South Cambie
Encyclopedia
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...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, that is generally considered one of the smallest neighbourhoods in the city, both in size and in population. It is wedged between one of the city's largest parks and the upscale neighbourhood of Shaughnessy, and is known for a large cluster of medical facilities. http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/community_profiles/south_cambie/didyouknow.htm
Geography
Wedged between Queen Elizabeth Park on the slopes of Vancouver's Little Mountain to the east and the high-priced homes of Shaughnessy on the west, South Cambie is a narrow strip of land encompassing 217 hectares. It is located between the busy north-south corridors of Oak Street and Cambie StreetCambie Street
Cambie Street is a street in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is named for Henry John Cambie, chief surveyor of the Canadian Pacific Railway's western division ....
, and stretches from West 16th Avenue in the north to West 41st in the south.
The population of South Cambie was 6,995, according to the 2001 Census; 49.4 percent of respondents listed English as their mother tongue, with Chinese the next largest group at 26.4 percent. http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/commsvcs/Census2001/SouthCambie03.pdf
History
A part of a land grant given to the Canadian Pacific RailwayCanadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
in the 1800s, South Cambie was named after CPR engineer Henry Cambie, who was in charge of the railway's western division. The first non-native settlers arrived in 1874 when William Mackie, a former gold miner, claimed 65 hectares of land surrounding a former elk
Elk
The Elk is the large deer, also called Cervus canadensis or wapiti, of North America and eastern Asia.Elk may also refer to:Other antlered mammals:...
pasture that is now Douglas Park, on West 22nd Avenue. He was followed by Jeremiah Rogers, who became one of the first users of mechanized logging equipment in British Columbia, building a road to the top of Little Mountain. By 1910, that portion of the land had become a Chinese vegetable garden, and homes began to appear around it. Much of the land remained undeveloped until the 1940s.http://www.discovervancouver.com/GVB/riley-park.asp
Features
A number of heritage structures can be found in the South Cambie area, including the 1912 Tudor-styleTudorbethan architecture
The Tudor Revival architecture of the 20th century , first manifested itself in domestic architecture beginning in the United Kingdom in the mid to late 19th century based on a revival of aspects of Tudor style. It later became an influence in some other countries, especially the British colonies...
building that houses a Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
training facility on Heather Street. A number of other heritage homes from the 1910s and 1920s can be found in the northern portion of the neighbourhood.
The South Cambie area includes some of the province's top medical facilities, including Shaughnessy Hospital, BC Children's Hospital, and BC Women's Hospital and Health Centre.
The South Cambie area is also home to several educational institutions including Eric Hamber Secondary School
Eric Hamber Secondary School
Eric Hamber Secondary School is a large public secondary school located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.The school is named after Eric Hamber, former Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia....
, Emily Carr Elementary School
Emily Carr Elementary School
Emily Carr Elementary School in Vancouver, British Columbia, is an elementary school. It was named after prominent British Columbian artist Emily Carr....
, Edith Cavell Elementary School and Rose-des-Vents, École secondaire Jules-Verne
École secondaire Jules-Verne
École secondaire Jules-Verne is a francophone secondary school located in the Oakridge neighbourhood of Vancouver, British Columbia. Named after the French author, it is part of School District 93...
, both schools operated by Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique
Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique
The Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britanique is the French-language school board for all French schools located in British Columbia...
.
Canada Line
South Cambie has recently been affected by the construction of the Canada LineCanada Line
Canada Line is a rapid transit line in the Metro Vancouver region of British Columbia, Canada. Opened in August 2009, it is the third line in TransLink's SkyTrain metro network, servicing Vancouver, Richmond, and the Vancouver International Airport...
rapid transit system, which will traverse the entire length of Cambie Street through the South Cambie neighbourhood. Some businesses closed when construction began in 2005 http://www.vancourier.com/issues05/122205/news/122105nn4.html.