Main Street Vancouver
Main Street Dimensions
Main Street in Vancouver, British Columbia is a major north-south thoroughfare that bisects the city nearly equally between the westside neighbourhoods that extend to the University Endowment Lands on the ocean and the eastside limits of Boundary Road, which marks where the the City of Burnaby begins. From north to south Main Street crosses the Vancouver neighbourhoods of Downtown Eastside, Chinatown, Strathcona, Mount Pleasant, Riley Park, and Sunset. Major east-west intersections with Main Street from north to south are Cordova Street, Hastings Street, Georgia Viaduct, Terminal Avenue, Broadway, 12th Avenue, King Edward Avenue, 33rd Avenue, 41st Avenue, 49th Avenue, and Southeast Marine Drive.
From Waterfront Road where it begins by the Burrard Inlet, Main Street runs southward all the way to Kent Avenue, where it ends by the Fraser River, Vancouver’s southern limit. En route, the street runs through Chinatown below Hastings Street, continues past the Pacific Central railway and the Main Street/Science World SkyTrain stations, and at Terminal Avenue ascends into the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood, a residential/commercial mixture that continues south of Broadway with numerous restaurants and some fashion retail. Property values in Mount Pleasant, once working-class, are definitely on the rise.
Between 33rd and 41st avenues Main becomes more residential in its ascent to high ground. In the Sunset neighbourhood south of 41st Avenue, the street acquires an Indo-Canadian character. The Punjabi Market district begins just north of 49th Avenue, south of which the street again becomes almost entirely residential. At Main Street’s intersection with Marine Drive in South Vancouver, it becomes big-box commercial with a Real Canadian superstore and a miscellaneous mix of low-rise office space, manufacturing, and warehousing.
History
On the north end, Main Street is just west of the historic site of Hastings Mill, the area around which Granville, the earlier settlement that later became Vancouver, grew. Main and Hastings mark the former centre of downtown Vancouver with the old central public library (now Carnegie Centre) and the old City Hall. The intersection is now a local catchword for the drug abuse, homelessness, poverty, and prostitution once endemic in Downtown Eastside.
Originally Main Street was Westminster Avenue as it connected at East 7th Avenue to New Westminster Road, now Kingsway. Local merchants arranged to change the name in 1910 to what they thought would bestow a more cosmopolitan character to their neighbourhood. At one time, Main Street had a bascule bridge over False Creek, which then flowed to Clark Drive over a mile farther east. During the First World War, the Great Northern and the Canadian Northern Pacific railroads filled in and reclaimed that land for use, removed the bridge, and reconnected the previously bridged Main Street segments.
Information Links:
http://shopmain.ca
http://vancouver.ca/green-vancouver/mount-pleasant.aspx http://www.hillcrestcentre.com/default.aspx#.U8mATlZRHnc http://vancouver.ca/home-property-development/mount-pleasant-community-plan.aspx
Revitalization Chic
A recent Seattle Times article describes Vancouver’s mid-city Main Street as “certifiably hip” though a place “where women of a certain profession once worked the street corners in stilettos” but where now “explosive growth in the city” and relatively “cheap rent in this Mount Pleasant neighborhood in Southeast Vancouver” have brought in many “new boutiques, novelty shops and fancy restaurants.” According to the article, “Main Street was crime-infested 20 years ago, but that just meant cheap rent to starving artists and Asian immigrants who were looking for studio and restaurant space. They led the revitalization.”
The article concludes that “For all the concerns of gentrification, Main Street appears unremarkable with its worn storefront signs with missing letters and storefronts in need of a new coat of paint. They just all seem to blend into this street’s gritty roots and who-cares-what-outsiders-think attitude.”
New Main Street Live MLS Listings
Main Street Vancouver
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41 E 41ST Avenue in Vancouver: Main House for sale (Vancouver East) : MLS®# R2792860
41 E 41ST Avenue Vancouver V5W 1N4 
$2,550,000Residential Detached- Status:
- Active
- MLS® Num:
- R2792860
- Bedrooms:
- 4
- Bathrooms:
- 2
- Floor Area:
- 1,800 sq. ft.
Central location, Walking distance to Oakridge Mall, Canada-Line, Banking, transit and Queen Elizabeth Park. All the measurements are by listing realtor and approximate, buyer or agent to verify if deemed important. Both lots to be sold together. Total area of both lots ( 37 and 41 east 41st Ave ) is 10180 sq/ft with 90 feet front, Backing to Woodstock St. . Potential for 6 storey rental or change of zone to RR-2C. Inquire with the City. More detailsListed by Royal Pacific Realty Corp.
- Aedis Realty
- 604-688-8669
- 604-657-1111
- Contact by Email
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66 E 48TH Avenue in Vancouver: Main House for sale (Vancouver East) : MLS®# R2797269
66 E 48TH Avenue Vancouver V5W 2C6
$2,380,000Residential Detached- Status:
- Active
- MLS® Num:
- R2797269
- Bedrooms:
- 3
- Bathrooms:
- 2
- Floor Area:
- 1,816 sq. ft.
WEST of MAIN, Wow!! A solid Bungalow with a full basement. This home location is excellent with all newer homes in the same block. EXTRA DEEP 138 ft. Southern exposed lot that is 4,554 sq.ft. Build your dream HOME with nice BACKYARD and a LANEWAY HOUSE. 3 Covered Parking, very close to Langara College, Main Street shops, Oakridge Centre, Bus Lines to Metrotown, Downtown & UBC. Investors & Builders alert. This one will go fast! More detailsListed by Pacific Evergreen Realty Ltd. - Aedis Realty
- 604-688-8669
- 604-657-1111
- Contact by Email
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4424 SOPHIA Street in Vancouver: Main Land for sale (Vancouver East) : MLS®# R2817202
4424 SOPHIA Street Vancouver V5V 3V9
$2,300,000Land Only- Status:
- Active
- MLS® Num:
- R2817202
Listed by Macdonald Platinum Marketing Ltd. - Aedis Realty
- 604-688-8669
- 604-657-1111
- Contact by Email
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178 E 40TH Avenue in Vancouver: Main House for sale (Vancouver East) : MLS®# R2815437
178 E 40TH Avenue Vancouver V5W 1L5
$2,298,000Residential Detached- Status:
- Active
- MLS® Num:
- R2815437
- Bedrooms:
- 5
- Bathrooms:
- 3
- Floor Area:
- 2,521 sq. ft.
LOCATION!LOCATION! This well maintained large bungalow with 3 bedrooms up and a separate 2 bedroom suite down, large living rooms, large kitchens ,garage ,shared laundry room, wood burning fire places,3 bathrooms, storage, garage, close to transportation, schools and shopping .Great investment for the future More detailsListed by RE/MAX Heights Realty - Aedis Realty
- 604-688-8669
- 604-657-1111
- Contact by Email
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242 E 26TH Avenue in Vancouver: Main House for sale (Vancouver East) : MLS®# R2811066
242 E 26TH Avenue Vancouver V5V 2H3
$2,199,900Residential Detached- Status:
- Active
- MLS® Num:
- R2811066
- Bedrooms:
- 6
- Bathrooms:
- 3
- Floor Area:
- 2,568 sq. ft.
Options await! Welcome to this Classic home with substantial renovations just steps to Main street and Hillcrest Community Centre. Set upon 3 levels, this home has more than meets the eye. Owner has options with 2 bedroom top floor full suite plus 2 x 2 bedrooms suites on separate levels! Each level features a good sized private patio overlooking the lush veggie garden and large yard, kitchen, living room and bathroom. Updates over the last years include Hardy Board siding, windows, plumbing, wiring, Storage shed, and fenced yard. Top renovated in 2005, main floor renovated in 2017 and basement renovated in 2009. This neighbourhood is the buzz around town with all you want only minutes away. Bike friendly, transit friendly, neighbourhood, too! More detailsListed by Royal LePage - Brookside Realty - Aedis Realty
- 604-688-8669
- 604-657-1111
- Contact by Email
