Strathcona Neighbourhood Overview

Located just a few minutes east of downtown Vancouver, Strathcona is one of the cities oldest neighbourhoods and one of its most culturally and economically diverse.

Strathcona includes parts of Vancouver’s dense, bustling Chinatown, borders one of Canada’s poorest areas (the Downtown Eastside), and has, in recent years, been a prime area for gentrification.

Strathcona has much to offer its residents, including a rich historic and architectural heritage, fast, easy transportation to downtown Vancouver, and–most importantly–still-reasonably priced real estate.

With Vancouver real estate continuing to sky-rocket, Strathcona’s more moderate prices are a real plus, encouraging young families to purchase and restore old houses here and young professionals to look here for modern, newly-built apartments.

Strathcona Boundaries

Located immediately east of downtown Vancouver, Strathcona is bordered by Hastings Street to the north, the Great Northern Way to the south, Main Street to the west and Clark Drive to the east.

Map of Strathcona

Strathcona People

Strathcona residents are hard-working families and adults from all walks of life. Economic diversity and multiculturalism make the area a popular one for artists, feted annually by the fine art festival Eastside Culture Crawl.

Strathcona is also one of Vancouver’s most multicultural communities and includes a strongly-represented Chinese Canadian population. Over 40% of residents cite Chinese as their first language, and the Chinatown portion of Strathcona hosts the annual Chinese New Year Parade.

Strathcona Apartments and Real Estate

Though the majority of Strathcona residences are apartments in low- and high-rise complexes, it also has one of the highest concentrations of 19th- and early-20th-century buildings in Vancouver, including its famous row houses. Continuing gentrification means more and more older homes are being restored.

Because Strathcona is a neighbourhood in transition, pricing varies widely. Rents and housing costs are considerably cheaper than those of its up-scale neighbour, Yaletown.

  • To Rent: Bachelor Suite/1-Bedroom, $500-$1,000+. 2-Bedroom $1,000-$1,600+. Larger than 2-Bedroom, $1,000-$2,000+.

     

     

  • To Buy: Bachelor Suite/1-Bedroom, $325,000-$700,000+. 2-Bedroom, $390,000- $1M. Larger than 2-Bedroom, $400,000-$1M+.*

     

*Prices do not include low-income housing.

Strathcona Restaurants and Shopping

For both eating out and shopping in Strathcona, it’s hard to beat Chinatown. Centred around Main Street in Strathcona’s westside, Chinatown is packed with a wide variety of import stores–ranging from home furnishings and clothes to Chinese-language DVDs–as well as fresh food and seafood markets.

For dining out, Chinatown’s best restaurants include the ever-popular Hon’s Wun-Tun House, Floata Seafood Restaurant (famous for its Dim Sum) and Phnom Penh Restaurant.

Strathcona is also home to Vancouver’s zaniest gelateria, La Casa Gelato, a must-visit on hot summer nights.

Strathcona Parks

There are five local parks in Strathcona. The largest, Strathcona Park, includes off-leash dog areas, playgrounds, soccer fields, a baseball diamond, and many other amenities.

Strathcona Landmarks

Along with several Chinese Canadian heritage sites and monuments in Chinatown, Strathcona landmarks include the Lord Strathcona School, built in 1897 and one of Vancouver’s oldest standing schools, and the historic Pacific Central Station.

Today, the Pacific Central Station is both a train station–it’s the western terminus for VIA Rail’s cross-country train and the northern terminus for Amtrak’s Cascades route–and a cross country/international bus station.

Strathcona Demographics

  • Population: 11,920
  • Median Household Income: $15,558
  • Average Household Size: 1.7