Вест-Ванкувер: История, География и Современность

West Vancouver is a district municipality in the province of British Columbia, Canada. A member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District, West Vancouver is to the northwest of the city of Vancouver on the northern side of English Bay and the southeast shore of Howe Sound, and is adjoined by the District of North Vancouver to its east. Together with the District of North Vancouver and the City of North Vancouver, it is part of a local regional grouping referred to as the North Shore municipalities, or simply "the North Shore". West Vancouver is connected to the downtown city of Vancouver via the Lions Gate Bridge. Originally named First Narrows Bridge, its completion in 1938 allowed the people of the North Shore municipalities to cross of the Burrard Inlet to the city. West Vancouver had a population of 44,122 at the 2021 Canadian census. and also the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal, one of the main connecting hubs between the British Columbia mainland and Vancouver Island.

The Municipality of West Vancouver was incorporated on March 15, 1912, after separating from the District of North Vancouver. The first municipal election was held on April 6, 1912. In November 1938, the Lions Gate Bridge was opened to traffic, allowing extensive growth of the semi populated community, previously only accessible by ferry. Some homes in West Vancouver date back to the 1920s and 30s, though most of the currently existing dwellings were built in the 1970s and 80s, and mostly in British Pacific Properties' developments.

West Vancouver was the second municipality in British Columbia to record cases of COVID 19 in March 2020, following the first reported outbreak at Lynn Valley Care Home in the neighbouring District of North Vancouver. On March 12, 2020, long term care facility Hollyburn House announced they had identified two positive cases among a staff member and resident. Mayor Mary Ann Booth began instituting closures on March 13, and on March 16 closed all facilities run by the District except for Municipal Hall, police and fire services, the District Operations Centre and Capilano View Cemetery. She declared a local state of emergency on March 21, granting the municipal government additional powers to enforce orders issued by provincial health officer Bonnie Henry, including business closures and revocation of business licenses.

West Vancouver is mainly a residential district as many residents are retired, work at home, or take the short commute to downtown Vancouver. A 13 block strip of Marine Drive serves as a commercial district, featuring shops, small offices, garages and gas stations, restaurants, banks, and other common amenities. The area between 13th and 19th Streets is commonly known as Ambleside Village, and the area between 24th and 26th Streets is known as the village of Dundarave. This commercial area is served by the Ambleside Dundarave Business Improvement Association. West Vancouver is also home to Park Royal Shopping Centre, Canada's first mall. Opened in the 1950s, it now consumes of both sides of Marine Drive near North Vancouver. Park Royal is the second largest mall in British Columbia, after Metropolis at Metrotown in Burnaby. Located nearby is a major bus terminal for Blue Bus and North Vancouver TransLink buses. The West Vancouver Memorial Library, located in Ambleside, has a circulation rate of 21.32 per capita, the highest circulation rate per capita in Canada.

At the 2021 Canadian census conducted by Statistics Canada, West Vancouver had a population of 44,122 living in 17,690 of its 18,795 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 42,473. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. West Vancouver has the second highest percentage of persons aged 65 or older in BC with 22% of persons fitting into the category, compared with 13% for the rest of the province. The top five professions in West Vancouver are professional science and technical services; retail trade; health care; finance and insurance; and educational services. A large portion of the population is involved in senior management in comparison with the rest of the province.

+ Panethnic groups in West Vancouver (2001−2021)Panethnic group2021201120062001Pop. (Population)% (percentage)Pop. (Population)% (percentage)Pop. (Population)% (percentage)Pop. (Population)% (percentage)Pop. (Population)% (percentage) European 24,195 55.77 26,285 63.06 29,910 71.14 31,960 76.78 32,475 79.48 East Asian 9,990 23.03 8,970 21.52 5,870 13.96 5,025 12.07 4,755 11.64 Middle Eastern 5,310 12.24 3,915 9.39 3,445 8.19 2,480 5.96 2,055 5.03 South Asian 1,405 3.24 975 2.34 1,040 2.47 950 2.28 835 2.04 Southeast Asian 770 1.77 660 1.58 780 1.86 490 1.18 335 0.82 Indigenous 425 0.98 240 0.58 265 0.63 155 0.37 100 0.24 Latin American 430 0.99 240 0.58 185 0.44 255 0.61 135 0.33 African 185 0.43 90 0.22 185 0.44 125 0.30 80 0.20 Other 670 1.54 310 0.74 365 0.87 170 0.41 100 0.24 Total responses 43,385 98.33 41,680 98.13 42,045 98.48 41,625 98.80 40,860 98.65 Total population 44,122 100.00 42,473 100.00 42,694 100.00 42,131 100.00 41,421 100.00

West Vancouver is Canada's wealthiest municipality, with an average household net worth of North Vancouver just next door is the tenth richest. West Vancouver is home to some very large, luxurious and expensive properties and houses. Occasionally, houses have been priced and sold at around $30,000,000. In 2011, West Vancouver's average house sold for over $2,000,000; 95% of the houses or close to 16,000 homes are worth over $1 million. In West Vancouver, average total incomes were $86,253 for males and $48,070 for females, almost double the provincial average. Over 80% of the population has a total family income of at least $100,000. Many residents from Squamish, the Sunshine Coast, and North Vancouver attend West Vancouver schools.