Right in the middle of the southern part of Vancouver, British Columbia, Oakridge is a rich, diverse neighbourhood with a bit of everything.
Here you will find a bustling mall and commercial district, calm residential streets, a golf course and even a botanical gardens! The area is known for being the centre of Vancouver’s Jewish community and home to many of its institutions.
Oakridge is like an idyllic suburban neighbourhood with its calm residential streets, a shopping mall and small commercial district, many recreational facilities, parks, and plenty of schools.
What makes it even better is that it is not in the suburbs at all! Stretching from Granville to Ontario streets between West 41st and 57th avenues, Oakridge is in Vancouver proper and only 20 minutes away from Downtown. One of the last neighbourhoods to be developed in the city, it remains largely residential and is a great place for families and seniors. Several young families with children call Oakridge home, but the area also has many assisted-living facilities for the elderly.
Ethnically diverse, Oakridge is the heart of Vancouver’s Jewish community and is also very popular among the city’s Chinese immigrants. In the 2001 Census, 50% of the residents of Oakridge said Chinese was their mother tongue.
The Oakridge mall, Vancouver’s first shopping centre, was built in the 1950s and although it has undergone many renovations, its role as the centre of life in the community has not changed. There you will find several big-brand outlets, such as the Apple Store and Crate & Barrel, as well as small boutiques. A historic White Spot restaurant is right at the entrance of the mall. Giving the neighbourhood’s residents a classic Canadian family dining experience since the 1960s, it is known for its burgers, hearty breakfasts and kids’ meals called Pirate Paks. Also inside Oakridge mall is the Peninsula Seafood Restaurant. Its high quality Chinese cuisine has earned it accolades from the Chinese Restaurant Awards in 2014 and 2015. A bit of a well-kept secret, the Ash Street Bistro is another wonderful place to dine in Oakridge.
Run by Chef Rob Cleland and located inside the Legacy Senior Living facilities, the restaurant is open to the public for lunch and dinner. It serves classic North American favourites as well as international cuisine. For those with children, a great option in the neighbourhood is the Shuk Eat & Play Café. Grab a coffee or eat a casual meal while the little ones have fun in an indoor playground. The café offers authentic Mediterranean favourites such as falafel, shakshuka and hummus. It is also one of Vancouver’s few kosher eateries. Another popular place to grab a bite in Oakridge is Samurai Sushi, on Cambie Street, known for its particularly large sushi rolls.
Real Estate
Oakridge is still made up mainly of single-family, detached homes but the area is going through large-scale densification. A series of new developments are bringing townhomes and condos to the neighbourhood, especially along Cambie Street and 41st Avenue. Currently, discussions are under way about a large project that would place a series of condo towers above Oakridge mall. Some rental apartments are also available in the area.
Cambie and Oak are busy streets, but the rest of Oakridge is quiet and peaceful. This is the kind of neighbourhood where you can hear the birds sing in the morning, despite being in the middle of the city. The many trees and green spaces in the area give it a fairly good air quality.
Crime Rate
Oakridge is a sleepy, upscale residential neighbourhood with a very low crime rate. It has an average of 50 crimes (including petty thefts) per 1000 residents. That is just under half the average crime rate registered in the rest of the city of Vancouver.
Schools
Five public elementary schools and two high schools, as well as two independent schools serve students in Oakridge. Children in Kindergarten to grade 7 can attend Sir William Osler Elementary, Jamieson Elementary, Laurier Elementary, Van Horne Elementary, and Sexsmith Elementary. Older students can go to Eric Hamber Secondary or Sir Winston Churchill Secondary. King David High School offers Jewish education at a secondary level and Vancouver College is a Catholic school for students in Kindergarten to Grade 12. Oakridge is also home to Langara College, one of BC’s largest colleges, with 21,000 undergraduate students in attendance.
Public Transportation
The easiest way to get to Oakridge is through the Canada Line. The rapid transit train line that connects Vancouver to Richmond and the airport has two stops in the neighbourhood: on 41st and 49th avenues and Cambie Street. Both Cambie Street and Oak Street are important north-south thoroughfares in Vancouver and are served by major bus lines. Many bus routes also run through 41st Avenue.
Family Life
The nearby VanDusen Botanical Gardens are one of Vancouver’s most beautiful green areas and make for a wonderful outing for kids and adults alike. Get lost in the labyrinth of the Elizabethan Maze, visit a traditional Scottish shelter made of basaltic rock in the Heather Garden or get to know plants native to Korea at the Korean Pavilion. While at VanDusen, be on the lookout for animals: birds, turtles, fish and even coyotes can be found in the gardens. Golfers will be happy to know that Oakridge is home to the Langara Golf Course, British Columbia’s oldest public course.
Built in 1926, it is a traditional-style course with tree-lined fairways and large rolling greens. The Jewish Community Centre, near the corner of 41st Avenue and Oak Street, welcomes families of all backgrounds and has a pool, fitness centre, gymnasium, dance studio, theatre, library and art gallery. The neighbourhood is also served by the Marpole Oakridge Community Centre and has its own branch of the Vancouver Public Library inside the Oakridge mall. From February to early March, the annual Chutzpah! Festival livens up the winter with music, dance, comedy and theatre.