Kerrisdale

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Location of Kerrisdale in Vancouver.

Welcome sign for the Kerrisdale shopping district, near 41st Avenue and West Boulevard.

Kerrisdale is a neighbourhood in the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

It is a cozy neighbourhood featuring both craftsman-style houses and high-rise apartment buildings, sushi, cultural diversity, and several public and private schooling establishments. It also features a small shopping district running generally along W 41st Avenue between Larch and Maple Streets and West Boulevard between 37th and 47th Avenues. Although the City officially defines Kerrisdale as being south of 41st Ave (north of 41st is called Arbutus Ridge), most people consider the area's boundaries to be W 33rd Ave to the North, Granville Street to the East, W. 57th Street to the South, and Blenheim Street to the West. The southwestern part of Kerrisdale is known as Southlands, due to its location in relation to the city. Southlands is known for its horse stables and rural feel, with mansions popular amongst affluent Vancouverites, and several exclusive golf courses.

History

Kerrisdale gained its name in 1905 when a settler named Mrs. McKinnon dubbed the 41st Avenue (then Wilson Road) and West Boulevard tram stop "Kerry's Dale", after the name of her family home, Kerrydale, in Gairloch, Scotland. The area was part of the municipality of Point Grey, which amalgamated in 1929 with the City of Vancouver. Many of the streets and avenues surrounding this focal intersection developed around this time, with local landmarks such as Point Grey Secondary School, Ryerson Church, and the Shannon Mansion constructed in these formative years.

Issues

Although very traditionally British in character and demographic, Kerrisdale began to experience an influx of affluent immigrants from Hong Kong in the mid 1980's. These new immigrants exhibited a fondness for constructing large, boxy mansions, leading to Vancouver's infamous monster home debate. Many long term residents saw the invasion of these newcomers and their feng shui based architectural style as threatening to the neighborhood; several confrontations ensued between long term residents and the newcomers. Emotions were further heated by the fact that many of the new residents had a penchant for ridding their property of any large trees, infuriating neighbors and creating further divisions.

A second divisive issue facing the area is that of the Arbutus Corridor. The corridor, a no-longer-used CPR railway line which bisects the neighborhood, has been the object of many debates since its abandonment in January of 2000. Suggested uses of this 10km corridor have included a SkyTrain line (vociferously opposed by local residents), a paved bikeway, condominium development, and a tourist-oriented streetcar line. The City passed an Official Development Plan in 2001, designating the corridor as a transportation corridor, specifically precluding SkyTrain. CPR contested this in court, and in early 2006, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the City was within its rights. At present, the line still sits in limbo, overgrown with weeds and brambles, awaiting an official decision as to its future.

Demographics

As one of the city's more affluent neighborhoods, Kerrisdale has traditionally been dominated by professionals, doctors, businesspeople and professors from the nearby University of British Columbia. Likewise, the area's median age is much older than other more youth-trendy neighborhoods such as Kitsilano, West Point Grey, Yaletown and Commercial Drive (Vancouver).

Education

Kerrisdale is home to Kerrisdale Elementary School, Kerrisdale Annex, Maple Grove Elementary School, McKechnie Elementary School, and Quilchena Elementary School, as well as Magee Secondary School and Point Grey Secondary School.

Crofton House School, a prestigious girls private school, is on the western edge of the neighbourhood, next to Dunbar-Southlands.

External links

• [City of Vancouver - Kerrisdale]
• [Vancouver Public Library - Kerrisdale Branch]
• [Kerrisdale Community Centre]
• [Discover Vancouver - Kerrisdale]