Kitsilano

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For the San Francisco, California radio station Live 105, please see KITS

Kitsilano (IPA: [kɪʦɪlæno]) is a neighbourhood of Vancouver. It runs west from Burrard Street through to Alma Street, and north from 16th Ave to Kitsilano Beach. As of 2006, Kitsilano is situated mostly within the Canadian federal electoral district of Vancouver Quadra (the easternmost part of Kitsilano lies within the electoral district of Vancouver Centre). Provincially, Kitsilano lies within the B.C. electoral districts of Vancouver-Point Grey and Vancouver-Fairview.

The neighborhood is known for young families, yoga studios, organic produce shops, and new or renovated condominiums. It is also home to Greektown. Kitsilano residents not only enjoy Kitsilano Beach but also Jericho Beach and Jericho Beach Park situated just to the west, on the shores of English Bay.

Contents 1 History 2 Artists in Kitsilano 3 The Kitsilano Showboat 4 Macdonald Street 5 See also 6 External links 7 References

[edit] History

The name 'Kitsilano' is derived from 'Khahtsahlanough', the name of a Squamish chief.^[1] The Capilano River across Burrard Inlet in North Vancouver comes from a different English writing of the same name. Kitsilano is commonly referred to as Kits.

The area was an inexpensive neighbourhood to live in the 1960s and became Vancouver's counterpart to the Haight-Ashbury District in San Francisco. However, the area became gentrified by 'yuppies' in subsequent decades. Close proximity to downtown Vancouver, walking distance to parks, beaches and popular Granville Island has made the neighborhood a very desirable community to live.

One remaining artifact of the 1960s is the Naam Cafe at 4th and Macdonald, providing vegetarian, vegan, and natural foods. The neighbourhood still maintains plenty of the feel of its hippie roots, with an abundance of coffeeshops like Jitter's Cafe, Flying Swan Cafe and Starbucks, organic food stores like Capers Market and Terra Bread and clothing and shoe stores like American Apparel and Gravity Pope, attracting many students and members of the so-called 'alternative' crowd.

Greenpeace was founded in Kitsilano, with its first office opening there in 1975.

[edit] Artists in Kitsilano

Along with the Commercial Drive area on the East Side of Vancouver, Kitsilano is one of the main centers of artistic production in Vancouver (and Canada). Well known artists and writers who have lived in Kitsilano include the following.

Robin Blaser, poet

William Gibson, cyberpunk novelist

Doug Kennedy, photographer

Renee Rodin, author

Jack Shadbolt, artist

Jeff Wall, artist

Nettie Wild, documentary filmaker

The short story "Cortes Island" by Alice Munro, published in The New Yorker, takes place partly at the Kitsilano Branch of the Vancouver Public Library.

[edit] The Kitsilano Showboat

The Kitsilano Showboat has been operating since 1935.^[2] The showboat is essentially an open-air amphitheater with the ocean and mountains as a backdrop. All summer long, the showboat hosts free performances from local bands, dance groups, and other performers. Its main goal is to entertain residents and tourists, showcasing amateur talent. It is located on the south side of the Kitsilano pool along Cornwall Avenue. Weather permitting, shows typically start at 7:30 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays.

Beatrice Leinbach, or Captain Bea, has been playing an active role in maintaing the showboat since the mid 1940s. As of 2006, she is the president of the non-profit Kitsilano Showboat Society.

[edit] Macdonald Street

Busy Macdonald Street and some quiet, leafy adjoining streets still have some beautiful 1910s-1920s craftsman houses that cannot be found anywhere else in Vancouver. According to Exploring Vancouver, an excellent architectural guide to the city, "Kitsilano developed as a less expensive suburban alternative to the West End. Endless rows of developer-built houses lined the grid of streets, thier gabled roofs picturesque and not boring. Many (...) resemble West End houses of preceding years, but have the wider proportions, broad verandahs, and wood brackets popularized by the newer and trendier California bungalow."¹

[edit] See also

List of beaches

[edit] External links

• Kitsilano.ca
• Kitsilano Chamber of Commerce
• Kitsilano Community Profile
• 4th Avenue Business Association
• myKitsilano

[edit] References

1. ^ Origins of Kitsilano
2. ^ Vancouver Courier article on the Kitsilano Showboat

¹ Exploring Vancouver by Harold Kalman, Ron Phillips and Robin Ward, UBC Press 1993