The gay neighborhood in Canada’s Vancouver, British Columbia is in the west end of the city ~ the gay “strip” is anchored off of Davie Street which is a main street that stretches from Granville to Jarvis Street. This area is populated with many gay-friendly businesses as well as most of the famous gay hotspots in the city including Celebrities, Numbers, Pumpjak Pub, Fountainhead Pub, Numbers, Score, 1181 Lounge and Score. There are also many gay-friendly Bed and Breakfasts that you can stay in while searching for gay real estate in Vancouver.
Vancouver’s gay neighborhood is exceptionally central to everywhere you might want to go in Vancouver. If you stroll a bit north on Davies Street you end up at English Bay and Sunset beach and the bustling business street of Robson and the artsy area of Yaletown are also just a short walk away. At the end of Davie Street are Granville Island and the Kitsalano neighborhood.
The city of Vancouver has really changed in the last decade and it is also a city whose population is exploding. This has led to the emergence of several new neighborhoods that are being gentrified and becoming very hip, gay-positive and artsy neighborhoods.
One of these is Vancouver’s Chinatown, which has experienced a boom in urban development in the past ten years. Famous old Chinese restaurants are interspersed with brand new art galleries and arts and crafts studios. The area also has many fun bars including The Union, The Electric Owl and the Jimmy Hendrix Shrine. On the main street and side streets of this neighborhood are many refurbished little Victorians and brand new loft spaces.
Another up and coming neighborhood in Vancouver used to actually be called “Junkie Central.” Now it is boasting the brand new community moniker of Hastings Sunrise. Sometimes this area is also called the East Village. The center of the neighborhood is the ancient Waldorf Hotel with its Tiki Lounge, which has been reinvented to be a creative space complete with art shows, performance art and live bands. This area of Vancouver is where it is still possible to buy a whole small building and turn it into the space you life. The architecture is mainly Victorian to mid-fifties industrial in flair.
South Slope, also known as South Hill is a multi-ethnic area in south east Vancouver where there is still a great deal of affordable housing. It still has a lot of old world charm and the neighborhood has many hole-in-the-wall restaurants offering cuisine from Tibet, China, Japan, India and the Philippines.
Crosstown is also a desirable area of Vancouver to live. This is a neighborhood that runs parallel between the ultra-expensive Gastown neighborhood that is along the waterfront and Chinatown. This area is a mix of affordable lofts, Victorians and mid-century homes.
Urban development is happening fast in the hip city of Vancouver so to get the best deal it is highly recommended you take advantage of the good advice of a resident Vancouver gay realtor to help show you around and find the best property.
