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Sometimes called the “Gateway into Vancouver” – it shares a border with Burnaby – Renfrew-Collingwood is a lively and engaging point of entry for the City of Vancouver, British Columbia. Primarily a residential area with many beautiful parks and green spaces, this East Van community is a relatively inexpensive neighbourhood in which to eat, shop and play. Brimming with annual celebrations, Renfrew-Collingwood has been known for its community parties ever since its earliest days, and it’s certainly a rewarding place in which to put down roots.
Renfrew-Collingwood is the second most populous neighbourhood in Vancouver, with a population of 50,505 in 2011. The neighbourhood is bordered by Broadway on the north, Boundary Road on the east, E. 41st Avenue on the south, and Nanaimo Street on the west. Carrying traffic from the Trans-Canada Highway into Vancouver, Grandview Highway runs through the north end of Renfrew-Collingwood. Kingsway also runs diagonally through the southern section of the community.
With streets named after its earliest residents, Renfrew-Collingwood shines with community pride. Like today’s modern SkyTrain system, the inter-urban railway tram at the end of the 1800’s brought huge numbers of visitors and residents into this warm, family-friendly neighbourhood. Yesteryear’s stagecoaches travelling up and down Kingsway may have given over to more modern modes of transportation, but the local focus on food and hospitality services makes the community as welcoming and enterprising as ever. Although previously a largely working-class area, Renfrew-Collingwood is developing at a lively pace and gentrification is clearly on the rise.
Renfrew-Collingwood offers a huge variety of entertainment and dining opportunities all year long. For example, the annual Collingwood International Film Festival (July-August) features trendy films from four countries. This past summer, the film festival featured the Philippines, Spain, India and China. Movies are held outdoors at neighbourhood parks and begin at dusk, weather permitting.
The iconic Greek SummerFest, now in its 30th year, is an annual delight for everyone in the region. Inviting you to “Live a day the Greek way,” The Vancouver Greek Summer Festival celebrates Greek food, entertainment, and family fun, from famous BBQ Lamb and honey-drenched loukoumades to the wide variety of live singers and dancers on the performance stage.
The many popular neighbourhood hangouts include Milk & Sugar Café, a trendy bubble tea shop offering smoothies, juices, hot drinks and delicious Asian food, and Icepik Shavery, a cool hangout offering “snow cream,” best described as a hybrid between traditional Hawaiian shaved ice and traditional ice cream. Max’s is a popular Filipino restaurant chain beloved for its fabulous fried chicken served with awesome banana ketchup. For over 30 years La Piazza Dario has been a favourite neighbourhood institution serving authentic Italian cuisine. Creme de la Crumb offers pastries, salads, sandwiches, delicious entrées and excellent coffee, too.
The most common home type in Renfrew-Collingwood is a pre-1980 duplex, sometimes with a great revenue-generating basement suite. The community is made up of about 62 percent owners vs. 38 percent renters, with 49 percent being families (62% of these with kids at home), 27 percent couples, and 24 percent singles. Approximately 29 percent of the neighbourhood is university graduated, and typical household income is around $70K. English is the mother tongue of about 50 percent of Renfrew-Collingwood, with Chinese-speakers making up most of the rest.
As a gateway into vancouver, Renfrew-Collingwood sees a large share of noisy traffic running through it during commute hours. Also, the growing number of multi-family and condo developments in the area adds a bit of resulting construction noise, but city legislation helps keep residential construction noise to a minimum.
As a relatively high-density area, Renfrew-Collingwood experiences its share of petty theft and theft from automobiles. In general, however, this community’s crime rate is about 50 percent lower than Vancouver as a whole.
There are nine public elementary schools in Renfrew-Collingwood and one secondary school. Students attending Graham D Bruce, Collingwood Neighbourhood (Bruce Annex), Nootka, Renfrew, Sir Guy Carleton, and Sir Wilfred Grenfell elementaries continue on to local Windermere Secondary. Children attending Lord Beaconsfield, George T. Cunningham, and John Norquay elementaries continue on to Gladstone Secondary School in neighbouring Kensington-Cedar Cottage. Sunrise East offers an alternative education program, and, for new immigrants into Canada, Vancouver Formosa Academy is a private high school catering to these students’ unique needs.
Served by many major Vancouver thoroughfares to the lower mainland, Renfrew-Collingwood has enjoyed easy public bus access since services began in 1925. In addition to the regular bus service, this neighbourhood has a very convenient selection of SkyTrain stations to choose from. The Expo Line, running diagonally through Renfrew-Collingwood, includes stops at Nanaimo, 29th Avenue, and Joyce-Collingwood stations. Across the northern section of the neighbourhood, the Millennium Line stops at Renfrew and Rupert Stations.
With so many fun family-friendly activities going on in Renfrew-Collingwood, there’s sure to be something for everyone. Annual celebrations abound, like the International Film Festival and the Greek Summerfest mentioned above, and you also won’t want to miss the annual Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival, now in its 14th year. This beautiful festival offers multiple events throughout the month of September, celebrating the Harvest moon with music and entertainment at Slocan Park and Renfrew Ravine Park (see below). Diverse cultural traditions of environmental stewardship are honoured, beautiful lanterns characterising salmon, octopus, turtles, jellyfish, and more are displayed, moon cakes are consumed, and everyone enjoys dancing to the great live music.
Renfrew-Collingwood hosts a staggering 13 neighbourhood parks, offering a huge array of fun-filled sports and nature-related activities. These include Beaconsfield Park, with its 4.43 hectares of rolling hills, grassy fields, and its children’s playground, making it a very popular picnic destination. Collingwood Park offers sports courts, ball fields, paths for walking, a children’s playground, and a wading pool. Falaise Park covers 7.57 hectares and gives panoramic views of Vancouver and Burnaby – its rolling slopes are enjoyable to walk in the summer and famously fun for sledding in the winter. Renfrew Park is a hub of activity boasting 5 hectares of recreational opportunities, plus swimming at the indoor Renfrew Pool. The Still Creek and many sun-dappled trails pass through Renfrew Ravine Park. Community art projects are held here regularly, and native plant restoration gardens can be viewed. Slocan Park is guarded by a fabulous eagle totem pole at the entrance near the 29th Avenue SkyTrain station. You can walk the lantern-lined mosaic path, play in the wading pool, or enjoy a variety of sports in this great location.
Renfrew-Collingwood offers lively, engaging, and enterprising forms of hospitality to all who live in or pass through the neighbourhood. Come and experience the warm and friendly welcome of Renfrew-Collingwood!
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