Vancouver's East Side is defined as between Main Street (which glances past the east end of False Creek) and Boundary Road which in the border with neighbouring Burnaby. This part of Vancouver was once strictly working-class, due its proximity to traditional industrial areas. Today, the East Side is home to a culturally diverse community of people who like living close in but don't want to spend the big bucks for West Side homes.

The East Side as built around the terminus of the Canadian Pacific trans-continental railway (today VIA Rail and the Rocky Mountaineer) and the industrial or port lands that arose nearby. The area has a short commute, and being a mature community has all municipal services. Most importantly, there is excellent SkyTrain access into and out of town. The streets are clean, with many trees and gardens, though its proximity to the core means commuter traffic streams through during rush hours.

The northern part of this district includes the communities of Mount Pleasant, Main, Grandview, Renfrew Heights, East Hastings. The southern part of the district includes the neighbourhoods of Victoria, Collingwood, Killarney, Kensington, Fraser, South Vancouver, and Fraserview.

Homes

Homes in the East Side run $648-682,000; with townhouses running 464-506,000, and condos in the $309-324,000 range.

Housing exists in a fair variety, though mostly modest, older homes. Many homes are available for rental, including some heritage homes. There are several pockets of condo development, especially around the SkyTrain stations.

Schools

There are lots of schools in the area (map). Post Secondary opportunities are abundant, with Simon Fraser University, and BC Institute of Technology very close.

Shopping

There are a couple of shopping malls and districts in the community. Most interesting are the shops along Commercial Drive. The closest shopping mall is Champlain, though many residents make the short drive to Burnaby's 500 store Metrotown.

Recreation

The area is close to the Pacific National Exhibition, held every August. It is also accessible to both Burrard Inlet to the north and the Fraser River to the south. There are lots of parks in the area, most notably New Brighton Park beside the Second Narrows Bridge, and John Hendry Park with Trout Lake. Killarney Park to the south has lots of fitness facilities, as does Central Park just inside Burnaby. East Side of Vancouver Neighbourhoods

This is a prominently industrial and working-class riding. It is home to North America's largest Chinatown as well as the impoverished Downtown Eastside. 42% of this riding are immigrants and 30% are of Chinese-Canadian descent. A high number, 63%, or residents here are renters compared to only 37% home owners. 24% of residents over age 25 have a university certificate or degree. Manufacturing, tourism, port-related industries, and accommodation and food service industries are vital to employment in this riding. The average family income is over $61,000. The unemployment rate is about 7.7%.^[1]

The ethnically diverse area is home to many of the city's artists and activists. In recent years, the area has been negatively affected by an influx of hard drugs and the problems associated with their use.

The riding is the least religious in Canada, with 47.4% of the population not adhering to any religion. [1]

Ethnic groups: 45.5% White, 30.5% Chinese, 5.4% First Nations, 4.9% Southeast Asian, 4.9% Filipino, 2.2% South Asian, 1.7% Latin American, 1.5% Black, 1.1% Japanese
Languages: 46.6% English, 1.8% French, 49.3% Other, 2.3% Multiple languages
Religions: 22.2% Catholic, 11.9% Protestant, 8.6% Buddhist, 1.3% Muslim, 1.1% Christian Orthodox, 4.5% Other Christian, 47.4% No religious affiliation
Average income: $22,144