Oakridge is a relatively young neighbourhood within Vancouver. Most of the area remained forested until the 1950s, when the Canadian Pacific Railway slated it for residential and commercial use and began to construct single-family bungalow-style homes. While larger houses have replaced many of those original bungalows, single-detached homes still represent nearly half of the real estate in the neighbourhood.
Oakridge is the centre of Vancouver’s Jewish community, with specialty shops, synagogues, schools and the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver clustered along 41st avenue. It’s also home to a large Chinese community, with 50 per cent of residents listing a Chinese language as their mother tongue on the 2011 census1.
MLS defines the Oakridge neighbourhood as the rectangular area between Oak Street to the east and Ontario Street to the West, with 41st and 49th Avenues as the north and south boundaries. Over the years, the neighbourhood has evolved into a mature residential community characterized by spacious homes on large lots. An average Oakridge home costs about $2.4 million. View Oakridge homes for sale and open houses.
Oakridge Amenities
Oakridge Shopping
Oakridge Centre, the neighbourhood’s primary shopping destination and Vancouver’s first shopping mall, offers more than 150 shops and services, including a number of upscale retailers and a large Safeway grocery store. Major redevelopments plans are in the works that will see the shopping centre become the anchor of a mixed-use development to include park space and more than 2,000 residential units.
Schools and Education in Oakridge
Elementary schools
· Dr. Annie B. Jamieson Elementary School (includes the only Mandarin bilingual program in Vancouver, homes for sale)
· Sir William Van Horne Elementary (homes for sale)
Oakridge Cafés and Restaurants
Many of the dining options in Oakridge are found in Oakridge Centre’s bustling international food court.
Oakridge Sports and Recreation
Oakridge’s Columbia Park features playing fields, a playground and a wading pool, while Tisdall Park offers a wellness circuit with 13 activity stations, including a cardio stepper, squat press, balance steps and tai chi wheels. (The circuit was designed for seniors but is open to residents of all ages.) At the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver, members can access an aquatics centre, health spa, weight room and racquetball and squash courts, and the Oakridge Seniors’ Centre offers activity and fitness programs for those aged 55+.
Oakridge Arts and Culture
The Chutzpah! Festival is an annual celebration of Jewish arts and culture featuring comedy, dance, film and other artistic performances based at theJewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver.
Oakridge Transportation
Oakridge is bisected by Cambie Street and the Canada Line SkyTrain, with stops at 41st and 49th avenues. Several bus routes also serve the area.
Oakridge Property Statistics
Average home price2$2.4 million
Note that the average price is skewed by the large number of single-detached homes in the neighbourhood (46.2%).
Rental information1
Average gross rent
$1,373
Makeup of dwellings1
Total occupied private dwellings
4,645
Single-detached houses
46.2%
Semi-detached and row houses
6.0%
Duplexes
7.3%
Apartments, under five storeys
22.3%
Apartments, five or more storeys
18.2%
Oakridge Demographics1
Population 12,440
Age
65+
20.1%
40 to 64
37.2%
20 to 39
23.2%
19 and under
19.5%
Neighbourhoods surrounding Oakridge
- Cambie
- South Cambie
- South Granville
- South Vancouver
- Main
1Statistics Canada, Oakridge census data (2011), provided by the City of Vancouver.
2REW.ca Interactive Map, incorporating data from the Chilliwack & District Real Estate Board, Fraser Valley Real Estate Board, and Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver, April 2016.
