About Strathcona

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Strathcona (wiki) is Vancouver’s oldest neighbourhood, and certainly one with a lot of character. The neighbourhood runs from Keefer St to E 2nd/Great Northern Way. between Main St and Clark Dr, though the residential side of the neighbourhood is found between Hastings and Keefer. This area technically encompasses Chinatown, though we’ll save Chinatown and it’s real estate options for another blog post.

Real Estate in Strathcona

Strathcona is one of Vancouver’s oldest neighbourhoods, thanks to it’s proximity to the rail station, Gastown and the Ports. Given it’s age, many of the houses sitting in Strathcona’s boundaries are designated heritage houses and the City of Vancouver has instilled specific zoning regulations in the neighbourhood to maintain the character feel of the area. These zoning restrictions include restrictions on the look of the exterior, restrictions on the usage and restrictions on the footprint of the house. Strathcona also has some interesting types of homes – everything from large character houses to detached strata developments, Edwardian Architecture to Early Vernacular to Vancouver Specials.

Real Estate in Strathcona has increased along with the rest of the East Vancouver market, and for good reason: it’s a very neighbour-ly area of the city that’s walking distance to Chinatown, Gastown, Main St, Commercial Drive, Yaletown and the Seawall with classic homes to boot. Lot sizes in Strathcona are smaller than average at 25′ x 122′ (typical lots of 33′ wide). Houses in the neighbourhood can range from over $1-million for something that needs a full reno, to upwards of $1.8-million for a renewed character house. Some houses in the neighbourhood ere built in the 1800’s, which can pose interesting challenges with floor plans. Many houses are multiple levels (some of which are on hills) which can offer mountain views from the top floor.

Here are a few of my previous posts about houses in Strathcona:
Houses: Strathcona vs Grandview
Strathcona and Mount Pleasant Character Houses

Strathcona Neighbourhood Amenities

Strathcona has Vancouver’s oldest elementary school in Lord Strathcona Elementary as well as Admiral Seymour Elementary. Parks in the neighbourhood include Maclean Park and Strathcona Park, a large park with baseball diamonds and playgrounds.

There are a couple really interesting food and drink stops amongst the houses:

– The Wilder Snail, a great cafe
– Benny’s Market, a small grocer with a charcuterie section, fresh cookies (if you’re lucky to be there when they come out of the oven),
– Finch’s Market, for great sandwiches and coffee
– The Heatley, a new restaurant and bar with live music and weekend brunch
– Union Food Market, for coffee, baked goods and groceries

For neighbourhood news, community events and some history, see the Strathcona Resident’s Association. For information on the business community, see the Strathcona Business Improvement Association.

Contact us if you’re interested in selling your property in Strathcona and are looking for information on it’s value, and what we offer as listing agents.