Downtown
The downtown area is home to the Central Business District, home to a large shopping area and high-rise apartments. The downtown core is the hub of the city with more than 500,000 people entering it every day. Bordered by Stanley Park, the West End and Cambie Street, this area comprises distinct communities, including historic Gastown, hip and fashionable Yaletown as well as the fast-growing Coal Harbour.

West End
The West End is located between Stanley Park, English Bay, and the central business district. This area is a vibrant, lively and bustling home for thousands of Vancouverites wanting to live in the heart of the action. The West End is one of the most densely populated neighbourhoods in Canada and, with busy shopping areas found on Robson and Denman streets, it is rare to feel alone at any given time. A popular yearly event, the Gay Pride Parade, is just one example of the high-energy spirit that exists here.

Fairview
This area was once a bustling industrial waterfront, but has since been transformed into a thriving community overlooking the sparkling waters of False Creek and the downtown skyline beyond. It covers the area between 16th Avenue and False Creek and Oak Street to Burrard Street. The centerpiece of this flourishing neighbourhood is Granville Island, with its mix of shopping, theatre, industry, education and more. Fairview is densely developed with low- and high-rise condos. It offers a lively street life and local shopping, with cafés, bookstores, boutiques and restaurants. It is a summer attraction for both locals and tourists.

Kitsilano
"Kits" is one of the city's most popular neighbourhoods, attracting a young, active population with its beaches and proximity to both downtown and the University of British Columbia. Rental housing makes up more than half of the dwellings. Great shopping and a multitude of cafes are clustered around Broadway and 4th Avenue. Many of the homes and apartments offer stunning views of downtown and the North Shore Mountains. Kitsilano is more urban in character than the rest of the West Side. Its access to the beaches and its beach lifestyle have made it Canada's second-best known neighbourhood, after Toronto's Rosedale.

Point Grey
Named after a close friend of Captain George Vancouver, this upscale neighbourhood offers waterfront living in gorgeous, well-kept houses. The streets are hilly and tree-lined, with boundaries defined by English Bay to the north,16th Avenue to the south and Alma Street to the west.

Shaughnessy
Originally developed by Canadian Pacific Railway as an area for the homes of its executives, the Shaughnessy of today boasts large gorgeous homes, sprawling lots, and upscale shops that cater to the prosperous citizenry. The north/south border is 16th and 41st avenues. West Boulevard and Oak Street frame the east and west borders.

Dunbar
Dunbar is a wonderful collection of single-family houses, green spaces and tree-lined streets. It is classified as the area south of 16th Avenue and north of Southwest Marine Drive between McKenzie Drive and the University Endowment Lands. Southlands is a throwback to an earlier era, with sprawling farmland and large, grand houses. It is the kind of place where horses outnumber people and neighbors are more like family.

Kerrisdale
This safe, comfortable enclave of leafy streets and single-family homes comprises the area between Blenheim and Granville streets, and 41st Avenue down to Southwest Marine Drive. It is one of Canada's most stable (and affluent) neighbourhoods. There is a bustling commercial district along 41st Avenue that offers everything from McDonald's to high-end fashions.

Oakridge
The first thing most Vancouverites think of when they hear "Oakridge" is shopping! But this quiet neighbourhood is much more than just the location of one of the city's most popular malls. Its formal boundaries are 41st and 57th avenues on the north and south, with Oak and Cambie streets acting as the east and west edges. The area around 41st Avenue and Oak Street has become a hub for the Jewish community, with a recreation centre, seniors home and more. The houses in this area boast big lots and mature trees.

East Vancouver (Commercial Drive/Grandview)
"Diverse" is the best way to describe this Vancouver neighbourhood. Home to one of the city's cultural heartbeats, Commercial Drive, Grandview-Woodland is charismatic and eclectic. The area stretches from Broadway to Burrard Inlet and from Clark Drive to Nanaimo Street. Latin and Italian influences are strong here and "The Drive," as it is often called, is lined with funky cafes, unique hangouts and great restaurants. The Drive is a hip, older neighbourhood with a diverse social and ethnic make-up. This is the neighbourhood of choice for the Bohemian crowd of poets and artists. This community sits on a hill, giving many homes unobstructed mountain and downtown views.

Victoria-Fraserview
Located on Vancouver's southern slope, this neighbourhood has the city's best views of the North Arm of the Fraser River. Victoria-Fraserview is primarily residential with a wide cross-section of cultures and ethnicities. The boundaries of the area are as follows: from 41st Avenue to the North Arm of the Fraser River, and from Knight Street to Vivian Street.

Hastings-Sunrise
A family-based neighbourhood, Hastings-Sunrise is home to a wide variety of cultures and ethnicities. This area is also home to the PNE (Pacific National Exhibition) fairgrounds, a historic zone for the city of Vancouver. The boundaries of Hastings-Sunrise are as follows: from west to east, Nanaimo Street to Boundary; north to south, Burrard Inlet to Broadway. This neighbourhood has a prevalence of detached homes.

Renfrew-Collingwood
This pleasant Vancouver neighbourhood is a family-oriented community located on the east side of the city. The area is bounded by Broadway and the Lougheed Highway on the north, Nanaimo to the west, 41st Avenue and Kingsway on the south and Boundary Road to the east.

West Vancouver
West Vancouver is about 10 kilometers deep (north to south) and 12 kilometers wide, extending from the Lions Gate Bridge to Horseshoe Bay. Houses in West Van are priced at the top of the area housing market. Most homes have a spectacular view of English Bay, Stanley Park and the Gulf Islands. While there is some value to being close to the water, there is also value in having a better view from being higher up. The area is 80 percent single-family detached homes. However, some luxury high-rises are clustered along Marine Drive's eastern end.

North Vancouver
North Vancouver was primarily a cottage area. However, over the past few decades, "North Van" has evolved into a family-oriented community with a population of about 120,000. It has a spectacular mountainside location with two mountains and ski hills (Grouse and Seymour) and two scenic river valleys. North Vancouver experiences significant rainfall due to its topography. The community is home to the Lonsdale Quay SeaBus Terminal, which provides another option for the commute to Vancouver in addition to the Lions Gate or the Second Narrows bridges. Residents are typically about a half hour from downtown Vancouver.

Burnaby
Burnaby, the "City of Parks," is nestled between Burrard Inlet and the Fraser River. The city offers a wide range of neighbourhoods, mostly middle-income. Commuting into Vancouver is reasonable, whether by road or by SkyTrain. The four Skytrain stops, mostly in the southern part of Burnaby, provide the community easy access to the rest of the Vancouver area.

New Westminster
New Westminster is the oldest municipality in the Lower Mainland, and was once the provincial capital. Its downtown is vibrant. The city combines post-war suburbia with the Queen's Park heritage neighbourhood. New Westminster has three SkyTrain stations integrating it into the Lower Mainland and providing quick commuter access to Vancouver. Commuting time to Vancouver is typically 45 minutes, though only 27 minutes by SkyTrain. Westminster Quay, a 35-acre riverfront development featuring a public market, adds character and charm to the community.

Richmond
With a population of more than 181,942 people, Richmond is a growing dynamic urban centre with a unique mix of residential and commercial property, agricultural lands, industrial parks, waterways and natural areas. It lies where the river meets the ocean. The shores surrounding Richmond create an estuary border that provides habitat for fish and migrating birds on the Pacific Flyway between the Arctic and South America.

Coquitlam
Coquitlam is the largest of the "Tri-Cities" communities of Coquitlam, Port Moody and Port Coquitlam. These communities are nestled between Burnaby to the west and the Pitt River to the east, and north of the Fraser River. Because of Coquitlam's panoramic setting overlooking Vancouver, with the slope facing the Fraser River, Coquitlam is a desirable community. Commuting to Vancouver using the West Coast Express or by road (along the Barnet Highway) is about 40 minutes. Lougheed Mall at the western edge of Coquitlam is a major transit hub for BC Transit.

Surrey/North Surrey
Surrey/North Surrey is a fast-growing, largely working-class neighbourhood with a substantial South Asian community. Surrey is also becoming the Lower Mainland's envisioned "second downtown." Surrey is linked to Vancouver with four SkyTrain stations: Scott Road, Gateway, Surrey Centre and King George. From the King George SkyTrain Station, in North Surrey, it is a 35-minute ride into downtown Vancouver. The community is about 40 minutes (non-peak) from Vancouver International Airport.

South Surrey/Crescent Beach
South Surrey/Crescent Beach is a broad community bordering the United States, lying 40 kilometers from downtown Vancouver. The area's beaches and rural natural beauty attracts both young families and retirees.

White Rock
White Rock is a charming seaside community on Semahmoo Bay, with 17,000 residents that are no longer part of Surrey. It is only minutes from the Canada/ U.S. border, and is 45 kilometres from Vancouver up Highway 99 (1 hour away during rush hour). White Rock offers natural beauty, with its wide beaches and tidal flats, its promenade and its pier. Most important, White Rock gets more sunshine than anywhere else in the Lower Mainland, and gets only 104 centimeters of rain a year. The town has a wide array of services and good shopping facilities. Housing in White Rock consists mainly of older bungalows, Vancouver Specials and seaside cottages mixed with large senior-executive homes, townhouse developments and low-rise condos. There are a number of retail/residential complexes in the area, along the waterfront and in the Town Centre.