North Vancouver, British Columbia (city)

The City of North Vancouver is a waterfront municipality on the north shore of Burrard Inlet

Burrard Inlet

Burrard Inlet is a relatively shallow-sided coastal fjord in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Formed during the last Ice Age, it separates the City of Vancouver and the rest of the low-lying Burrard Peninsula from the slopes of the North Shore Mountains, home to the communities of West...

, directly across from Vancouver

Vancouver

Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

, British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

. It is the smallest of the three North Shore

North Shore (Greater Vancouver)

"Vancouver's North Shore" is a term commonly used to refer to several areas adjacent to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada:*the District of West Vancouver;*the City of North Vancouver;*the District of North Vancouver; and...

municipalities, and the most urbanized as well. Although it has significant industry of its own, including shipping

Shipping

Shipping has multiple meanings. It can be a physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo, by land, air, and sea. It also can describe the movement of objects by ship.Land or "ground" shipping can be by train or by truck...

, chemical production

Chemical industry

The chemical industry comprises the companies that produce industrial chemicals. Central to the modern world economy, it converts raw materials into more than 70,000 different products.-Products:...

, and film production

Film industry

The film industry consists of the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking: i.e. film production companies, film studios, cinematography, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post production, film festivals, distribution; and actors, film directors and other film crew...

, the City is usually considered to be a suburb of Vancouver.

Geography

The City of North Vancouver is separated from Vancouver

Vancouver

by the Burrard Inlet

Burrard Inlet

. It is surrounded on three sides by the District of North Vancouver

North Vancouver, British Columbia (district municipality)

The District of North Vancouver is a district municipality in British Columbia and is part of the GVRD. It surrounds the City of North Vancouver on three sides.-Geography:The District of North Vancouver is separated from Vancouver by Burrard Inlet...

.

The City of North Vancouver is relatively densely populated with a number of residential high-rise buildings in the Central Lonsdale

Central Lonsdale

Central Lonsdale is a precinct in the city of North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It extends from Keith Road to Highway 1 near 24th Street. Central Lonsdale is somewhat densely populated, having many apartment buildings and stores on Lonsdale Avenue....

and Lower Lonsdale

Lower Lonsdale

Lower Lonsdale is a historic waterfront neighbourhood in the City of North Vancouver. Lower Lonsdale runs up Lonsdale Avenue from Lonsdale Quay to Keith Road. Its history is inseparably connected to the lumber and shipbuilding industries on the North Shore of Burrard Inlet, as well as ferry...

areas.

The City has much in common with the District Municipality of North Vancouver

North Vancouver, British Columbia (district municipality)

and West Vancouver. Together these three municipalities are commonly referred to as the North Shore

North Shore (Greater Vancouver)

. The differences between the two "North Vans" are most apparent to their residents. Other Lower Mainland residents are seldom aware of the difference between the two and refer to both as "North Vancouver".

History

Moodyville (at the south end of Moody Avenue, now Moodyville Park), is the oldest settlement on Burrard Inlet

Burrard Inlet

, predating Vancouver

Vancouver

; only New Westminster
is the older non-native settlement in the region. Logging came to the virgin forests of Douglas Fir in North Vancouver, as sailing ships called in to load. A water-powered sawmill was set up in the 1860s at Moodyville, by Sewell Moody. Subsequently, post offices, schools and
a village sprang up. In time, the municipality of North Vancouver (which encompassed the entire North Shore from Deep Cove to Dundarave) was incorporated. In the 1880s, Arthur Heywood-Lonsdale

Arthur Heywood-Lonsdale

Arthur Pemberton Heywood-Lonsdale was an English rower and landowner who was High Sheriff of two counties and a substantial investor in North Vancouver....

and a relation James Pemberton Fell, made substantial investments in North Vancouver and in 1882 he financed the Moodyville investments. Several locations in the North Vancouver area are named after Lonsdale and his family. The financial collapses of the 1890s and 1907 aggrieved the young city into bankruptcy. As a result of this, the separate areas of West Vancouver, and District of North Vancouver came into being, with the City holding onto only a small portion of its former area.

Part of the reason was the cost of developing raw mountainous terrain. And, originally the ocean foreshore was primarily swamp.The great distances, and large rivers to span, hindered development. Bridges were built, only to have them washed out in a few years from winter floods. The City and District built Keith Road in 1912, which undulated from West Vancouver to Deep Cove amid the slashed sidehills, swamps, and burnt stumps.

Yet the City did gain a strong foothold, with Lonsdale Avenue. Serviced by the North Vancouver Ferries, it proved a popular area. Commuters used the ferries to work in Vancouver. Street cars and early land speculation, spurred interest in the area. Streets, city blocks and houses were slowly built around lower Lonsdale. Wallace Shipyards, and the Pacific Great Eastern Railway provided an industrial base, although, the late arrival of the Second Narrows railway bridge

Second Narrows Bridge

The Second Narrows Bridge is a vertical lift railway bridge that crosses the Burrard Inlet and connects Vancouver with the North Shore. As the name suggests, it is located at the second narrowing of the Burrard Inlet....

in 1925 controlled development.

Sawmills, logging, and small farms continued in the interwar years. Yet the nearby mountains also proved to be a permanent attraction. Ski areas were set up on Grouse Mountain

Grouse Mountain

Grouse Mountain is one of the North Shore Mountains of the Pacific Ranges in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Exceeding 1,200 m in altitude at its peak, is the site of an alpine ski area in the winter season overlooking Greater Vancouver with four chairlifts facilitating 26 runs...

and Mount Seymour

Mount Seymour

Mount Seymour is a mountain located in Mount Seymour Provincial Park in the District of North Vancouver, British Columbia. It is a part of the North Shore Mountains, rising to the north from the shores of Burrard Inlet and Indian Arm to a summit of above the Indian River and Deep Cove neighbourhoods...

.

The North Vancouver mountains have many drainages: Capilano, MacKay, Mosquito, Lynn, and Seymour Rivers. The Depression again bankrupted the city, while the Second World War

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

turned North Vancouver into the Clydeside of Canada with a large shipbuilding program. Housing the shipyard workers, provided a new building boom, which continued on through the Post war years. By that time, North Vancouver became a popular housing area.

The area around lower Lonsdale Avenue features several open community spaces, including Waterfront Park, Lonsdale Quay shopping area, and the pier at Ship Builders Square.

Sites of interest

Sites of interest in the city include:

Centennial Theatre, 2300 Lonsdale Avenue
First Church of Christ, Scientist
First Church of Christ, Scientist (North Vancouver, British Columbia)
First Church of Christ, Scientist is an historic Christian Science church edifice located at 189 Keith Road on the eastern end of Victoria Park in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada....

, a local heritage site.
North Vancouver Museum & Archives, 209 West 4th Street
Presentation House Gallery, 333 Chesterfield Avenue
St. Edmund's Church, 535 Mahon Avenue, a local heritage site
Trans Canada Trail Pavilion, Waterfront Park,
Ship Builders Square, near Lonsdale Quay, a 210 metre pier on the site of the old Wallace Shipyard

Transportation

The City of North Vancouver is connected to Vancouver

Vancouver

by two highway bridges; the Lions' Gate Bridge

Lions' Gate Bridge

The Lions Gate Bridge, officially known as the First Narrows Bridge, is a suspension bridge that crosses the first narrows of Burrard Inlet and connects the City of Vancouver, British Columbia, to the North Shore municipalities of the District of North Vancouver, the City of North Vancouver, and...

and the Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing

Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing

The Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing, also called the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge, is the second bridge constructed at the Second Narrows of Burrard Inlet in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada...

, and also by a passenger only ferry, the SeaBus

SeaBus

The SeaBus is a passenger-only ferry service in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It crosses Burrard Inlet to connect the cities of Vancouver and North Vancouver. The SeaBus is owned and operated by the Coast Mountain Bus Company and is an important part of TransLink's integrated public...

. This system as well as the bus system in North Vancouver is operated by Coast Mountain Bus Company

Coast Mountain Bus Company

Coast Mountain Bus Company is the contract operator for bus transit services in Metro Vancouver and is a wholly owned subsidiary of the South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority known locally as TransLink, the entity responsible for transit...

, an operating company of Translink. The hub of the bus system is Lonsdale Quay

Lonsdale Quay

Lonsdale Quay is a major transit hub for Vancouver's North Shore municipalities, as well as a public market and tourist destination. Located at the foot of Lonsdale Avenue in the City of North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, it is the northern terminal for the SeaBus passenger ferry...

, location of the SeaBus terminal.

The main street in the City is Lonsdale Avenue, which begins at Lonsdale Quay and goes north to 29th Street where it continues in the District of North Vancouver

North Vancouver, British Columbia (district municipality)

, ending at Rockland Road.

Highway 1, part of the Trans-Canada Highway

Trans-Canada Highway

The Trans-Canada Highway is a federal-provincial highway system that joins the ten provinces of Canada. It is, along with the Trans-Siberian Highway and Australia's Highway 1, one of the world's longest national highways, with the main route spanning 8,030 km...

(often referred to as the "Upper Levels Highway") passes through the northern portion of the City. It is a freeway for its entire length within the City of North Vancouver. There are three interchange

Interchange (road)

In the field of road transport, an interchange is a road junction that typically uses grade separation, and one or more ramps, to permit traffic on at least one highway to pass through the junction without directly crossing any other traffic stream. It differs from a standard intersection, at which...

s on Highway 1 within the City of North Vancouver:

Lynn Valley Road (Exit 19)
Lonsdale Avenue (Exit 18)
Westview Drive (Exit 17)

Education

Public schools are managed by the North Vancouver School District

School District 44 North Vancouver

School District 44 North Vancouver is a school district in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The district is located immediately north of the city of Vancouver, across the Burrard Inlet...

, which operates 8 high schools and 30 elementary schools shared by the City and the District of North Vancouver. There are also several independent private elementary and high schools in the area, including Bodwell High School and Lions Gate Christian Academy.

Post-secondary education is available at Capilano University in the District, as well as at Simon Fraser University

Simon Fraser University

Simon Fraser University is a Canadian public research university in British Columbia with its main campus on Burnaby Mountain in Burnaby, and satellite campuses in Vancouver and Surrey. The main campus in Burnaby, located from downtown Vancouver, was established in 1965 and has more than 34,000...

and the University of British Columbia

University of British Columbia

The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...

in neighbouring communities.

Demographics

According to the 2001 Statistics Canada

Statistics Canada

Statistics Canada is the Canadian federal government agency commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. Its headquarters is in Ottawa....

Census:

Population: 44,303
% Change (1996-2001): 6.8
Dwellings: 21,217
Area (km².): 11.95
Density (persons per km².): 3706.2
Has the highest level of fitness of any city in Canada.

Population estimates according to BC Stats:

1996+	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001+	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006
43,268	43,725	44,550	44,938	45,489	46,236	46,977	46,496	46,831	48,037	49,248

Surrounding Municipalities

External links

City of North Vancouver official website
North Vancouver Museum & Archives
Historic overview of North Vancouver City as part of an introduction to its Official Community Plan

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.