Top 4 reasons people love to live in Vancouver
Vancouver is many things to many people but when most are asked what they love about living in Vancouver it usually comes down to 4 main points:
1. Natural beauty. – Parks, trees and green-space are to be found everywhere in this city. From the world famous Stanley Park in the downtown core, to hill top Queen Elizabeth Park in the south, Vancouver has some of the most magnificent urban parks on Earth. The reliable rainfall keeps everything green and lush throughout the year and the prevailing Westerly wind off the Pacific ocean makes the air clean and fresh. But the city is not just passively relying on it’s fortunate circumstances to keep it green. The “Greenest City Action Plan” undertaken by the city promises “a strategy for staying on the leading edge of urban sustainability”. From “Zero Waste” policies to green transportation initiatives Vancouver is determined to maintain its green environment (and real estate value) well into the future.
2. Outdoor Recreation – With so many recreation opportunities at hand Vancouvites are naturally drawn to the great outdoors. You can spend the morning skiing, the afternoon hiking or cycling, and the evening paddle boarding around False Creek for sunset. A network of bike-lanes has been constructed that allows cyclists access to safe and easy thoroughfares to every corner of the city. Fly fishing in the nearby rivers and lakes and deep sea fishing is all within easy reach of Vancouver. For Golfers – a plethora of private and public golf courses dot the landscape of the city and surrounding burbs.
3. Food – There seems to be an inordinate number of ‘foodies’ for a city of this size so it’s no surprise that the restaurant industry has blossomed in such fertile ground. A robust tourism sector also fosters exceptional cuisine choices for locals and visitors alike. In addition to the headliner gourmet restaurants like Kirin, Tojo’s and Bishop’s a wide variety of food trucks take their moveable feasts to the streets throughout the year.
4. Livability – Vancouver seems to have got the work-life balance just right. It’s a business friendly city that hasn’t forgotten how to play. Renown publications such as The Economist Intelligence Unit, Mercer.com and Monocle magazine have all rated Vancouver among the best in the world for quality of life. Safe, walk-able streets, a clean, healthy environment and a culture that embraces diversity rank high in what residents here love about this city.
Explore our Vancouver Neighbourhood Profiles and discover the area that’s right for you.
The Faith Wilson Group neighbourhood experts have compiled a treasure trove of useful information for all of Vancouver’s 39 MLS® sub-areas. Interactive maps, detailed descriptions and photographs will help you find the Vancouver neighbourhood that’s right for your lifestyle. Up-to-date snapshots of the current and historical benchmark price changes and the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver’s Housing Price Index graphs will help you determine when and where to make your move.
Choose a Vancouver neighbourhood to explore:
Vancouver Real Estate Market
Vancouver has been on a 10+ year long real estate run. Strong ties to a booming Asia, an insatiable demand from foreign and local buyers and (of course) its world famous natural beauty has culminated in a spectacular rise in property values. The MLS® Benchmark price for a single-detached house in the popular Westside neighbourhood of Kitsilano, for example, has gone up a whooping 135% in just 10 years.
All property classes have experienced big price increases in all corners of the city radiating out to the nearby suburbs and beyond. Though affordability is an on-going issue we still see value in Vancouver real estate and predict that it will continue to be a worthy investment far into the future.
East vs West vs Downtown
The City of Vancouver is divided into two main subareas: Vancouver East and Vancouver West – colloquially known as the Eastside and Westside respectively. The dividing line is de-marked by Ontario street which runs North to South, roughly through the middle of the city.
The Westside of Vancouver has historically been a more affluent area so addresses here can usually be expected to fetch a higher selling price than a comparable on the Eastside – although in recent years the discrepancy has been narrowing.
Thanks to thoughtful, long-term planning the downtown core of Vancouver has managed to avoid the “urban decay” of so many other North American cities. The downtown is actually a highly desirable area of the city to live and real estate prices here reflect its popularity.
Disclaimer: This representation is based in whole or in part on data generated by the Chilliwack & District Real Estate Board, Fraser Valley Real Estate Board or Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver which assumes no responsibility for its accuracy, timeliness, or completeness.
