View source for Strathcona, Vancouver

{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->
|name              = Strathcona
|settlement_type   = {{nowrap|[[List of neighbourhoods in Vancouver|Neighbourhood]]}}
<!-- |image_skyline     = 
|image_alt         = 
|image_caption     = -->
|image_map         = Strathcona-map.gif
|map_alt           = A map of the neighbourhood, highlighted light green, with streets and parks indicated
|map_caption       = Streetmap
|image_map1        = Vancouver Strathcona.jpg
|map_alt1          = A map of a city, with the Strathcona neighbourhood highlighted
|map_caption1      = Location within the city of Vancouver
|coordinates       = {{coord|49|16|45|N|123|5|15|W|region:CA-BC|display=inline,title}}
|subdivision_type  = [[List of regional districts of British Columbia|Regional district]]
|subdivision_name  = [[Metro Vancouver]]
|subdivision_type1 = City
|subdivision_name1 = [[Vancouver]]
|subdivision_type2 = Neighbourhood
|subdivision_name2 = 
|named_for         = [[Donald Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal]]
|leader_title      = [[House of Commons of Canada|MP]]
|leader_name       = [[New Democratic Party (Canada)|NDP]] [[Jenny Kwan]]<br />([[Vancouver East (federal electoral district)|Vancouver East]])
|leader_title2     = [[Legislative Assembly of British Columbia|MLAs]]
|leader_name2      = [[British Columbia New Democratic Party|NDP]] [[Joan Phillip]]<br />([[Vancouver-Mount Pleasant]])
<!-- ALL fields with measurements have automatic unit conversion -->
<!-- for references: use <ref> tags -->
|unit_pref         = Metric
|area_footnotes    = <ref name=stat1>{{cite web|url=http://earlylearning.ubc.ca/media/yvr_demographic_profils/strathcona_demographic_report_final_07jan2019.pdf|title=Vancouver Demographic Report – Strathcona|date=January 7, 2019|accessdate=March 24, 2019}}</ref>
|area_total_km2          = 3.88
|population_footnotes    = <ref>{{cite web |title=Strathcona; Community Statistics |url=https://vancouver.ca/files/cov/Strathcona-census-data.pdf |website=vancouver.ca |publisher=Government of the City of Vancouver |accessdate=12 March 2020}}</ref>
|population_total        = 12585
|population_as_of        = [[Canada 2016 Census|2016]]
|population_density_km2  = 3243.5
|demographics_type1 = [[Visible minority]]<ref group=lower-alpha>Visible minorities are defined as "persons, other than Aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour."</ref>
|demographics1_footnotes = <ref>{{cite web |title=Strathcona; Community Statistics |url=https://vancouver.ca/files/cov/Strathcona-census-data.pdf |website=vancouver.ca |publisher=Government of the City of Vancouver |accessdate=12 March 2020}}</ref>
|demographics1_title1 = Chinese
|demographics1_info1  = 29.4%
|demographics1_title2 = Other
|demographics1_info2  = 16.3%
|timezone = [[Pacific Time Zone|PST]]
|utc_offset = −8
|timezone_DST = [[Pacific Time Zone|PDT]]
|utc_offset_DST = −7
|postal_code_type = Postal code
|postal_code      = [[List of V postal codes of Canada|V6A]]
|area_code        = [[Area code 604|604]], [[Area code 778|778]]
|blank_name = [[Median income]]
|blank_info = C$12,495–13,677 (2006)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://vancouversun.com/news/vanmap/6236922/story.html|title=Rosemary Heights in Surrey is richest place in Metro Vancouver|first=Chad|last=Skelton|date=March 1, 2012|accessdate=November 21, 2013|publisher=[[Vancouver Sun]]}}</ref>
|website = {{nowrap|{{URL|http://strathcona-residents.org/}}}}<br />{{URL|http://strathconabia.com/}}
|footnotes = {{Reflist|group=lower-alpha}}
}}
[[File:Strathcona-Houses-3731.jpg|thumb|alt=A red-brick school in a corner slightly covered by trees|Houses renovated with the attention to the "true colours"<ref name=truecolours>[http://www.vancouverheritagefoundation.org/truecolours.html "True Colours" Program] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080723132710/http://www.vancouverheritagefoundation.org/truecolours.html |date=2008-07-23 }}  (Vancouver Heritage Foundation)</ref> and non-renovated, in the neighborhood]]
[[File:Strathcona-Buddhist-Temple-3727.jpg|thumb|A Buddhist temple in Strathcona]]
[[File:Lord Strathcona School, Vancouver 8.jpg|thumb|Lord Strathcona Elementary School was founded in 1891 and is the oldest school in Vancouver.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kalman|first1=Harold|last2=Ward|first2=Robin|year=1974|title= Exploring Vancouver: The Architectural Guide|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=wp7az8ku_gkC|editor-first=Iva|editor-last=Cheung|publisher=Douglas & McIntyre|location=Vancouver, BC|isbn=978-1-55365-866-5|accessdate=November 21, 2013}}</ref>]]
'''Strathcona''' is the oldest residential [[list of neighbourhoods in Vancouver|neighbourhood]] of [[Vancouver]], [[British Columbia]], [[Canada]].  Officially a part of the [[East Vancouver|East Side]], it is bordered by [[Downtown Vancouver]]'s [[Chinatown, Vancouver|Chinatown]] neighbourhood and the [[False Creek]] inlet (across [[Main Street, Vancouver|Main Street]]) to the west, [[Downtown Eastside]] (across Hastings Street) to the north, [[Grandview-Woodland]] (across Clark Drive) to the east, and [[Mount Pleasant, Vancouver|Mount Pleasant]] to the south of [[Emily Carr University]] and the [[Canadian National Railway]] and [[Great Northern Railway (U.S.)|Great Northern Railway]] (now [[BNSF Railway]]) [[classification yard]]s.

By some definitions, Strathcona's northern border is the roads just south of [[Burrard Inlet]], and much of the Downtown Eastside lies within Strathcona.<ref name="Heritage2010">{{cite web|title=Strathcona North of Hastings|url=http://heritagevancouver.org/top10-watch-list/2010/5-strathcona-north-of-hastings/|website=Heritage Vancouver|accessdate=20 August 2016}}</ref>  By other definitions, Strathcona's northern boundary is just south of Hastings Street, and the Downtown Eastside is a separate neighbourhood to the north and northwest of Strathcona.<ref name="Heritage2010"/> 

Strathcona has long been a hub of immigration and culture relative to Vancouver's more recently settled neighbourhoods. Chinese immigrants, Vietnamese immigrants, and various groups of European immigrants have characterized the neighbourhood's culture. Although Strathcona was historically a [[working-class]] neighbourhood, recently, more middle-class and affluent groups have come to inhabit the neighbourhood.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Gold |first=Kerry |date=2025-01-10 |title=Several Vancouver neighbourhoods saw decline in rental availability over 20-year census period: study |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/real-estate/vancouver/article-several-vancouver-neighbourhoods-saw-decline-in-rental-availability/ |access-date=2025-06-03 |work=The Globe and Mail |language=en-CA}}</ref> Strathcona is home to many art galleries, family-owned corner stores, and other small businesses.

==History==
Over 11,800 people live in Strathcona,<ref name=stat1 /><ref name=stat2>{{cite web|url=http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-597/P3.cfm?Lang=E&CTuid=9330057.02|title=Census tract profile for 0057.02 (CT), Vancouver (CMA) and British Columbia|publisher=[[Statistics Canada]]|date=June 1, 2010|accessdate=November 21, 2013}}</ref><ref name=stat3>{{cite web|url=http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-597/P3.cfm?Lang=E&CTuid=9330058.00|title=Census tract profile for 0058.00 (CT), Vancouver (CMA) and British Columbia|publisher=[[Statistics Canada]]|date=June 1, 2010|accessdate=November 21, 2013}}</ref> which grew during the city's boom years between the city's founding in 1886 and 1920 due in large part to the choice of early Vancouver as a railway terminus. It emerged from the original settlement that grew around [[Hastings Mill]]. Originally called the East End, the neighbourhood adopted the name Strathcona in the 1960s. Its residents have always been from many ethnic backgrounds, and while it was historically a working-class neighbourhood, it is currently made up by a diverse range of socio-economic and cultural groups. It is the only neighbourhood where English is not the most commonly spoken language, with 61% of residents reporting [[Chinese language|Chinese]] as their mother tongue, followed by English at 24%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vpl.vancouver.bc.ca/branches/Strathcona/home.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930182404/http://www.vpl.vancouver.bc.ca/branches/Strathcona/home.html |archive-date=30 September 2007 |title=Home page for the Strathcona Branch |website=Vancouver Public Library}}</ref>

The neighbourhood was earmarked for demolition in the 1950s as part of an [[urban renewal]] program. Strathcona would have been transformed into "block upon block of identical apartments buildings and townhouses" for [[social housing]]. The redevelopment plans proceeded with the construction of the MacLean Park housing development between Union, Keefer, Gore and Jackson, and Stamp's Place on Campbell between Hastings, Union and Raymur some 15 blocks of the neighbourhood were bulldozed including [[Hogan's Alley (Vancouver)|Hogan's Alley]], the only Black community in Vancouver.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://vancouverfoundation.ca/stories/oct-29-2013/reviving-black-strathcona|title=Reviving Black Strathcona}} Vancouver Foundation</ref> Development was stopped due to opposition from the community, led by residents such as Bessie Lee, [[Mary Lee Chan]], her husband Walter Chan, and daughter Shirley Chan, who banded together to form the Strathcona Property Owners and Tenants Association (SPOTA).<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Alexander|first=Don|date=2019|title=Remembering the legacy of Shirley Chan: Saving Vancouver's Chinatown neighbourhood|url=https://viurrspace.ca/handle/10613/9847|journal=Planning West|volume=61|issue=1|pages=12–14|doi=10.25316/IR-4290|issn=1710-4904|via=VIUSpace}}</ref> Important municipal figures such as mayor [[Mike Harcourt]] and the TEAM and later [[Coalition of Progressive Electors|COPE]] party emerged from this movement.

In 1971, residents came into conflict with the north–south rail line that had bisected the neighbourhood since 1909. Mothers of children who attended Admiral Seymour Elementary School were concerned that trains often blocked the route that their children took to walk to school. This group, which became known as the [[Militant Mothers of Raymur]], occupied the tracks, leading to the construction of a pedestrian/cyclist overpass at Keefer St.

Just as the neighbourhood organisers were making headway at preserving the neighbourhood, city engineers proposed putting a [[freeway]] through the southern part of the neighbourhood which would have connected to a proposed waterfront route. The connectors along Gore and Carrall Streets would have partially destroyed [[Chinatown, Vancouver|Chinatown]] and [[Gastown]].

The Mau Dan Gardens Co-operative was established in October 1981, the last of five projects initiated by the Strathcona Area Housing Society (SAHS) to provide housing for the residents of the Strathcona area whose homes were expropriated and demolished in the urban renewal clearance scheme of 1965.

In 1972, after protest by the local community, the city abandoned its plan to build a municipal fire hall on the vacant site and reserved the property known as site "C & D" for family housing. The land, owned by the City of Vancouver, is now leased to the Mau Dan Gardens Co-operative Housing Association.

The founding membership of the Co-operative was predominantly of Chinese ethnicity, but included families of Vietnamese, Cambodian, Japanese and Canadian origin.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.maudancoop.ca/History.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425052053/http://www.maudancoop.ca/History.htm |archive-date=25 April 2012 |title=Mau Dan Gardens' History}}</ref>

In recent years, Strathcona has been subjected to a significant [[gentrification]] process, reinforcing the economic disparity of the area. The late 19th and early 20th century [[architecture]] in the area is a relative rarity in Vancouver and many houses in Strathcona are designated heritage houses. This housing stock in particular is being [[renovation|renovated]], thus raising property values and attracting wealthier home owners to the area.<ref name=":0" />  A number of homeowners have restored their houses in the original Victorian or Edwardian styles, with a particular attention to the "true colours" of the period,<ref name=truecolours/> which in some cases has been supported by grants from the "Restore It!" program of the Vancouver Heritage Foundation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vancouverheritagefoundation.org/restoreit.html |title=Vancouver Heritage Foundation: Created as a private, charitable organization in 1992 by the Mayor and Council of the City of Vancouver, who remain its honorary patrons until today. Under the direction of a private citizen Board of Directors, the Foundation assists with the conservation of Vancouver?s built heritage, in recognition of its public benefit |website=www.vancouverheritagefoundation.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040620054019/http://www.vancouverheritagefoundation.org/restoreit.html |archive-date=2004-06-20}}</ref>

==Education==
There are two [[Public school (government funded)|public]] [[elementary school]]s located within Strathcona: [[Lord Strathcona Elementary School|Lord Strathcona]] and [[Admiral Seymour Elementary School|Admiral Seymour]]. Also named for [[Donald Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal]], Lord Strathcona Elementary was founded in 1891 and is the oldest school in Vancouver. The school is attached to a [[community centre]] and the school library formerly doubled as a branch of the [[Vancouver Public Library]]. Admiral Seymour Elementary was named in honour of [[Edward Hobart Seymour|Sir Edward Hobart Seymour]], a former [[Admiral of the fleet (Royal Navy)|Admiral of the fleet]] of the [[Royal Navy]]. Strathcona is in the [[secondary school]] catchment area of [[Britannia Secondary School]].

[[Vancouver Japanese Language School]] is also located in Strathcona. Established in 1906 as {{Nihongo|Vancouver Japanese Citizens School|晩香坡共立日本國民學校|Bankūbā Kyōritsu Nihon Kokumin Gakkō}}, it is the oldest Japanese school in Canada.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Asato|first1=Noriko|title=Teaching mikadoism : the attack on Japanese language schools in Hawaii, California, and Washington, 1919-1927|date=2006|publisher=University of Hawaii Press|location=Honolulu|isbn=978-0-8248-2898-1|page=15}}</ref> Although properties owned by Japanese Canadians were forfeited by the government during [[World War II]] and were never returned, the school building on Alexander Street is the only property in Canada where half of the ownership was returned to the Japanese Canadian community after the [[Japanese Canadian internment|internment]].<ref>{{cite web|title=487 Alexander Street - Vancouver Japanese Language School|url=http://opendoorsproject.weebly.com/487-alexander-st.html|website=Open Doors Project|accessdate=3 May 2015}}</ref> Vancouver Japanese Language School is offering Japanese immersion preschool as well as various Japanese language courses.

==Demographics==
As of 2006, Strathcona has 11,920 people, a 3% increase from 2001. 13.5% of the population is under the age of 19; 23.5% is between 20 and 39; 38.9% is between 40 and 64; and 24.0% is 65 or older. 43.9% of Strathcona residents speak English as a first language, and 40.3% speak a Chinese language. Its unemployment rate is 4.1%.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ [[Panethnicity|Panethnic]] groups in the Strathcona neighbourhood (2001−2016)
! rowspan="2" |[[Panethnicity|Panethnic]]<br>group
! colspan="2" |2016<ref name="2016censusB">{{Cite web |last=Open Data Portal |first=City Of Vancouver |date=2018-04-10 |title= Census local area profiles 2016 |url=https://opendata.vancouver.ca/explore/dataset/census-local-area-profiles-2016/information/ |access-date=2023-03-20 |website=opendata.vancouver.ca}}</ref>
! colspan="2" |2006<ref name="2006censusB">{{Cite web |last=Open Data Portal |first=City Of Vancouver |date=2013-03-25 |title= Census local area profiles 2006 |url=https://opendata.vancouver.ca/explore/dataset/census-local-area-profiles-2006/information/ |access-date=2023-03-20 |website=opendata.vancouver.ca}}</ref>
! colspan="2" |2001<ref name="2001censusB">{{Cite web |last=Open Data Portal |first=City Of Vancouver |date=2013-03-25 |title= Census local area profiles 2001 |url=https://opendata.vancouver.ca/explore/dataset/census-local-area-profiles-2001/information/ |access-date=2023-03-20 |website=opendata.vancouver.ca}}</ref>
|-
![[Population|{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}]]
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
|-
| [[European Canadians|European]]{{efn|Statistic includes all persons that did not make up part of a visible minority or an indigenous identity.|name=euro}}
| 4,410
| {{Percentage | 4410 | 9855 | 2 }}
| 4,345
| {{Percentage | 4345 | 11290 | 2 }}
| 3,865
| {{Percentage | 3865 | 11055 | 2 }}
|-
| [[East Asian Canadians|East Asian]]{{efn|Statistic includes total responses of "Chinese", "Korean", and "Japanese" under visible minority section on census.|name=EastAsian}}
| 2,995
| {{Percentage | 2995 | 9855 | 2 }}
| 4,940
| {{Percentage | 4940 | 11290 | 2 }}
| 5,195
| {{Percentage | 5195 | 11055 | 2 }}
|-
| [[Indigenous peoples in Canada|Indigenous]]
| 990
| {{Percentage | 990 | 9855 | 2 }}
| 740
| {{Percentage | 740 | 11290 | 2 }}
| 635
| {{Percentage | 635 | 11055 | 2 }}
|-
| [[Southeast Asia]]n{{efn|Statistic includes total responses of "Filipino" and "Southeast Asian" under visible minority section on census.|name=SoutheastAsian}}
| 595
| {{Percentage | 595 | 9855 | 2 }}
| 715
| {{Percentage | 715 | 11290 | 2 }}
| 675
| {{Percentage | 675 | 11055 | 2 }}
|-
| [[African-Canadian|African]]
| 295
| {{Percentage | 295 | 9855 | 2 }}
| 55
| {{Percentage | 55 | 11290 | 2 }}
| 115
| {{Percentage | 115 | 11055 | 2 }}
|-
| [[Latin American Canadians|Latin American]]
| 170
| {{Percentage | 170 | 9855 | 2 }}
| 110
| {{Percentage | 110 | 11290 | 2 }}
| 240
| {{Percentage | 240 | 11055 | 2 }}
|-
| [[South Asian Canadians|South Asian]]
| 115
| {{Percentage | 115 | 9855 | 2 }}
| 155
| {{Percentage | 155 | 11290 | 2 }}
| 145
| {{Percentage | 145 | 11055 | 2 }}
|-
| [[Middle Eastern Canadians|Middle Eastern]]{{efn|Statistic includes total responses of "West Asian" and "Arab" under visible minority section on census.|name=MiddleEastern}}
| 75
| {{Percentage | 75 | 9855 | 2 }}
| 35
| {{Percentage | 35 | 11290 | 2 }}
| 100
| {{Percentage | 100 | 11055 | 2 }}
|-
| Other/[[Multiracial people|Multiracial]]{{efn|Statistic includes total responses of "Visible minority, {{abbr|n.i.e.|not included elsewhere}}" and "Multiple visible minorities" under visible minority section on census.|name=Other}}
| 210
| {{Percentage | 210 | 9855 | 2 }}
| 185
| {{Percentage | 185 | 11290 | 2 }}
| 95
| {{Percentage | 95 | 11055 | 2 }}
|-
! Total responses
! 9,855
! {{Percentage | 9855 | 12585 | 2 }}
! 11,290
! {{Percentage | 11290 | 11920 | 2 }}
! 11,055
! {{Percentage | 11055 | 11575 | 2 }}
|-
! Total population
! 12,585
! {{Percentage | 12585 | 12585 | 2 }}
! 11,920
! {{Percentage | 11920 | 11920 | 2 }}
! 11,575
! {{Percentage | 11575 | 11575 | 2 }}
|- class="sortbottom"
| colspan="10" | {{small|Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses}}
|}

==See also==
{{Commons category|Strathcona, Vancouver}}
* [[History of Vancouver]]
* [[Downtown Eastside]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

==References==
<references/>

{{VancouverNeighbourhoods}}

[[Category:Neighbourhoods in Vancouver]]
[[Category:Gentrification in Canada]]