West End, Vancouver

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Location of the West End in Vancouver.

Photo of the West End. Also showing English Bay, Coal Harbour, Downtown's Financial and Central Business districts, and Stanley Park.

The West End of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada is on the downtown peninsula neighbouring Stanley Park and the areas of Yaletown, Coal Harbour and the downtown financial and central business districts.

The definition of the "official neighbourhood" of the West End, according to the city, is the area west of Burrard Street, east of Denman Street, and south of West Georgia Street.^[1] Historically the term originated and remains used by Vancouverites to refer to everything from Burrard Street to Stanley Park, including north of West Georgia (now officially "Coal Harbour Neighbourhood") and west of Denman Street ("Stanley Park Neighbourhood").

1 History
2 Demographics
3 Amenities
4 Notes
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] History

Like all of Vancouver, the West End was originally a forested wilderness, the area was purchased in 1862 by 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. 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. 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 Three Greenhorn J. Morton also owned property).

A couple of old-timers 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 neighborhood, 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.^[2] Later mansions (including the Davie mansion) were built in farther 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 fashionability of the upscale Shaughnessy neighborhood, 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 Britain and elsewhere in Canada, 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 occasionally used in marketing but long since lost of its original meaning.

[edit] Demographics

Another heritage house on Comox Street

The West End, which probably gets its name from the West End School,^[3] is bordered by the 1000 acre (4 km²) Stanley Park on one side 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. On weekday mornings, hundreds of business professionals stream through Nelson Park, wearing running shoes and carrying footwear for the office.

The West End is also home to the gay village called Davie Village, centered primarily on Davie Street between Burrard and Bute, with a substantial gay population living throughout the West End.

Home to 42,120 people in 2001 [1] 31.5% of residents are between 40 and 65, with 51% being between 20 and 40. The share of single-parent families in the West End is about 12%, compared to 17% for the City of Vancouver. 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. The West End has three elementary schools: Lord Roberts, Lord Roberts Annex and Elsie Roy — the first two are at or above capacity.[2] The neighbourhood is also served by one high school, King George Secondary.

[edit] Amenities

The West End is particularly famous among visitors for Robson Street, a fashionable shopping and dining area. Many restaurants and shops can also be found along Denman Street, closer to Stanley 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.

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, a separate municipality.

[edit] Notes

^ http://vancouver.ca/community_profiles/west_end/index.htm
^ 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.
^ Allan Morley, Vancouver: From Milltown to Metropolis,3rd.ed. Vancouver: Mitchell Press, 1974, 135.