Kitsilano, on the west side of the City of Vancouver, is known for its young, active population, its easy access to shopping and restaurants, its dazzling mountain views and, most famously, for its proximity to one of Vancouver’s busiest beaches, Kits Beach.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the city’s earliest settlers flocked to Kitsilano from the fashionable West End to soak up the sun and play in the surf. They pitched their tents on what was then known as Greer’s Beach, adjacent to the First Nations reserve Khahtsalano (it’s easy to see where Kits, for short, eventually got its name).
Between 1910 and 1912, the neighbourhood experienced a boom period, during which many craftsman-style houses were built. In the 1960s, Kitsilano’s homes were magnets for students and hippies, due to the cheap rents. West 4th Avenue – Kits’ main drag – was nicknamed “Rainbow Road”, and was lined with vegetarian restaurants, health-food stores and music shops.
Today, though the tie-dye element is gone, West 4th Avenue remains home to organic-food stores and cafés, and Zulu Records – one of Canada’s most famous independent music sellers. While an abundance of rental suites remain, Kitsilano real estate is no longer considered ‘cheap’. Average prices for homes in Kitsilano range from $466,000 to $1,540,000. View Kitsilano MLS® listings and upcoming open houses
Kitsilano Amenities
Kitsilano Shopping
West 4th Avenue is the main shopping street in Kitsilano. It includes more than 300 shops, services and restaurants. There are several large supermarkets, plus a number of smaller, independent grocery and specialty food stores. Capers Community Market, for example, offers a wide range of organic and health foods.
Schools and Education in Kitsilano
Primary schools
- Bayview Community School
- General Gordon Elementary School
- Henry Hudson Elementary (French immersion)
- Lord Tennyson Elementary School (French immersion)
Secondary schools
Independent Schools
- Fraser Academy (Grades 1-12, for students with dyslexia and language-based learning disabilities)
- St. Augustine School (Catholic)
- St. John’s International School
- St. John’s School
Kitsilano Cafés and Restaurants
Kitsilano is known as the place to go for healthy, organic and vegetarian food choices. Capers Community Market includes a raw and hot food bar and café. Green’s Organic and Natural Market also offers fresh and tasty organic foods. A staple in the Kitsilano community is the Naam full-service vegetarian restaurant (open 24-7) and Greens and Gourmet offers vegetarian food, buffet-style. Kitsilano also has its own landmark – the tiny Arbutus Grocery store (now Arbutus Coffee) at the corner of 6th Avenue and Arbutus Street. It was built in 1907 and is one of the finest old buildings in the city.
Kitsilano Sports and Recreation
With parks galore and Kitsilano Beach at its foot, it’s practically impossible not to love playing outdoors in this neighbourhood. Kitsilano Pool – Canada’s longest pool (and outdoors, no less) – is a sparkling turquoise gem with a million-dollar view of downtown, Stanley Park and the North Shore Mountains are in the background (no wonder it’s the subject of so many City of Vancouver postcards). Kitsilano is also home to the Kitsilano Showboat, which has provided Vancouver with free, live, outdoor concerts and performances for over 75 years.
Kitsilano Transportation
Myriad trolley and express buses commute through Kitsilano on a regular basis. West 4th Avenue is a main route for many buses heading east toward downtown and west toward the University of British Columbia.
Kitsilano Property Statistics
| Home prices* | |
| Houses | $1,540,000 |
| Townhouses | $954,000 |
| Apartments | $466,000 |
| Rentals** | |
| Average gross rent | $1,041 |
*Source: Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver, average sale prices in Kitsilano for 12 months ended November 3, 2010
**Source: City of Vancouver
Kitsilano Demographics
Population* – 40,595
*Source: City of Vancouver
| Age* | |
| 65+ | 9.1% |
| 40 to 64 | 33.1% |
| 20 to 39 | 45.3% |
| 19 and under | 12.6% |
*Source: City of Vancouver
| Occupancy* | |
| Fully owned | 22,100 |
*Source: City of Vancouver
| Dwellings* | |
| Single-detached house | 6.7% |
| Semi-detached house | 6.2% |
| Detached duplex | 11.5% |
| Row house | 1.8% |
| Apartment, under five stories | 67.6% |
| Apartment, five or more stories | 5.6% |
| Rented dwellings | 56.8% |
*Source: City of Vancouver
