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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90 E 44TH Avenue in Vancouver: Main House for sale (Vancouver East) : MLS®# R2678995
90 E 44TH Avenue Vancouver V5W 1V4 
$2,299,000Residential Detached- Status:
- Active
- MLS® Num:
- R2678995
- Bedrooms:
- 5
- Bathrooms:
- 2
- Floor Area:
- 2,173 sq. ft.
Priced for your immediate attention is this spotless owner occupied residence featuring superb real hardwood on the main floor with its three bedrooms, washroom and spacious living room with fireplace. The kitchen boasts a southern exposure which is adjacent to the spacious sundeck. The lower level, with its high ceilings, boasts 2 bedrooms, washroom, laundry, plus living room with a fireplace. Superb west of main location on a 33 x 121.8 foot lot. Bonus is the 4 year old high efficiency furnace. More detailsListed by Macdonald Realty
- Aedis Realty
- 604-688-8669
- 604-657-1111
- Contact by Email
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170 E 22ND Avenue in Vancouver: Main House for sale (Vancouver East) : MLS®# R2732994
170 E 22ND Avenue Vancouver V5V 1T6
$2,249,000Residential Detached- Status:
- Active
- MLS® Num:
- R2732994
- Bedrooms:
- 6
- Bathrooms:
- 3
- Floor Area:
- 2,520 sq. ft.
This is a beautifully built and recently renovated house that will work for SO many buyers. Multi-generational families, investors, your family seeking income assistance or just someone who wants an amazing Main Street house! The main floor offers 2 beds and open concept living room, dining room, kitchen and a connection to downstairs which has 2 more big beds, a bathroom, laundry and a giant recreation space! Upstairs has another 2 bedrooms with its own fantastic living spaces and multiple balconies too! All connected and all easily separated. Plenty of parking and storage, this home has it all. Live in 1/2/3 levels or Airbnb and have the kids downstairs…multiple options and completely turnkey. Offers must be subject to probate. More detailsListed by Macdonald Realty - Aedis Realty
- 604-688-8669
- 604-657-1111
- Contact by Email
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373 E 47TH Avenue in Vancouver: Main House for sale (Vancouver East) : MLS®# R2745571
373 E 47TH Avenue Vancouver V5W 2B1
$2,099,999Residential Detached- Status:
- Active
- MLS® Num:
- R2745571
- Bedrooms:
- 5
- Bathrooms:
- 3
- Floor Area:
- 2,472 sq. ft.
Southern exposed 2-story 2,472 sf family home sits on a 33' x 122' rect. lot on a tree-lined street. Upstairs offers 1 huge master w/ its en-suite bathroom, plus 2 other sizeable bedrooms; 5-year old laminate floor throughout; Sit & relax in your huge sunny living room w/ cozy F/P & a walkout balcony; Skylight on top of staircase. Wraparound kitchen right off family eating area & family room, formal dining room off the hall, & a private sundeck on the back; Downstairs a self-sustained 2-bdrm suite c/w its own entrance; side by side laundry; Double side-by-side garage c/w storage area; Walking distance to Main St and Fraser St shopping areas, John Oliver High School, Langara Collage, and 2 blks to bus stops to UBC and Downtown Vancouver. Open House: Sat Jan 21st & Sun 22nd btwn 2:00-4:00pm. More detailsListed by RE/MAX City Realty - Aedis Realty
- 604-688-8669
- 604-657-1111
- Contact by Email
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129 E KING EDWARD Avenue in Vancouver: Main House for sale (Vancouver East) : MLS®# R2721806
129 E KING EDWARD Avenue Vancouver V5V 2B8
$1,980,000Residential Detached- Status:
- Active
- MLS® Num:
- R2721806
- Bedrooms:
- 4
- Bathrooms:
- 2
- Floor Area:
- 1,711 sq. ft.
INVESTOR ATTENTION! Great location near King Edward station and Main street. the home has two level with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Both floors is fully finished with separate entry. Mortgage helper on Large 4915 sq ft lot, great potential for land assembly or rebuild. Zone RS-7. Very convenient, near by amazing shops restaurants and Sky train. Don't miss it. More detailsListed by Unilife Realty Inc. - Aedis Realty
- 604-688-8669
- 604-657-1111
- Contact by Email
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60 E 17TH Avenue in Vancouver: Main House for sale (Vancouver East) : MLS®# R2744747
60 E 17TH Avenue Vancouver V5V 1A2
$1,950,000Residential Detached- Status:
- Active
- MLS® Num:
- R2744747
- Bedrooms:
- 5
- Bathrooms:
- 2
- Floor Area:
- 1,800 sq. ft.
Conveniently located West of Main sits this 5-bedroom home on a 33’ x 120’ south facing lot on a beautiful tree lined street. The main floor offers a cozy living area that leads to the kitchen, a full bath, and two bedrooms. Upstairs you will find an additional loft style bedroom. Downstairs is a self-contained 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom suite. Become a part of an amazing community with everything you could want at your doorstep including parks, cafes, breweries and all the amazing shops and restaurants of Main and Cambie Street. Main floor rented for $2,683/mo. Downstairs could be rented for approx $1,750/mo. More detailsListed by Stilhavn Real Estate Services - Aedis Realty
- 604-688-8669
- 604-657-1111
- Contact by Email
