Vancouver BC and Portland: good sister cities.

[trofirhen]

Anyone interested in doing a comparison / contrast / general discussion of Vancouver, Canada (where I am from) and your city, Portland?

I ask this because both cities have almost the exact same metro population, are known for their liveability, and have similar weather. (yours is a bit better, BTW !)

I think that perhaps housing, transit, and other socio-economic issues that both cities are dealing with would be interesting to look at, given the parallels between the two cities.

They're both great places, each in their own way. (Seattle? Let it remain the Big Boy of Cascadia!!!)

[philopdx]

Oh boy oh boy, another comparo thread! Ladies and gentlemen, get your flame-suits ready!

I've only been to Vancouver once, but from what I saw and what I've experienced through the media, it seems Vancouver lies closer to Seattle in spirit, despite it's metro population being similar to that of PDX.

I mean you guys did get the Olympics, after all. And don't forget the big entertainment industry presence up there as well!

Vancouver also feels more multicultural than Portland, with a much larger asian population (40%!), especially downtown.

[urbanlife]

I have yet to take a trip up to Vancouver, but from what I have always heard, it was more comparable with Seattle and SF than it is Portland. I love Portland to death, but we are the small big city in Cascadia. Though I will say it is wise for Portland to look to Vancouver when it comes to how that region has handled its density and housing.

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by urbanlife

I have yet to take a trip up to Vancouver, but from what I have always heard, it was more comparable with Seattle and SF than it is Portland. I love Portland to death, but we are the small big city in Cascadia. Though I will say it is wise for Portland to look to Vancouver when it comes to how that region has handled its density and housing.

Thanks for sharing. You may be the "small" big city in Cascadia, but your metro pop. is almost EXACTLY the same as ours. And although there are often comparisons made between Vancouver and Seattle, we are NOWHERE as big or as cosmpopolitan, or as financially influential as San Francisco, and even Seattle has a better cultural scene, especially with its wonderful Opera and museums.

Portland, as I understand, has a very good system of tramways (if that's the correct word). We have automated LRT, but out of sheer necessity.

Vancouver is walled of by mountains to the north, the ocean to the west, the US border to the south, and protected (and valuable) agricultural land to the east, so it is less sprawling than Seattle.

We work around this by building "Regional Town Centres," which are characterized by clusters of apartment buildings and condominiums surrounding a major shopping centre, and normally with all the necessary local government offices and services in each one.

Some are already connected to the rail system; several are not, but we're working on that. The trouble with our system is that it is SO $$$$ expensive, and our provincial (state) governments have a penchant for showing off, like hosting the Olympics, EXPO 86 (a grade "B" fair only, unlike NYC or Montreal) at the expense of other, more vital human needs.

In addition we have a major downtown civic square, akin to Pioneer Square, the main difference that yours is beautifully landscaped with a magnificent fountain and lighting, whereas ours is "doom and gloom city ! !"

I think Portland has more room to expand than Vancouver has, so it may FEEL smaller because the CBD is less dense, but in fact, it is not smaller (in population, OR in metro surface area)

Finally, you get more sunshine hours and overall warmer temperatures than we do, and although you do get cold snaps, ours are longer and colder. You think Portland gets a lot of rain? Hah ! We don't see the sun from November to March, and that's no lie!!

Anyway, if you can afford it, come on up. Many people offer bed and breakfast if a hotel is too expensive.

We'd love to show you around.

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by philopdx

Oh boy oh boy, another comparo thread! Ladies and gentlemen, get your flame-suits ready!

No need to get your flame suits ready!! This is a friendly comparison thread.
Vancouver is no threat to Portland, nor Portland to Vancouver.

(It's Seattle that stirs up all the competition, and they win in most categories.)

ps: This will give you a chance to get out from under the shadow of Seattle for a while, if you concentrate more on us, as I posted above.

[Eco_jt]

I am very curious as to how Vancouver is, and I'm visiting with some friends in about a week.

I've never been to Vancouver, but I've always wanted to visit. I have no idea what we are going to do so I'd love to hear some "must see" sites.

I've also believed for some strange reason that one day I'd move there.

[zilfondel]

I've been to Vancouver several times over the past 10 years, and I really love how the city has embraced the waterfront and developed it into people-friendly spaces.

Granville Island, like Pikes Place Mkt in Seattle, is amazing and unique. I have my hopes up that we will have something like it once Lab Holdings develops a riverfront retail development here in PDX; only time will tell.

From what I understand Vancouver is kind of like the Florida of Canada, with lots of retirees (but with the NW outdoor-oriented lifestyle). Not a very good comparison, but Portland sits in a very different position with our residential real-estate market. Or is this a poor comparison?

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by Eco_jt

I am very curious as to how Vancouver is, and I'm visiting with some friends in about a week.

I've never been to Vancouver, but I've always wanted to visit. I have no idea what we are going to do so I'd love to hear some "must see" sites.

I've also believed for some strange reason that one day I'd move there.

Originally Posted by zilfondel

I've been to Vancouver several times over the past 10 years, and I really love how the city has embraced the waterfront and developed it into people-friendly spaces.

Granville Island, like Pikes Place Mkt in Seattle, is amazing and unique. I have my hopes up that we will have something like it once Lab Holdings develops a riverfront retail development here in PDX; only time will tell.

From what I understand Vancouver is kind of like the Florida of Canada, with lots of retirees (but with the NW outdoor-oriented lifestyle). Not a very good comparison, but Portland sits in a very different position with our residential real-estate market. Or is this a poor comparison?

Thank you both for responding.

First, @ Eco_jt, beware that this is a poor time of year to visit: cold, sleet, and rain, maybe even a cold snap with wind and snow.

For that reason, Stanley Park (a great city park if I may add) is not as inviting as it otherwise would be. Also, the 2006 hurricane tore out a lot of big trees.

However, Prospect Point is a good viewpoint, and there is a good restaurant there. Also in Stanley Park is the Ferguson Point Teahouse.

For shopping, the city is OK, but Robson Street and area has the most high-end stores in town. The Robson Square complex is our main civic centre and is worth a visit.

Be sure to ride our rapid transit and compare it to yours. The Canada Line is the newest Line, and runs from downtown to the Airport, as well as to the mainly-Asian suburb of Richmond. With a day or week transit pass, you can ride the other parts ofthe rail system and get a feeling of the city.

The Museum of Anthropology at UBC is worth a look. Centuries-old Indian art.

Gastown (you have the equivalent in Portland, so it's not that big a deal)

Granville Island. The Market.

Check out the airport and compare it to yours. (remember, both cities are about 2.25 m in pop)

English Bay and Beach Avenue. The West End. Simon Fraser Univeristy.

Across the Lions Gate Bridge to the North Shore. Deep Cove in North Vancouver. The British properities in West Vancouver.

Commercial Drive and "Little Italy." (stop for a cappucino)

South of the city, in the Municipality is the fishing village of Steveston. Real maritime flavour. Charming with great seafood restaurants.
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@Zilfondel: Vancouver real estate looks much like real estate in most other cities, except that it is one of the priciest towns in N. America.

You'll see condominiums, and mid-sized houses going for $600,000, and lots of larger homes and big condos in highrises going for well over $ a million.

This is being fueled largely by offshore investors from Asia, but Vancouver has always been rather expensive anyway, due to to the land shortage.

Check out the Regional Town Centres to see how we handle density issues.
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To both of you, hope this helps, and get back to me if you'd like. I'd beinterested in your feedback, either here, or on the Vancouver page of SSP,
(or send me a private message if you'd prefer... that's even better)

Anyway ... Bon Voyage !!

[puerco]

Originally Posted by trofirhen

Thank you both for responding.

First, @ Eco_jt, beware that this is a poor time of year to visit: cold, sleet, and rain, maybe even a cold snap with wind and snow.

For that reason, Stanley Park (a great city park if I may add) is not as inviting as it otherwise would be. Also, the 2006 hurricane tore out a lot of big trees.

However, Prospect Point is a good viewpoint, and there is a good restaurant there. Also in Stanley Park is the Ferguson Point Teahouse.

For shopping, the city is OK, but Robson Street and area has the most high-end stores in town. The Robson Square complex is our main civic centre and is worth a visit.

Be sure to ride our rapid transit and compare it to yours. The Canada Line is the newest Line, and runs from downtown to the Airport, as well as to the mainly-Asian suburb of Richmond. With a day or week transit pass, you can ride the other parts ofthe rail system and get a feeling of the city.

The Museum of Anthropology at UBC is worth a look. Centuries-old Indian art.

Gastown (you have the equivalent in Portland, so it's not that big a deal)

Granville Island. The Market.

Check out the airport and compare it to yours. (remember, both cities are about 2.25 m in pop)

English Bay and Beach Avenue. The West End. Simon Fraser Univeristy.

Across the Lions Gate Bridge to the North Shore. Deep Cove in North Vancouver. The British properities in West Vancouver.

Commercial Drive and "Little Italy." (stop for a cappucino)

South of the city, in the Municipality is the fishing village of Steveston. Real maritime flavour. Charming with great seafood restaurants.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

@Zilfondel: Vancouver real estate looks much like real estate in most other cities, except that it is one of the priciest towns in N. America.

You'll see condominiums, and mid-sized houses going for $600,000, and lots of larger homes and big condos in highrises going for well over $ a million.

This is being fueled largely by offshore investors from Asia, but Vancouver has always been rather expensive anyway, due to to the land shortage.

Check out the Regional Town Centres to see how we handle density issues.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

To both of you, hope this helps, and get back to me if you'd like. I'd beinterested in your feedback, either here, or on the Vancouver page of SSP,
(or send me a private message if you'd prefer... that's even better)

Anyway ... Bon Voyage !!

I've visited Vancouver dozens of times over the years. My first visit was way back in 1967 and it was impressive even then. The West End by Stanley Park was already filled with high rise apartment buildings. Like Portland, Vancouver has done a great job channelling its growth. (Unlike Seattle.) It was great visiting it during Expo '87. The light rail was running by then. Vancouver is more of an international city than Portland but they are both great cities.