WEST END

Vancouver - British Columbia - CANADA

Introduction

The West End is a magical place. An examination of its features and attributes in a physical, cultural and social context contribute to this view. Few other urban residential communities can equal or surpass the positive aspects of everyday life in what is my neighborhood. Please accept my understanding that this viewpoint is of course subjective. This web site is my personal attempt to support my conclusions about the West End in what I hope to be an educational, informative and hopefully entertaining manner. All comments or narratives are personal and are not meant to suggest any official endorsement by any level of government or by any tourism agency.

Geography - Location of the West End relative to Downtown Vancouver and Stanley Park

Vancouver is a generally rectangular area longer east/west than north/south. Except for the eastern border with the city of Burnaby which is a straight line north/south called Boundary Road, Vancouver is surrounded by water. The Strait of Georgia on the west, the north arm of the Fraser River on the south and Burrard Inlet on the north. The downtown core, the West End and finally Stanley Park are almost separated from the rest of the city by two other connected bodies of water. First English Bay then False Creek which borders the southern end of the downtown core.

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The West End

Between the downtown core and Stanley Park is a residential area (90%+) known as the West End considered by many to be one of the most densely populated centres in the world. Specific boundaries are Stanley Park on the west, Thurlow Street on the east, English Bay and False Creek on the south and Haro Street on the north. It is generally accepted that Robson Street north of Haro and Burrard Street east of Thurlow are part of the downtown core.

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Access to Stanley Park

This image indicates the three vehicular entrances (Georgia, Nelson and Beach) as well as the opportunity for numerous pedestrian points of entry between Georgia Street and Beach Avenue.

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Personal Comments

All the photography is of the point and shoot variety and the only filter used when appropriate was a polarizer. All scanning was done from prints. The resolution chosen was based on fast page loading. No "photography as an art" statements are implied.

Copyright of images

All images on this site are the property of Maurice Jassak except where otherwise noted (Fred's Pages). Personal and non-commercial use on web pages is permitted with the request that the source is acknowledged either by name or by mentioning this web site. An email informing me of its use on the web would be appreciated. Permission for commercial use of any image on this site will be considered upon receipt of an email requesting and describing its use. This is to ensure appropriateness and to avoid overuse of a particular image within a specific context. If an image is in use in a similar context, alternatives may be offered if available.

Comments regarding omissions, corrections and requests are welcome.