WEST VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA

'West Vancouver' is a district municipality in the province of British Columbia. It was home to 41,425 as of 2001. As of 2007, 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] 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]

Contents

History

Timeline

Industry

Parks and recreation

Demographics

Population

Religious profile

Languages

Transportation

Scenery

Affluence

Politics

Schools in West Vancouver

Surrounding municipalities

References

Notes

External links

History

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 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.

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 17. 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 29. 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 11 (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

Industry

West Vancouver has no manufacturing industry by law.

Parks and recreation

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.

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 has several public recreation facilities including an 18-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.
The West Vancouver Memorial Library, located in the Ambleside suburb, has a circulation rate of 21.32 per capita, the highest circulation rate per capita in Canada.^[3]

Demographics

Population

According to a Statistics Canada 2001 census, West Vancouver has a population of 41,425.^[4] 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.^[5]

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

Languages

★ English 74.5%

★ French 0.9%

★ Non Official languages 23.7%
''Top 5 non official languages''

★ Chinese (all) 28.8%

★ Persian 19.2%

★ German 11.6%

★ Korean 4.9%

★ French 3.5%

Transportation

West Vancouver has operated Canada's longest running municipal 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 They are part of the Greater Vancouver Transport Authority system, so fares can be used on other buses.
The Blue Bus runs 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.

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.

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;^[6] 70% of the houses or close to 8,000 homes were worth over CAD$1 million. West Vancouver is often referred to as the most expensive municipality in Canada, though the Montreal municipality of Westmount and the Toronto suburb of Oakville are often considered contenders 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.^[7]

Politics

Provincially, West Vancouver elected Joan McIntyre and Ralph Sultan of the BC Liberal Party in the 2005 Provincial election.
Federally, West Vancouver historically voted Liberal prior to 1974, then voted Conservative, electing John Reynolds of the Conservative Party of Canada from 1997 to 2004.[1] 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.

Schools in West Vancouver

Public schools are operated by School District 45 West Vancouver

Surrounding municipalities

References

★ ''Some highlights of West Vancouver'' (author unknown), West Vancouver Memorial Library archives

★ http://westvancouverpolice.ca/ ''History of the West Vancouver Police Department''

★ "West Vancouver", ''The Encyclopedia of British Columbia'' (online edition), C 2000 Harbour Publishing

Notes

1. Minister Frulla Announces Cultural Capitals of Canada for 2006
2. "West Vancouver", Kerry McPhedran, ''The Vancouver Book''
3. North Vancouver District Library, Capilano Branch Library, Space Needs Assessment and Feasibility Study (2004)
4. Population by Age and Gender in West Vancouver
5. ''2001 Census Profile of British Columbia's Regions'', ''West Vancouver DM'' BC Stats (subscription service)
6. Benchmark Detached Home Price, Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver
7. '2001 Census Profile of British Columbia's Regions', ''West Vancouver DM'' BC Stats (subscription service)

External links

★ Official District Web Site

★ West Vancouver Museum and Archives

★ West Vancouver Blue Buses

★ CBC - Canada Votes 2006