West Point Grey is a neighbourhood on the western side of the city of
VancouverVancouver is a coastal city and major seaport located in the Lower Mainland of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The city is bounded by English Bay, Burrard Inlet, the Fraser River, the city of Burnaby, and the University Endowment Lands. Vancouver is named after Captain George Vancouver, a...
,
British ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is famed for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . In 1871, it became the sixth province of Canada.The capital of British Columbia is Victoria, the 15th largest metropolitan region in Canada...
,
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is bordered by 16th Avenue to the south, Alma Street to the east, English Bay to the north, and Blanca Street to the west. It is one of the two western-most neighbourhoods within Vancouver city limits and is the one closest to the
University of British ColumbiaThe University of British Columbia is a Canadian public research university with campuses in the Greater Vancouver area and in Kelowna, British Columbia...
campus. With its close proximity to the University, many residents rent out basement suites in their homes to local students.
West Point Grey is a neighbourhood on the western side of the city of
VancouverVancouver is a coastal city and major seaport located in the Lower Mainland of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The city is bounded by English Bay, Burrard Inlet, the Fraser River, the city of Burnaby, and the University Endowment Lands. Vancouver is named after Captain George Vancouver, a...
,
British ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is famed for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . In 1871, it became the sixth province of Canada.The capital of British Columbia is Victoria, the 15th largest metropolitan region in Canada...
,
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is bordered by 16th Avenue to the south, Alma Street to the east, English Bay to the north, and Blanca Street to the west. It is one of the two western-most neighbourhoods within Vancouver city limits and is the one closest to the
University of British ColumbiaThe University of British Columbia is a Canadian public research university with campuses in the Greater Vancouver area and in Kelowna, British Columbia...
campus. With its close proximity to the University, many residents rent out basement suites in their homes to local students. In order to increase density and reduce overall traffic the City of Vancouver has phased out the zoning restrictions that made secondary suites in the West Point Grey district strictly illegal. It is now possible to have a legal secondary suite in a basement in this zoned area subject to parking, fire separation, ceiling height, plumbing, gas and electrical bylaw requirements.
The main commercial strip with shops and restaurants is along West 10th Avenue between Tolmie Street and Discovery Street.
North of West 4th Avenue, the area slopes steeply downhill where it meets English Bay at
Locarno BeachLocarno Beach is one of the beaches that line English Bay in Vancouver. It is situated in the West Point Grey neighbourhood, between Jericho Beach and the Spanish Banks beaches...
and the Spanish Banks.
The
39 Canadian Brigade GroupThe 39 Canadian Brigade Group is part of Land Force Western Area of the Canadian army. It is composed of Canadian Forces Primary Reserve units which are based in British Columbia. No...
, headquarters for all the
Canadian ForcesThe Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
's Army Primary Reserve units in British Columbia, has its headquarters in the northeastern section of the neighbourhood.
Also located within the neighbourhood is Vancouver's largest Youth Hostel.
Schools include
Lord Byng Secondary SchoolLord Byng Secondary School is a grade 8-12 school located in the West Point Grey neighborhood on the west side of Vancouver, British Columbia. The school officially opened in 1925 and was named in honor of The Lord Byng of Vimy, a hero of Vimy Ridge and the Governor General of Canada at the...
, which serves students from the neighbourhood, along with
Queen Elizabeth Elementary SchoolQueen Elizabeth Elementary School in Vancouver, British Columbia, is an elementary school. The school opened in 1940 and is named after Queen Elizabeth who visited Canada in 1939, with her husband King George VI....
,
Queen Mary Elementary SchoolQueen Mary Elementary School in Vancouver, British Columbia, is an elementary school. The school opened in 1915.It is located at 2000 Trimble Street, at the intersection with 4th Avenue in the West Point Grey neighbourhood. As of 2009, the current school principal is Monika Sanft. The school has a...
,
École Jules QuesnelJules Quesnel Elementary School in Vancouver, British Columbia, is an elementary school. As it is a French immersion school, it is also known by its French name, École Jules Quesnel...
and the private K-12 school
West Point Grey AcademyWest Point Grey Academy is an independent, co-educational, university-preparatory school founded in 1996. Located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada...
.
According to ancient Indian legend, Point Grey is the "battleground of the West Wind". The rock the god of the West Wind represents, which is just sitting off the point, is called Homolsom. As the rock is just sitting between their two territories, Homolsom is half a Squamish word and half a Fraser River language word.
Point Grey is named after Captain George Grey, a friend of Captain
George VancouverCaptain George Vancouver RN was an officer in the British Royal Navy, best known for his exploration of the North-West Coast of North America, including the shores of the modern day Alaska, British Columbia, Washington and Oregon...
.
External links