West Vancouver, British Columbia
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| West Vancouver | |
 |
|
 Location in Greater Vancouver Regional District |
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| Area
Pop'n density |
87.4 km²
41,421 (2001) 473.92 /km² |
| Location | 49°19' N, 123°9' W
178 metres |
| Incorporation | March 15, 1912 |
| Province | British Columbia |
| Mayor | Pam Goldsmith-Jones
Ralph Sultan (MLA-West Vancouver-Capilano), Liberal Joan McIntyre (MLA-West Vancouver-Garibaldi), Liberal |
| Time zone | PST, −8
V7x-XXX 604, 778 |
| District of West Vancouver | |
West Vancouver is a district municipality in the province of British Columbia. It was home to 41,425 as of 2001. As of 2006, the mayor is Pam Goldsmith-Jones. Cypress Provincial Park will be one of the venues for the 2010 Winter Olympics. West Vancouver is also a 2006 Cultural Capital of Canada.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Geography and location
West Vancouver is situated at 49° 19' N 123° 9' W, in the Pacific Time Zone (UTC-8). The city is a part of the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) in the Province of British Columbia, Canada, northwest of the city of Vancouver on Burrard Inlet and Howe Sound. It is located on the North Shore and is adjoined by the District of North Vancouver. West Vancouver is also home of Canada's first shopping mall, Park Royal Shopping Centre.[2]
[edit] History
Timeline:
- 1792 Capt. George Vancouver names Point Atkinson
- 1872 James Blake preempted the first 65 hectares of land
- 1875 First lighthouse at Point Atkinson
- 1898 Mr. Francis Caulfeild was put ashore at Skunk Cove
- 1903 Navvy Jack Thomas, a Welsh deserter from the Royal Navy, was the first Caucasian resident of West Vancouver, offered first ferry service to Vancouver in a rowboat. Their house still stands today at Ambleside
- 1905 John Lawson, a local leader settled at foot of 17th street
- 1908 First pier, Hollyburn Pier
- 1909 West Vancouver Transportation Company was formed, provides ferry service across harbour to Vancouver
- 1909 "Real estate boom" lots sold for at little as $450 and as much as $4,500
- 1910 Water systems started at Caulfeild and Ambleside
- 1911 First primary school, Presbyterian Church at Dundarave
- 1912 West Vancouver separated from North Vancouver and incorporated on March 15, 1912.
- 1912 Population was aproxamently 1,500 people
- 1912 First Municipal election
- 1912 Council appointed John Teare as the first police constable on May 17th. F.H. Kettle was appointed the second constable on May 28th
- 1914 First known settlement, the Coast Salish village at Sandy Cove
- 1914 Pacific Great Eastern Railway in service
- 1914 Colonel Albert Whyte pressed for a spelling change from White Cliff City to Whytecliff
- 1915 Dundarave Pier built
- 1915 Marine Drive was officially opened by Premier Richard McBride
- 1916 West Vancouver Municipal Transport bus service started operation
- 1922 BC Hydro started electrical service
- 1924 House numbering scheme started
- 1926 Marine Drive extended to Horseshoe Bay
- 1926 Town Planning Act banned any new industry forming an exclusively residential community with minimum lot sizes
- 1927 Inglewood High School built
- 1928 Direct telephone service to Vancouver operational
- 1930 Septic tanks are mandatory
- 1930 Only 48 of West Vancouver's 100 kilometres of roads paved
- 1931 Dan Sewell opened his marina and the Whytecliff Lodge
- 1932 1,600 acres of land bought by A.R. Guinness-Br. Pacific Properties bought for $50 a hectare, they have been developed as the British Properties
- 1934 First police car
- 1936 Hollyburn Post Office built at 17th street and Marine Drive
- 1938 Lions Gate Bridge finished, opened May 29th. The bridge cost a total of $6 million to build
- 1947 Ferry service stopped due to lack of demand after bridge constructed
- 1950 West Vancouver Memorial Library opened on November 11th (Remembrance Day). The library loans more books per capita than any other library in Canada
- 1950 Park Royal Shopping Centre, Canada's first shopping centre opened
- 1954 Public Safety Building opened. It housed the West Vancouver Police and Fire Departments
- 1959 Rezoning allowed 78 apartment buildings in Ambleside
- 1961 The Crescent Apartments, West Vancouver's first high rise apartment opened
- 1962 Park Royal Shopping Centre enclosed
- 1963 Tolls on Lions Gate Bridge lifted on April 1st
- 1967 Fire hall was built and opened on November 22, 1967 at 16th and Fulton Ave. The Police Department remained in the Public Safety building
The Municipality of West Vancouver was incorporated on March 15, 1912, after separating from the District of North Vancouver. The first municipal election was held on April 6, 1912. In November of 1938, the Lions' Gate Bridge was opened to traffic, allowing extensive growth of the semi-populated community, only previously accessible by ferry. Some homes in West Vancouver date back to the 1920s and 30s, though most of the currently existing dwellings were built in the 1970s and 80s, and mostly in British Pacific Properties' developments.
West Vancouver has operated Canada's longest running municipial transportation system and was Canada's first 100% wheelchair accessible transit system. The Blue Buses are the only municipal public transit system in the Greater Vancouver Regional District although they are part of the TransLink system and fares can be used on other buses.
 A mural on the wall of Capers organic foods store on the corner of Marine Drive and 25th Street depicting the shores of Burrard Inlet just before the arrival of Capt. George Vancouver |
 West Vancouver police cruiser |
 Apartment and condominium towers lined along the seawall |
 Looking up from the sea level at Dundarave at the British Properties area |
 Point Atkinson lighthouse in Lighthouse Park |
[edit] Industry
West Vancouver has no manufacturing industry by law.
[edit] Parks and recreation
West Vancouver is home to many attractions, including local ski area Cypress Mountain in Cypress Provincial park, now one of the venues for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Ambleside Park and the 15 block long West Vancouver Seawall are also popular spots for families and outdoor enthusiasts. Whytecliff Park is regarded as one of the best Scuba diving spots in Western Canada. The District also has many other small parks, as well as scenic Lighthouse Park at Point Atkinson, with incredible views of Downtown Vancouver and Georgia Strait.
West Vancouver is mainly a residential district as many residents are retired, work at home, or take the short commute to downtown Vancouver. A 25-block strip of Marine Drive serves as a commercial district, featuring shops, small offices, garages and gas stations, restaurants, banks, and other common amenities. This area is commonly known as 'Ambleside', with a one-block section separated from that area known as 'Dundarave'. West Vancouver is also home to Park Royal Shopping Centre, Canada's first mall. Opened in the 1950s, it now consumes 2km of both sides of Marine Drive near North Vancouver, and is home to several department stores and large retailers, as well as many small retailers. Park Royal is also the largest mall on the North Shore, and is a bus terminal for Blue Bus and North Vancouver TransLink buses.
[edit] Demographics
[edit] Population
According to a Statistics Canada 2001 census, West Vancouver has a population of 41,425.[3] It has the second highest percentage of persons aged 65 or older in BC with 22% of persons fitting into the category compared with 13% for the rest of the province. The top five professions in West Vancouver are professional science and technical services, retail trade, health care, finance and insurance, and educational services. A large portion of the population is involved in senior management in comparison with the rest of the province.[4]
[edit] Religious Profile
- No Religion 29.3%
- Anglican 17.5%
- United Church 17.5%
- Roman Catholic 13.7%
- Muslim 5.9%
- Source: 2001 Census Profile, BC Stats
[edit] Languages
Top 5 non official languages
[edit] Transportation
The Blue Bus is a subsidiary of the Greater Vancouver Transport Authority with frequent schedules. (See Translink's Official Site for complete route information and scheduling.) By the Blue Bus, it takes approximately ten to fifty minutes to get to Downtown Vancouver from the West Vancouver bus stop closest to the Lion's Gate Bridge. You can also drive, walk, or bike across the Lions' Gate Bridge.
Additionally, BC Ferries operates routes departing from Horseshoe Bay, in West Vancouver to Nanaimo, Bowen Island, and to the Sunshine Coast.
[edit] Recreation
West Vancouver has several public recreation facilities including a 9 hole par 3 golf course, a pool, an ice rink, basketball and tennis courts, skateboard parks and numerous public parks. West Vancouver is also home to Cypress Provincial Park with mountain biking trails and a large ski and snowboard facility.
West Vancouver also has the West Vancouver Memorial Library which has the highest circulation rate per capita in Canada.
[edit] Scenery
West Vancouver is known for its parks such as Cypress Provincial Park, which offers scenic views of Howe Sound and the Greater Vancouver area. Those looking for a day-drive to see Howe Sound can enjoy Whytecliff Park and Horseshoe Bay Village, at the continental terminus of the Trans-Canada Highway. All of West Vancouver is situated on the side of the Coast Mountains. Because of this unique position, most homes in West Vancouver have views of Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland, or Howe Sound.
[edit] Affluence
West Vancouver is home to some very large and expensive properties and houses. Occasionally, houses have been priced and sold at around CAD$20,000,000. As of 2006, West Vancouver's average house sells for over CAD$1,250,000[5]. West Vancouver is often referred to as the most expensive municipality in Canada, though the Montreal suburb of Westmount is often considered a contender for the same title. 40% of the male population and 18% of the female population of West Vancouver earned over $60,000 in 2000. Average total incomes were $86,253 for males and $37,133 for females, almost double the provincial average. Over 50% of the population has a total family income of at least $90,000 [4].
[edit] Politics
Provincially, it elected Joan McIntyre and Ralph Sultan of the BC Liberal Party in the 2005 Provincial election.
Federally, West Vancouver has historically voted Conservative, electing John Reynolds of the Conservative Party of Canada several times. Reynolds declined to run for re-election in 2006, however, and Liberal Blair Wilson defeated Conservative John Weston to replace Reynolds as Member of Parliament from the West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country electoral district.
[edit] Gallery
 The westernmost end of West Vancouver. Lighthouse Park and Pt. Atkinson are in front. The Trans-Canada Highway snakes across the base of Black Mountain, (where a bypass is planned through wetlands, stands of arbutus trees, and popular hiking trails), with the Cypress Mountain ski area on top. Horseshoe Bay and Howe Sound are upper left. |
 View of West Vancouver, taken from NLT Landsat 7 (Visible colour), rendered by NASA World Wind. |
 View of West Vancouver, taken from Community Landsat 7 (Visible colour), rendered by NASA World Wind. |
 Some of West Vancouver's greenery. This is Fishermans Cove, seen from the Trans-Canada Highway. |
[edit] Schools in West Vancouver
Public schools are operated by School District 45 West Vancouver
Schools in West Vancouver and Bowen Island
| Secondary schools | Rockridge · Sentinel · West Vancouver |
| Primary or elementary schools | Bowen Island · Caulfeild · Cedardale · Chartwell · Cypress Park · Eagle Harbour · Gleneagles · Hollyburn · Irwin Park · Pauline Johnson · Ridgeview · West Bay · Westcot |
| Private schools | Collingwood · Horseshoe Bay Christian · Island Pacific · Mulgrave |
[edit] Surrounding Municipalities
[edit] References
- Some highlights of West Vancouver author unknown, West Vancouver Memorial Library archives
- History of the West Vancouver Police Department http://westvancouverpolice.ca/
- West Vancouver The Encyclopedia of British Columbia (online edition), C 2000 Harbour Publishing
[edit] Notes
- ^ Minister Frulla Announces Cultural Capitals of Canada for 2006
- ^ West Vancouver, Kerry McPhedran, The Vancouver Book
- ^ Population by Age and Gender in West Vancouver
- ^ a b 2001 Census Profile of British Columbia's Regions, West Vancouver DM BC Stats (subscription service)
- ^ Benchmark Detached Home Price, Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver
[edit] External links
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| Population over 100,000: Burnaby | Coquitlam | Delta | Langley Township | Richmond | Surrey | Vancouver | |
| Population over 50,000: Maple Ridge | New Westminster | North Vancouver District | Port Coquitlam | |
| Population under 50,000: Anmore | Belcarra | Bowen Island | Langley City | Lions Bay | North Vancouver City | Pitt Meadows | Port Moody | West Vancouver | White Rock | |
| Unincorporated areas: Barnston Island | Passage Island | Bowyer Island | University Endowment Lands |
| Neighbourhoods in West Vancouver, British Columbia | |
|---|---|
| Main neighbourhoods: | Park Royal | British Properties | Cedarvale | Sentinel Hill | Hollyburn | Ambleside | Chartwell | Glenmore | Panorama Village | Upper Levels | Altamont | Dundarave | Westmount | Wadsley | West Bay | Deer Ridge | Hollyburn Heights | Cypress Park Estates | Cypress Park | Sandy Cove | Sherman | Caulfeild | Eagle Harbour | Fishermans Cove | Whytecliff | Glenagles | Horseshoe Bay |
