Kitsilano Beach | |
|---|---|
 Fish-eye view of Kitsilano Beach | |
  Kitsilano Beach | |
| Coordinates: 49°16′26″N123°9′18.4″W / 49.27389°N 123.155111°W |
Kitsilano Beach is one of the most popular beaches in Vancouver, especially in the warm summer months. Located at the north edge of the Kitsilano neighbourhood, the beach faces out onto English Bay.
The beach is home to the longest swimming pool in Canada, the salt-water outdoor Kitsilano Pool, operated by the Vancouver Park Board and open annually from May to September.
Toward the northern edge of the beach is a playground and a number of beach volleyball courts. In the Squamish language, it is called Xwupxpayʼem, which translates to "having red cedar".
In 1901, the beach was being transformed for future inclusion in a city park system. "The whole approach to the beach will be cleared, graded and seeded, and the beach itself cleared of what rocks and driftwood there is to annoy bathers, and the magnificent property will be made available for the people." [1]
Vancouver residents knew the area as "Greer's Beach," after settler Sam Greer who pre-empted 160 acres on the waterfront in 1882 to farm there. When the provincial government granted his land to the Canadian Pacific Railway(CPR), Greer was forced out and his home destroyed. [2] The CPR considered developing the area into a rail-serviced port facility, [3] but ended up selling off its real estate for development.
In 1905 the name "Kitsilano" was appearing in real estate advertisements, such as one for "Lots at Kitsilano - Greer's Beach" for sale by the B.C. Electric Railway Company. [4] In 1906 campsites were advertised at "'Kitsilano' Greer's Beach." [5] B.C. Electric made a deal with the CPR to run a tram from downtown Vancouver "to a point called Greer's Beach, or Kitsilano." [6]
In 1906, the company managing the facilities at the beach for the CPR announced plans for a baseball field, a dance pavilion over the water, and a dock for a small ferry to run to the new "country club" at Jericho. [7]
Commencing in 1909 and continuing over several years, the City of Vancouver acquired several portions of what is now the public beach park. [3] In 2005, the old bath house structure was demolished and in its place a new, modern structure was built featuring the Watermark restaurant on top, boasting an expansive view of the beach and English Bay. Recently the Watermark building was sold to The Boathouse restaurant franchise.
Vancouver is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. The Greater Vancouver area had a population of 2.6 million in 2021, making it the third-largest metropolitan area in Canada. Greater Vancouver, along with the Fraser Valley, comprises the Lower Mainland with a regional population of over 3 million. Vancouver has the highest population density in Canada, with over 5,700 people per square kilometre, and fourth highest in North America.
New Westminster is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It was founded by Major-General Richard Moody as the capital of the Colony of British Columbia in 1858 and continued in that role until the Mainland and Island colonies were merged in 1866. It was the British Columbia Mainland's largest city from that year until it was passed in population by Vancouver during the first decade of the 20th century.
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.
The British Columbia Electric Railway (BCER) was an historic railway which operated in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Originally the parent company for, and later a division of, BC Electric Company, the BCER assumed control of existing streetcar and interurban lines in southwestern British Columbia in 1897, and operated the electric railway systems in the region until the last interurban service was discontinued in 1958. During and after the streetcar era, BC Electric also ran bus and trolleybus systems in Greater Vancouver and bus service in Greater Victoria; these systems subsequently became part of BC Transit, and the routes in Greater Vancouver eventually came under the control of TransLink. Trolley buses still run in the City of Vancouver with one line extending into Burnaby.
The Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) was a historic Canadian transcontinental railway. At its 1923 merger into the Canadian National Railway, the CNoR owned a main line between Quebec City and Vancouver via Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Edmonton.
White Rock is a city in British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It borders Semiahmoo Bay to the south and is surrounded on three sides by Surrey. To the southeast across a footbridge lies the Semiahmoo First Nation, which is within the borders of Surrey. Semiahmoo Bay and the Southern Gulf Islands in the Strait of Georgia are also to the south.
The City of North Vancouver is a city on the north shore of Burrard Inlet, British Columbia, Canada. It is a suburb of Vancouver. It is the smallest in area and the most urbanized of the North Shore municipalities. Although it has significant industry of its own – including shipping, chemical production, and film production – The city is served by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, British Columbia Ambulance Service, and the North Vancouver City Fire Department.
Kitsilano is a neighbourhood located in the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Kitsilano is named after Squamish chief August Jack Khatsahlano, and the neighbourhood is located in Vancouver's West Side along the south shore of English Bay, between the neighbourhoods of West Point Grey and Fairview. The area is mostly residential with two main commercial areas, West 4th Avenue and West Broadway, known for their retail stores, restaurants and organic food markets.
False Creek is a short narrow inlet in the heart of Vancouver, separating the Downtown and West End neighbourhoods from the rest of the city. It is one of the four main bodies of water bordering Vancouver, along with English Bay, Burrard Inlet, and the Fraser River. Granville Island is located within the inlet.
The District of North Vancouver is a district municipality in British Columbia, Canada, and is part of Metro Vancouver. It surrounds the City of North Vancouver on three sides. As of 2016, the district stands as the second wealthiest city in Canada, with neighbouring West Vancouver the richest. It is largely characterized as a relatively quiet, affluent suburban hub home to many middle and upper-middle-class families. Homes in the District of North Vancouver generally range from mid-sized family bungalows to very large luxury houses. A number of dense multi-family and mixed-use developments have popped up across the district in recent years; however, the district remains a primarily suburban municipality. It is served by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, British Columbia Ambulance Service, and the District of North Vancouver Fire Department.
Yaletown is an area of Downtown Vancouver, Canada, bordered by False Creek and Robson and Homer Streets. Formerly a heavy industrial area dominated by warehouses and rail yards, since the 1986 World's Fair it has been transformed into one of the most densely populated neighbourhoods in the city.
English Bay is an open bay northwest of the Burrard Peninsula in British Columbia, Canada, extending from the headland between Siwash Rock and Prospect Point on Vancouver's Downtown peninsula in the northeast, to the northwestern tip of Point Grey in the southwest. The bay encompasses the coasts of Stanley Park, the West End, Kitsilano, West Point Grey and the University Endowment Lands, and makes up the southeastern portion of the outer Burrard Inlet. There is a narrow inlet named False Creek at its eastern end.
The history of Vancouver, British Columbia, is one that extends back thousands of years, with its first inhabitants arriving in the area following the Last Glacial Period. With its location on the western coast of Canada near the mouth of the Fraser River and on the waterways of the Strait of Georgia, Howe Sound, Burrard Inlet, and their tributaries, Vancouver has – for thousands of years – been a place of meeting, trade, and settlement.
False Creek Ferries, a division of Granville Island Ferries Ltd, is a privately owned and operated ferry service that operates on False Creek near downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The False Creek Ferry fleet has grown from the four electric ferries that formed the company to a fleet that now consists of 17 ferries divided into three classes; the 20-passenger Balfry class, the 12-passenger Spirit class, and the open-deck Novel class. The service operates every day of the year, except Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
Mortlach is a village in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within the Rural Municipality of Wheatlands No. 163 and Census Division No. 7. The village is on the Trans Canada Highway about 40 km west of the City of Moose Jaw. Thunder Creek passes the community to the north where it is joined by Sandy Creek. Mortlach became a village on April 19, 1906, and is one of two towns in Saskatchewan to have been incorporated as a town to then be reverted to village status on January 1, 1949; the other is the village of Alsask.
This is a timeline of the history of Vancouver.
Nanaimo Harbour, also known as the Port of Nanaimo, is a natural harbour on the east coast of Vancouver Island in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The city of Nanaimo runs along the west side of the harbour. Three islands, Newcastle, Protection, and Gabriola, along with Duke Point, form the eastern edge. The Port of Nanaimo includes the Inner Harbour, Nanaimo River estuary, Departure Bay, the waters on the east side of Newcastle and Protection Islands, and Northumberland Channel. The port is under the management of the Nanaimo Port Authority.
Located in the Hastings-Sunrise district of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, New Brighton Park is a waterfront park facing the North Shore Mountains with beach access to the Burrard Inlet. The park is surrounded by industrial plants, the Hastings Racecourse, as well as access to the Port of Vancouver. During the summer, the park becomes a popular location for recreational activity. There is a soccer pitch, tennis courts, barbecue/picnic sites, two playgrounds, beaches, and an outdoor pool. For local residents, New Brighton Park provides a nearby location with similar facilities found at other popular recreational parks such as Kitsilano Beach, which is located on the west side of Vancouver. New Brighton Park is also in the process of being connected to Hastings Park via Creekway Park, which will allow people to walk and cycle between the two locations.
Kitsilano Pool is an outdoor saltwater swimming pool, located at Kitsilano Beach in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. At 137 metres long, it is the longest outdoor swimming pool in North America.
The Kitsilano Trestle was a former railway bridge over False Creek, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
