Kerrisdale is a neighbourhood in the city of
Vancouver
Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
,
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
, Canada.
Kerrisdale is a neighbourhood located in Vancouver's west side. It features a mix of newer houses and older bungalows as well as various low and mid-rise rental and condo apartment buildings in its northern section. The neighbourhood is a racial mix of
European and
East Asian Canadians. It features a shopping district running generally along West 41st Avenue between Larch and Maple Streets and West Boulevard between 37th and 49th Avenues. Although the city officially defines Kerrisdale as being south of 41st Ave (north of 41st is called
Arbutus Ridge), the majority of the area's residents consider the area's boundaries to be West 33rd Avenue to the north, Granville Street to the east, West 57th Avenue to the south, and Blenheim Street to the west. The northern part of
Marpole
Marpole, originally a Musqueam village named , is a mostly residential neighbourhood of 23,832 in 2011, located on the southern edge of the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, immediately northeast of Vancouver International Airport, and is approx ...
is also generally thought of as part of Kerrisdale, thus some refer to the area as Kerrisdale-Marpole. The southwestern part of Kerrisdale is known as
Southlands, due to its location in relation to the city. Southlands is known for its horse
stable
A stable is a building in which working animals are kept, especially horses or oxen. The building is usually divided into stalls, and may include storage for equipment and feed.
Styles
There are many different types of stables in use tod ...
s and rural feel and is located on the floodplain of the North Arm of the Fraser River.
History
Kerrisdale gained its name in 1905 when
British Columbia Electric Railway
The British Columbia Electric Railway (BCER) was an historic railway which operated in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Originally the parent company for, and later a division of, BC Electric Company (now BC Hydro), the BCER assumed cont ...
manager R.H. Sterling asked Mrs. William McKinnon to name the
interurban
The interurban (or radial railway in Canada) is a type of electric railway, with tram-like electric self-propelled railcars which run within and between cities or towns. The term "interurban" is usually used in North America, with other terms u ...
stop at Wilson Road (today West 41st Avenue). She chose to call it "Kerry's Dale", after the name of her family home, Kerrydale, in
Gairloch
Gairloch ( ; , meaning "Short Loch") is a village, civil parish and community on the shores of Loch Gairloch in Wester Ross, in the North-West Highlands of Scotland. A tourist destination in the summer months, Gairloch has a golf course, a ...
,
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
.
Kerrydale means "little seat of the fairies". It was quickly corrupted to Kerrisdale. The area was part of the Municipality of
Point Grey
Point Grey () is a headland marking the southern entrance to English Bay and Burrard Inlet in British Columbia, Canada. The headland is the site of Wreck Beach, Tower Beach, Point Grey Beach and most notably, since 1925, on its top is the Poin ...
, which amalgamated January 1, 1929 with the City of
Vancouver
Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
and the Municipality of South Vancouver. Many of the streets and avenues surrounding this focal intersection developed around this time, with local landmarks such as
Point Grey Secondary School, Ryerson Church, Shannon Mews and the Allen Brown Estate constructed in these formative years.
Demographics
As of the 2016 community census, there were 13,975 people, 5,530 private households, and 3,930 families residing in Kerrisdale.
Although formerly British in character and demographics, Kerrisdale began to experience an influx of affluent immigrants from
Hong Kong
Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
in the mid-1980s. This was partially due to the fears of Communist China taking over Hong Kong from the British in 1997 per the
Sino-British Joint Declaration
The Sino-British Joint Declaration was a treaty between the governments of the United Kingdom and People's Republic of China signed in 1984 setting the conditions in which Hong Kong was transferred to Chinese control and for the governance o ...
. Many of those Hong Kong immigrants constructed large, modern houses. Therefore, Kerrisdale is generally a mix of East Asian and Western architecture, with older bungalows in between new houses and renovated houses.
Kerrisdale has a mix of white-collar professionals, high net worth individuals, and university students renting basement suites or more inexpensive apartment blocks to attend nearby post-secondary institutions such as
Langara College
Langara College (snəw̓eyəɬ leləm̓ in ''Halkomelem'') is a public degree-granting college in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada which serves more than 19,000 students annually. Langara College started in 1965 as part of Vancouver Community ...
and the
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...
. The area is also home to elderly residents who primarily rent in the low rise rental blocks that characterize the north central section of the community.
Projected average 2008 household income: $131,769 as compared with $75,854 and $79,798 for Vancouver and Metro Vancouver respectively.
Services
The stretch of businesses along W. 41st Ave between Balsam and Maple streets comprise the Kerrisdale Business Association,
the longest running such association in Vancouver. Member businesses pool funds for festivities and general beautification of the area, including the hiring of a full-time gardener during summer months.
The Arbutus Corridor, a no-longer-used
CPR
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure used during cardiac or respiratory arrest that involves chest compressions, often combined with artificial ventilation, to preserve brain function and maintain circulation until sp ...
railway line which bisects the neighbourhood, has been purchased by the City of Vancouver and will be a series of community gardens, as well as a greenway for bicycles and pedestrians. The railway line has been removed and the right of way has been converted into a greenway for pedestrians and cyclists.
Kerrisdale Community Centre is home to the Kerrisdale Branch of the Vancouver Public Library, and Kerrisdale Pool.
North of 41st Avenue on East Boulevard is the Kerrisdale Cyclone Taylor Arena, built in 1949 as a hockey arena and was used as wrestling venue for
1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
The 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Vancouver, British Columbia, from 30 July to 7 August 1954. This was the fifth edition of the event that would eventually become known as the Commonwealth Games, the second post-war G ...
.
The Arbutus Greenway, a large path designed for bikers and pedestrians, runs North-South through the heart of Kerrisdale.
Education
Kerrisdale is home to
Kerrisdale Elementary School,
Kerrisdale Annex,
Maple Grove Elementary School,
Dr. R. E. McKechnie Elementary School, and
Quilchena Elementary School, as well as
Magee Secondary School
Magee Secondary School is a public secondary school on West 49th Avenue, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is one of the first public high schools located in the Kerrisdale neighbourhood and is fed by the surrounding elementary schools in ...
,
Prince of Wales Secondary School and
Point Grey Secondary School.
Crofton House School, a private school for girls, is on the western edge of the neighbourhood, next to
Dunbar-Southlands.
Further reading
* Majury, N. (1994). "Signs of the times: Kerrisdale, a neighbourhood in transition." ''
The Canadian Geographer'' 38, 265-70.
Notes
References
External links
City of Vancouver - KerrisdaleVancouver Public Library - Kerrisdale BranchKerrisdale Community Centre*
ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msyy5svyG88 The Kerrisdale Bowladrome in 1959
{{Coord, 49.2236, -123.1595, display=title
Neighbourhoods in Vancouver