West Vancouver is a suburban area of Vancouver‘s North Shore in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It has a few good parks, excellent hikes and some of the most expensive property in Canada.
. . . West Vancouver . . .
West Vancouver is mainly a residential district as it has no manufacturing industry by law. Many of its residents commute to downtown Vancouver, work at home, or are retired. It is home to some very large expensive houses, most with views of Vancouver Island, English Bay, and/or Howe Sound. West Van (as the locals call it) is Canada’s wealthiest municipality (followed by its neighbor, North Vancouver). Together with the District of North Vancouver and City of North Vancouver, it is part of a local regional grouping referred to as the North Shore municipalities, or simply “The North Shore“.
The main entry points to West Vancouver are Highway 1 (Trans Canada Highway) from North Vancouver or by Highway 99 across the Lion’s Gate Bridge from Vancouver. Visitors travelling south on Highway 99 from Squamish or Whistler will arrive in the North Shore just above Horseshoe Bay.
The TransLink bus system connects West Vancouver with the rest of the TransLink system in Vancouver and its suburbs. Travelling to/from North Vancouver costs $2.85. Crossing the harbour means crossing a fare zone boundary so a ticket to/from Vancouver, Burnaby or Richmond will cost $4.10 and a ticket to/from Surrey will cost $5.60.
BC Ferries has a ferry terminal in Horseshoe Bay (West Vancouver) with three routes servicing it, including one from Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. The ferry terminal connects directly to Highway 1 and the Translink bus system (routes 250, 257, 259 and C12).
. . . West Vancouver . . .