Canada's most underrated neighbourhoods

[logan5]

Lonsdale in North Vancouver is under rated, even in from a Vancouver perspective. It should be mentioned along with Kits, Commercial Drive and so on, but for whatever reason it is not.

In street view the shipyards is shown still under construction, but it is complete now, so along with the public market, the waterfront is a huge amenity to the neighbourhood. There's about 2 km's of a good retail strip going up Lonsdale.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@49.30782...4!8i5632?hl=en

https://www.google.ca/maps/@49.31063...4!8i8192?hl=en

https://www.google.ca/maps/@49.31187...4!8i8192?hl=en

https://www.google.ca/maps/@49.32279...4!8i8192?hl=en

[logan5]

White Rock in Vancouver (suburb) deserves a mention as well.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@49.02141...4!8i8192?hl=en

https://www.google.ca/maps/@49.01734...4!8i8192?hl=en

[giallo]

Traditionally, Lower Lonsdale has always been a bit of a North Shore secret. Most people don't want to deal with Lion's Gate Bridge or the traffic on either side of the Second Narrows Bridge. They'll make do with Granville Island instead. The sea bus is used mostly by North Van residents and tourists.

I went to LL last summer, right after the completion of the waterfront, and was blown away. They did a fantastic job. I think it'll become more of a pull for Vancouver residents in the coming years.

White Rock's waterfront is great, but that dang train......

[Kilgore Trout]

Originally Posted by Blitz

^ I just checked the demographic data for this census tract and it says 30.2% Middle Eastern origin so it's probably close. Many people there have family in Detroit and Dearborn, Michigan so the border closure has been a big blow.

Okay, that's an impressive concentration. Windsor is pretty interesting demographically for a relatively small city.

[Kilgore Trout]

Originally Posted by logan5

Lonsdale in North Vancouver is under rated, even in from a Vancouver perspective. It should be mentioned along with Kits, Commercial Drive and so on, but for whatever reason it is not.

Yes, absolutely. I actually really like Central Lonsdale which has quite a lot of activity and a lot of Persian businesses.

[north 42]

Originally Posted by Blitz

^ I just checked the demographic data for this census tract and it says 30.2% Middle Eastern origin so it's probably close. Many people there have family in Detroit and Dearborn, Michigan so the border closure has been a big blow.

I love that stretch of Wyandotte St. E, where Windsor’s Arabic population is centred and the majority of the businesses are Arabic owned. Lots of great restaurants and businesses, and it’s sandwiched between DT and Olde Walkerville.

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by giallo

Traditionally, Lower Lonsdale has always been a bit of a North Shore secret. Most people don't want to deal with Lion's Gate Bridge or the traffic on either side of the Second Narrows Bridge. They'll make do with Granville Island instead. The sea bus is used mostly by North Van residents and tourists.

I went to LL last summer, right after the completion of the waterfront, and was blown away. They did a fantastic job. I think it'll become more of a pull for Vancouver residents in the coming years.

White Rock's waterfront is great, but that dang train......

Lower Lonsdale and Lonsdale Quay are absolutely worth it, they have a brewery on-site that puts out some decent beer and also kombucha and ginger ale which I have yet to try. It is a pain to get to driving if you're not on the North Shore, though over the summer I went there a couple times via SkyTrain and SeaBus and I found it more convenient than driving.

I'm also a big fan of Granville Island, however it is surprisingly a pain to get to via public transit despite its proximity to downtown Vancouver. There are the AquaBus and False Creek Ferries that depart from near Science World, however they are not part of the TransLink system and cost extra.

Steveston in Richmond is another interesting area, and actually was voted as Metro Vancouver's "Best Neighbourhood" by CBC Radio Morning Edition listeners this past summer. Good place to go if you want to buy fresh fish.

I was down to White Rock in October, that's a neat area too. You can see part of Blaine, WA from there since it's right by the border.

[MolsonExport]

I lived in Steveston for a few years. Great place. I also lived a couple of blocks away from Granville Island (Fairview Slopes), and so I was down there almost every day.

[ssiguy]

Originally Posted by logan5

White Rock in Vancouver (suburb) deserves a mention as well.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@49.02141...4!8i8192?hl=en

https://www.google.ca/maps/@49.01734...4!8i8192?hl=en

The waterfront in White Rock is indeed very nice and gets a lot of weekend tourists but remember this thread is for "underrated" neighbourhoods and with White Rock's great reputation, the area does not qualify.

[logan5]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

The waterfront in White Rock is indeed very nice and gets a lot of weekend tourists but remember this thread is for "underrated" neighbourhoods and with White Rock's great reputation, the area does not qualify.

I figured the rest of Canada had not heard of White Rock or at least know much about it.

[urbandreamer]

New West reminds me of Kitchener. In theory I should like it but like downtown Kitchener, it ultimately feels rundown and depressing.

I used to work in Steveston - the trip from Main & Hastings in the winter was depressing. Raining every morning, sunny when I'm working, then back to rain at night.

Windsor was easily the biggest surprise this year: its layout reminds me more of Montreal than Toronto. It feels like a much larger city than it is.

[megadude]

I did not know about that White Rock stretch along the water. As a matter of fact, I hadn't heard of White Rock until I had to do a review on an apartment building there. Nice little stretch there I'd definitely check out if I ever reach out that way.

I'm more into streets like that in suburbs and smaller cities than in the big city.

Walkerville I didn't spend much time in but passed through a few times, especially when taking the train. Old money there. Reminds me of surprising old money neighbourhoods in Owen Sound and Brantford.

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by logan5

I figured the rest of Canada had not heard of White Rock or at least know much about it.

I had never heard of White Rock before my first visit to Vancouver in 2016.

[Blitz]

Originally Posted by urbandreamer

Windsor was easily the biggest surprise this year: its layout reminds me more of Montreal than Toronto. It feels like a much larger city than it is.

Windsor (and Detroit) were originally laid out based on the French seigneurial system...just like Montreal and much of Quebec was. The early settlers were all French and they established long narrow farms fronting the river. It's why the street system in Windsor today consists of long narrow blocks and why so many streets have French names (named after the original family that farmed the land where the street is now located).

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by urbandreamer

New West reminds me of Kitchener. In theory I should like it but like downtown Kitchener, it ultimately feels rundown and depressing.

I used to work in Steveston - the trip from Main & Hastings in the winter was depressing. Raining every morning, sunny when I'm working, then back to rain at night.

Windsor was easily the biggest surprise this year: its layout reminds me more of Montreal than Toronto. It feels like a much larger city than it is.

New West does have a couple run down areas and the drive along Brunette Ave coming from Highway 1 definitely leaves a lot to be desired, but if you get away from the immediate area around the downtown SkyTrain stations, I don’t find it to be too bad. While there are a couple abandoned buildings such as the Army & Navy, it doesn’t have the volume of abandoned buildings that Downtown London has these days, and it has a lot more in the way of groceries available within walking distance.

As for Windsor, I’ve only ever been to Windsor on my way to or from Detroit. Last time I was there I came through the tunnel from Detroit and it sort of felt like it was still Detroit, but still a distinct community just on the other side of the river. Kind of like North Vancouver vs Vancouver.

Speaking of Downtown London, is there anything left at Dundas & Richmond other than the old cigar shop? The area seemed very sad and empty when I was last there in October last year, I can’t imagine what Covid might have done to the area.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by manny_santos

New West does have a couple run down areas and the drive along Brunette Ave coming from Highway 1 definitely leaves a lot to be desired, but if you get away from the immediate area around the downtown SkyTrain stations, I don’t find it to be too bad. While there are a couple abandoned buildings such as the Army & Navy, it doesn’t have the volume of abandoned buildings that Downtown London has these days, and it has a lot more in the way of groceries available within walking distance.

As for Windsor, I’ve only ever been to Windsor on my way to or from Detroit. Last time I was there I came through the tunnel from Detroit and it sort of felt like it was still Detroit, but still a distinct community just on the other side of the river. Kind of like North Vancouver vs Vancouver.

Speaking of Downtown London, is there anything left at Dundas & Richmond other than the old cigar shop? The area seemed very sad and empty when I was last there in October last year, I can’t imagine what Covid might have done to the area.

D&R has (or had) some authentic northern Chinese restaurant. A little bit too authentic, if you know what I mean (chicken head soup, pork neck, jellyfish, etc.). Good hotpot, though.

[Kilgore Trout]

I really began to respect New West when I went to a big summer street fair a few years ago. It extended all the way down Columbia, the atmosphere was lively and relaxed and it somehow felt quite different from the kinds of street fairs you have in Vancouver on Main and Commercial. Less gentrified, basically. It's fun to travel so far away from downtown and still feel like you're in a real city (as opposed to Burnaby, which is definitely suburbia, despite all the new high rises).

I also find it interesting that New West's demographics are fairly different from other parts of the Lower Mainland. There's a lot more Black people, for instance.

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by Kilgore Trout

I also find it interesting that New West's demographics are fairly different from other parts of the Lower Mainland. There's a lot more Black people, for instance.

That’s true, it’s more of a mix of many cultures than other areas here where one group tends to predominate - and interestingly it also has a lower proportion of non-visible minorities than other areas. The population is 60% European and 4% Indigenous, and among visible minorities there is no predominant group, it’s a real mix. Surrey is 39% European and 2% Indigenous, and South Asians make up the majority of the rest. And while Coquitlam is just under half European, Chinese are the predominant visible minority.

[Andy6]

Originally Posted by Blitz

Windsor (and Detroit) were originally laid out based on the French seigneurial system...just like Montreal and much of Quebec was. The early settlers were all French and they established long narrow farms fronting the river. It's why the street system in Windsor today consists of long narrow blocks and why so many streets have French names (named after the original family that farmed the land where the street is now located).

Same in Winnipeg and much of southeastern Manitoba where the seigneurial survey pattern was used on the Red, Assiniboine and Seine rivers. When those farm lots were sold off for residential development, the property developers would be contending with a parcel of land wide enough to fit a couple of long avenues going back many blocks, generally with decreasing land value with each block of distance from the river. The result was that it wasn't as common to have a development end up as a big neighbourhood of similar houses, as you might see in Toronto.

[someone123]

New West is such a mixed bag. It's got some character and is an asset to the region. A lot of people are priced out of inner Vancouver and if they want a pedestrian-friendly experience New West is pretty good. But it has a bit of a low end bedroom community feel and has a somewhat suppressed range of amenities, shops, etc. because it is so close to Vancouver.

New West has an "old Vancouver" or "old BC" feel including demographics which I presume are a bit closer to what the region as a whole was like in the 70's and 80's. A lot of the businesses are unpretentious and for the locals.

The SkyTrain makes a big difference there and New West station is one of the best mixed use stations around. If North Vancouver were connected to the SkyTrain network people would visit there more from other parts of the city and some pressure would be relieved from the bridges.