Broadway, and eventually into the Downtown Eastside, where already vulnerable sex workers are more open to violence and abuse than ever before.[6][7] These displacements were a worsened repetition of the early erasers that happened on Dupont and Alexander Street.[8] Further, this displacement largely targeted transgender, two-spirit and First Nations women, replicated the colonial practices and dispossession of land from the Musqueam, Burrard, and Squamish First Nations.[9]

Demographics edit

 
View of West End along the Vancouver coast and Beach Avenue

The West End is bordered by downtown on the one side, Stanley Park on the other and by water on two. The West End is home to a mixed population, old and young, of Canadians, immigrants and international transient residents. Like other downtown neighbourhoods, the West End is very densely populated. It is adjacent to the downtown core business and financial districts, with traffic calmed streets punctuated by concrete islands, sidewalk barricades, and mini-parks and many residential heritage buildings including The Manhattan, The Beaconsfield, The Beverly and The Queen Charlotte.

Close to 45,000 people of all ages, incomes, ethnicities, and sexual orientations live in the West End. The age group of 20–39 years consistently ranks the largest at 48%, followed by 40-64 at 34%, 65+ at 13% and under 19 at 6%. Containing 7.4% of the City's population, the West End welcomed 14% of new Vancouverites between 2001 and 2006. 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.[10]

The share of single-parent families in the West End is about 12%, compared to 17% for the City of Vancouver.[11] Statistics also show that the West End is home to many children — the downtown peninsula now has more children than traditional family neighbourhoods such as West Point Grey or Kerrisdale. 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.[10]

Panethnic groups in the West End neighbourhood (2001−2016)
Panethnic
group 		2016[12] 2006[13] 2001[14]
Pop. % Pop. % Pop. %
European[a] 32,265 69.06% 31,065 70.09% 31,130 74.28%
East Asian[b] 5,365 11.48% 7,110 16.04% 5,910 14.1%
Middle Eastern[c] 2,175 4.66% 1,160 2.62% 1,000 2.39%
Latin American 1,785 3.82% 1,105 2.49% 585 1.4%
Southeast Asian[d] 1,465 3.14% 1,295 2.92% 955 2.28%
South Asian 1,320 2.83% 860 1.94% 860 2.05%
Indigenous 1,070 2.29% 665 1.5% 810 1.93%
African 625 1.34% 570 1.29% 425 1.01%
Other/Multiracial[e] 655 1.4% 485 1.09% 215 0.51%
Total responses 46,720 98.98% 44,320 99.46% 41,910 99.5%
Total population 47,200 100% 44,560 100% 42,120 100%
Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses

Amenities edit

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.

Numerous parks and beaches can be found throughout the West End including Alexandra Park, Cardero Park, Nelson Park, Stanley Park and Sunset Beach. These parks range in size from 0.22 hectares (Morton Park) to over 406 hectare (Stanley Park). A portion of the Stanley Park Seawall promenade runs along the waterfront from Burrard Bridge to Ceperly Park.

The area is also known for English Bay Beach, a large park on English Bay which is thronged during the annual Celebration of Light fireworks display each year mid-summer. St. Paul's Hospital, one of Vancouver's largest and oldest health facilities, sits at the neighbourhood's eastern edge on Burrard Street.

Community Centres in the West End include the Vancouver Aquatic Centre, West End Community Centre, Coal Harbour Community Centre and Barclay Manor. Depending on the centre, they offer swimming pools, gyms, fitness centres and an ice rink, as well as many meeting and all-purpose rooms for rent.

Accolade edit

On November 4, 2015, the Canadian Institute of Planners announced winners of its fifth annual Great Places in Canada contest. A jury of seven professional planners named the West End as the Great Neighbourhood. Juror Jaspal Marwah MCIP, RPP stated that "the West End makes it easy, safe and inviting for residents to walk and bike to work, to access thriving local businesses and to explore Vancouver's beaches, trails and Stanley Park. Transit access, traffic calming, street furniture, treed promenades, pocket parks and public spaces reflect a thoughtful approach to place-making. Home to the city's LGBTQ community, the West End's density is evenly matched by its diversity of residents, and by a strong commitment to creating an inclusive community that prioritizes affordable housing.[15]

See also edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to West End, Vancouver.

Notes edit

  1. ^ Statistic includes all persons that did not make up part of a visible minority or an indigenous identity.
  2. ^ Statistic includes total responses of "Chinese", "Korean", and "Japanese" under visible minority section on census.
  3. ^ Statistic includes total responses of "West Asian" and "Arab" under visible minority section on census.
  4. ^ Statistic includes total responses of "Filipino" and "Southeast Asian" under visible minority section on census.
  5. ^ Statistic includes total responses of "Visible minority, n.i.e." and "Multiple visible minorities" under visible minority section on census.

References edit

  1. ^ a b "West End; Community Statistics" (PDF). vancouver.ca. Government of the City of Vancouver. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  2. ^ Vancouver, City of. "West End". vancouver.ca. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  3. ^ "The Three Greenhorns". Ministories of Vancouver. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  4. ^ According to Allan Morley, this nickname was the "former title of Main Street," and included Richards and Georgia Streets and "the Bluff." Alan Morley, Vancouver: From Milltown to Metropolis. 3rd ed. Vancouver: Mitchell Press, 1974, 138.
  5. ^ "Our Story". Robson Street Business Association. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  6. ^ a b "Vancouver's Anti-Sex Work Gentrification Projects are a Form of Imperialism". The Volcano. 2019-05-17. Retrieved 2021-04-04.
  7. ^ "StackPath". xtramagazine.com. Retrieved 2021-04-04.
  8. ^ Francis, Daniel (2006). Red Light Neon: A History of Vancouver's Sex Trade. Vancouver, BC: Subway Books. pp. 1–192. ISBN 978-0973667523.
  9. ^ Ouspenski, Andrei, WISH Drop-In Centre Society (6 May 2015). ""SEX WORK: Transitioning, Retiring and EXITING"" (PDF). Report. Retrieved 4 April 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ a b "West End Community Plan".
  11. ^ (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2004-08-07. Retrieved 2004-11-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. ^ Open Data Portal, City Of Vancouver (2018-04-10). "Census local area profiles 2016". opendata.vancouver.ca. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
  13. ^ Open Data Portal, City Of Vancouver (2013-03-25). "Census local area profiles 2006". opendata.vancouver.ca. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
  14. ^ Open Data Portal, City Of Vancouver (2013-03-25). "Census local area profiles 2001". opendata.vancouver.ca. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
  15. ^ . Archived from the original on 2015-11-20. Retrieved 2015-11-06.

External links edit

 
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Vancouver/West End.
  • Census Data on the West End
  • Historical article at City Website
  • The Growing Pains of Vancouver - Internet radio documentary discussing the West End from 12'45" till 19'03".

February 16, 2024
west, vancouver, west, neighbourhood, vancouver, british, columbia, canada, located, between, coal, harbour, neighbourhood, financial, central, business, districts, downtown, vancouver, east, stanley, park, northwest, english, west, kitsilano, southwest, acros. The West End is a neighbourhood in Vancouver British Columbia Canada located between the Coal Harbour neighbourhood and the financial and central business districts of Downtown Vancouver to the east Stanley Park to the northwest the English Bay to the west and Kitsilano to the southwest across the False Creek opening West EndNeighbourhoodView of the West End and English Bay at sunsetLocation of the West End shown in redCoordinates 49 17 06 N 123 08 02 W 49 285 N 123 134 W 49 285 123 134CountryCanadaProvinceBritish ColumbiaCityVancouverArea 1 Land1 98 km2 0 76 sq mi Population 2016 1 Total47 200 Density23 838 4 km2 61 741 sq mi Time zoneUTC 08 00 PST Summer DST UTC 07 00 PDT Forward sortation areaV6EArea codes604 778 236 672Websitevancouver wbr ca wbr community wbr profiles wbr west wbr end wbr index wbr htmThe West End is not to be confused with the West Side which denotes the western half of the non downtown part of Vancouver city to the south or West Vancouver West Van a separate municipality conversely and to the confusion of some East Van the East End and the East Side all denote East Vancouver The definition of the official neighbourhood of the West End according to the city is the area west of Burrard Street east of Lost Lagoon and south of West Georgia Street 2 Historically the term originated and remains used by Vancouverites to refer to everything from Burrard Street to Stanley Park including the Stanley Park Neighbourhood west of Denman Street and the Coal Harbour Neighbourhood Coal Harbour Neighbourhood is officially designated as west of Burrard and to the north of West Georgia although the newly built areas between West Pender Street and the waterfront are expressly Coal Harbour and not considered part of the West End Contents 1 History 1 1 Sex work displacement 2 Demographics 3 Amenities 4 Accolade 5 See also 6 Notes 7 References 8 External linksHistory editLike 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 a nickname they earned from others who thought they were buying a massive plot of wild land at an inflated price 3 The men had plans to establish a brickworks on the shore of Coal Harbour and their land claim was originally staked with the hopeful intent of mining for porcelain clays but the grade of clay was not fine enough for that use When those plans failed a lack of transportation being a key factor they sold a good portion of the area by then known as the Brickmaker s Claim to Victoria investors who in turn tried to promote its development as New Liverpool The only thing that happened with that scheme was a subdivision plan registered with the Land Titles office in New Westminster Another name used for the property was the Brighouse Estate Brighouse as a name came to refer to a particular part of Richmond where Greenhorn J Morton also owned property One of the partners observant that brick was a valuable building commodity despite the abundance of timber in the region moved the brick clay operations to Sumas Mountain establishing the community of Clayburn now a neighbourhood of Abbotsford nbsp A couple of typical older era houses on Comox StreetLater 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 Many of these families lived along Georgia Street known at that time as Blue Blood Alley for all the posh mansions built there 4 Later mansions including the Davie mansion were built in then remoter areas of the West End as the financial district s land values displaced the high toned residences This role was ultimately dropped with the increasing vogue for the upscale Shaughnessy neighbourhood and as middle class housing of various kinds began to fill out the West End As the city grew the West End became a transitory place for new arrivals from elsewhere in Canada the United Kingdom and later for immigrants from other countries establishing a tradition of diversity 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 5 Sex work displacement edit West End residents have been very active in shaping their neighbourhood and maintaining its liveability In the 1970s residents banded together to calm traffic that was using the neighbourhood as a shortcut between downtown Vancouver and the suburbs of the North Shore across the Lions Gate Bridge They also staged a successful yet destructive Shame the Johns campaign to rid the West End of the sex work that was then visible in the neighbourhood This campaign was formed by a group of politicians called the Concerned Residents of the West End CROWE prominently containing cisgender white gay men who aided in the formation of a 1984 injunction granted by then B C Supreme Court Justice Allan McEachern This injunction banned sex workers from working west of Granville Street which forcibly displaced them away from the relative safety and community support of Davie Street 6 Following this they were forced into Yaletown then Mount Pleasant where they were repeatedly protested by Shame the Johns vigilantes down East Broadway and eventually into the Downtown Eastside where already vulnerable sex workers are more open to violence and abuse than ever before 6 7 These displacements were a worsened repetition of the early erasers that happened on Dupont and Alexander Street 8 Further this displacement largely targeted transgender two spirit and First Nations women replicated the colonial practices and dispossession of land from the Musqueam Burrard and Squamish First Nations 9 Demographics edit nbsp View of West End along the Vancouver coast and Beach AvenueThe West End is bordered by downtown on the one side Stanley Park on the other and by water on two The West End is home to a mixed population old and young of Canadians immigrants and international transient residents Like other downtown neighbourhoods the West End is very densely populated It is adjacent to the downtown core business and financial districts with traffic calmed streets punctuated by concrete islands sidewalk barricades and mini parks and many residential heritage buildings including The Manhattan The Beaconsfield The Beverly and The Queen Charlotte Close to 45 000 people of all ages incomes ethnicities and sexual orientations live in the West End The age group of 20 39 years consistently ranks the largest at 48 followed by 40 64 at 34 65 at 13 and under 19 at 6 Containing 7 4 of the City s population the West End welcomed 14 of new Vancouverites between 2001 and 2006 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 10 The share of single parent families in the West End is about 12 compared to 17 for the City of Vancouver 11 Statistics also show that the West End is home to many children the downtown peninsula now has more children than traditional family neighbourhoods such as West Point Grey or Kerrisdale 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 10 Panethnic groups in the West End neighbourhood 2001 2016 Panethnicgroup 2016 12 2006 13 2001 14 Pop Pop Pop European a 32 265 69 06 31 065 70 09 31 130 74 28 East Asian b 5 365 11 48 7 110 16 04 5 910 14 1 Middle Eastern c 2 175 4 66 1 160 2 62 1 000 2 39 Latin American 1 785 3 82 1 105 2 49 585 1 4 Southeast Asian d 1 465 3 14 1 295 2 92 955 2 28 South Asian 1 320 2 83 860 1 94 860 2 05 Indigenous 1 070 2 29 665 1 5 810 1 93 African 625 1 34 570 1 29 425 1 01 Other Multiracial e 655 1 4 485 1 09 215 0 51 Total responses 46 720 98 98 44 320 99 46 41 910 99 5 Total population 47 200 100 44 560 100 42 120 100 Note Totals greater than 100 due to multiple origin responsesAmenities editThe 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 Numerous parks and beaches can be found throughout the West End including Alexandra Park Cardero Park Nelson Park Stanley Park and Sunset Beach These parks range in size from 0 22 hectares Morton Park to over 406 hectare Stanley Park A portion of the Stanley Park Seawall promenade runs along the waterfront from Burrard Bridge to Ceperly Park The area is also known for English Bay Beach a large park on English Bay which is thronged during the annual Celebration of Light fireworks display each year mid summer St Paul s Hospital one of Vancouver s largest and oldest health facilities sits at the neighbourhood s eastern edge on Burrard Street Community Centres in the West End include the Vancouver Aquatic Centre West End Community Centre Coal Harbour Community Centre and Barclay Manor Depending on the centre they offer swimming pools gyms fitness centres and an ice rink as well as many meeting and all purpose rooms for rent Accolade editOn November 4 2015 the Canadian Institute of Planners announced winners of its fifth annual Great Places in Canada contest A jury of seven professional planners named the West End as the Great Neighbourhood Juror Jaspal Marwah MCIP RPP stated that the West End makes it easy safe and inviting for residents to walk and bike to work to access thriving local businesses and to explore Vancouver s beaches trails and Stanley Park Transit access traffic calming street furniture treed promenades pocket parks and public spaces reflect a thoughtful approach to place making Home to the city s LGBTQ community the West End s density is evenly matched by its diversity of residents and by a strong commitment to creating an inclusive community that prioritizes affordable housing 15 See also edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to West End Vancouver Davie Village The West End JournalNotes edit Statistic includes all persons that did not make up part of a visible minority or an indigenous identity Statistic includes total responses of Chinese Korean and Japanese under visible minority section on census Statistic includes total responses of West Asian and Arab under visible minority section on census Statistic includes total responses of Filipino and Southeast Asian under visible minority section on census Statistic includes total responses of Visible minority n i e and Multiple visible minorities under visible minority section on census References edit a b West End Community Statistics PDF vancouver ca Government of the City of Vancouver Retrieved 12 March 2020 Vancouver City of West End vancouver ca Retrieved 2022 08 18 The Three Greenhorns Ministories of Vancouver Retrieved 2022 03 11 According to Allan Morley this nickname was the former title of Main Street and included Richards and Georgia Streets and the Bluff Alan Morley Vancouver From Milltown to Metropolis 3rd ed Vancouver Mitchell Press 1974 138 Our Story Robson Street Business Association Retrieved 2022 03 11 a b Vancouver s Anti Sex Work Gentrification Projects are a Form of Imperialism The Volcano 2019 05 17 Retrieved 2021 04 04 StackPath xtramagazine com Retrieved 2021 04 04 Francis Daniel 2006 Red Light Neon A History of Vancouver s Sex Trade Vancouver BC Subway Books pp 1 192 ISBN 978 0973667523 Ouspenski Andrei WISH Drop In Centre Society 6 May 2015 SEX WORK Transitioning Retiring and EXITING PDF Report Retrieved 4 April 2021 a href Template Cite news html title Template Cite news cite news a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link a b West End Community Plan Archived copy PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2004 08 07 Retrieved 2004 11 18 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link Open Data Portal City Of Vancouver 2018 04 10 Census local area profiles 2016 opendata vancouver ca Retrieved 2023 03 20 Open Data Portal City Of Vancouver 2013 03 25 Census local area profiles 2006 opendata vancouver ca Retrieved 2023 03 20 Open Data Portal City Of Vancouver 2013 03 25 Census local area profiles 2001 opendata vancouver ca Retrieved 2023 03 20 And the Winners of Great Places in Canada 2015 are CIP Archived from the original on 2015 11 20 Retrieved 2015 11 06 External links edit nbsp Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Vancouver West End Census Data on the West End Historical article at City Website The Growing Pains of Vancouver Internet radio documentary discussing the West End from 12 45 till 19 03 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title West End Vancouver amp oldid 1181613765, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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