Located on Metro Vancouver’s North Shore, the District of North Vancouver extends from
the Capilano River in the west to Indian Arm in the east, and from Burrard Inlet northwards
to the Coast Mountains. With its naturally beautiful surroundings, high quality of life, and close proximity to downtown Vancouver, it is one of Canada’s most desirable places to live, work and play.
Of the three North Shore municipalities, including West Vancouver, many consider North Vancouver to be the most urbanized. Significant industries include shipping, chemical production, and film production.
The District’s unique geography and location offer the benefits of being part of a dynamic metropolitan region while existing next to a vast natural wilderness. North Vancouver is known for hiking and skiing trails in the forested North Shore Mountains, including Grouse Mountain. There, the Skyride cable car offers sweeping city views. High suspension bridges straddle popular Capilano Canyon and tranquil Lynn Canyon. Near the Seabus ferry terminal, Lonsdale Quay Market is home to fashion shops, food vendors, and craft breweries.
The municipality of North Vancouver (which encompassed the entire North Shore from Deep Cove to Horseshoe Bay) was incorporated in 1891. The District of North Vancouver is situated on the unceded territories of the Skwxwú7mesh, Tsleil-Waututh, and xwməθkwəýəm Nations.
Neighbourhoods include Deep Cove, Delbrook/Upper Lonsdale, Lions Gate, Lynn Creek, Lynn Valley, Maplewood, Seymour, and Upper Capilano.
In July 2020, the average price for a home in North Vancouver was $1,192,194. This is lower than West Van’s average of $3.1m and higher than White Rock’s $934k.
According to the 2016 census, nearly 86,000 people make their homes in North Vancouver. The median age is 44.
The City and the District of North Vancouver share eight high schools and 30 elementary schools. The Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique operates école André-Piolat, a Francophone school which has both primary and secondary levels. Independent private elementary and high schools in the area include Bodwell High School and Lions Gate Christian Academy. Capilano University offers post-secondary education and is known for its musical theatre program.
Lower Lonsdale features several open community spaces, including Waterfront Park, Lonsdale Quay, Ship Builders Square, and the Burrard Dry Dock Pier. In Deep Cove, Cates Park has a beach and heavily wooded trail, and is home to Whey-ah-wichen, an ancestral village site. Tucked between mountains in North Vancouver, Lynn Valley is a lush neighbourhood bordered by parks and forest. Lynn Headwaters Regional Park, connected to the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve, offers fishing at Rice Lake and trails that link up with a section of the North Shore walkways called the Baden Powell trail. Lynn Canyon Park is home to second-growth rainforest and a range of hiking trails for all abilities. The Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge high above Lynn Creek offers an off-balance, vertiginous adventure.
The 660-seat Centennial Theatre hosts concerts and shows, mostly musicals. Presentation House Theatre is home to a professional theatre company of the same name, while the building is a neighbourhood cultural hub. Polygon Gallery, a recent addition to the Lonsdale Quay area, offers work that inspires and provokes cultural insight, and striking, distinctive waterfront architecture by the award‐winning firm Patkau Architects. The Polygon originally operated as Presentation House Gallery.
North Vancouver is also home to over 150 pieces of public art, encompassing all types of media. From sculptures and mosaics to temporary installations and digital works, public art is a feature in civic plazas, municipal buildings and commercial developments throughout the City and District of North Vancouver. The pieces are located in parks, along roadways, and integrated along nature trails and greenways.
Scheduled to open in late 2020, North Vancouver Museum & Archives will house 16,000 square feet of interactive multimedia exhibits, innovative programming and public gatherings. Located in the Lower Lonsdale Shipyards District, the new Museum will be centrally located adjacent to Lonsdale Quay, the Polygon Gallery, and the SeaBus Terminal.
Pier 7 has some of the best waterfront restaurant views in all of North Vancouver. For raw vegan and gluten-free items, look to Buddha-Full. Honey’s Doughnuts in Deep Cove is a legendary cafe that serves breakfast and lunch and boasts a patio. Tour De Feast is a family-run restaurant serving up traditional and contemporary French cuisine. The city’s craft beer scene is hopping, with several located near the waterfront, including House of Funk, Beere, and Green Leaf Brewing Co. Popular resting-and-refueling spots include Bjornbar Bakery and Nicli Antica Pizzeria.
At Lower Lonsdale, aka The Shipyards District, you’ll find shipbuilding as well as boutiques, specialty food shops, galleries, antique stores, restaurants, cafés and pubs. Located on the waterfront in North Vancouver, near the Seabus terminal, Lonsdale Quay Market has evolved into a culinary destination of its own. It is currently home to over 80 unique shops, restaurants and services.
Only minutes away from Highway 1 and down the road from Grouse Mountain on Capilano Road, Edgemont Village is populated by almost 100 family-owned shops. Among them is Giftworks, which specializes in the work of B.C. artisans, and BC Playthings, which features toys, art supplies, puppets, games and puzzles made locally and all over the world
Lynne Valley Village is another shopping destination, popular for its plaza filled with a variety of shops, restaurants and cafés.