Victoria Community

The area boundaries for Victoria are West 16th south to 41st Avenue, and Argyle Street East to Nanaimo. It has been called one of Vancouver’s “heart cities” because of its central location to the rest of the city.

Located in the centre of East Vancouver, Victoria mixes together different nationalities and cultures. In this lovely community you can enjoy the outstanding city and mountain views that seem to be everywhere. There are also a large number of parks in the area.

COMMUNITY FACILITIES & BUSINESS

High Schools: Gladstone High School

Elementary Schools: Tecumseh, Cunningham, and Selkirk Elementary Schools.

Community Centres: Kensington and Trout Lake are a couple community centres in or near the area.

Business Centres: Pacific National Exhibition and Vancouver Public Library

Recycling / Garbage: There is a community garbage disposal and recycling centre just South of the intersection of Cambie and Marine drive.

VICTORIA HISTORY

Victoria’s history is very similar to its neighbouring community, Knight. This area was settled in 1888 when a man named Arthur Wilson bought a portion of the land and built the Cedar Cottage Nursery. Soon, more people were buying land around the area for farming and when the interurban line was built in 1891, it drew more farmers and merchants to the area that opened their own shops around the local tram stop. By 1910, this small community had a post office, 40 stores, and schools all in the area. After the Second World War, the community was the beneficiary of more than 4 million dollars through the federal government’s Neighbourhood Improvement Program. The neighbourhood continued to improve and grow with the city’s first library near Kingsway and Knight, the Trout Lake Community Centre, and the beautification of Commercial Street.

Useful Links

The following is a list of services in or near the Victoria area that could be of use.
If you know of any businesses / facilities that should be listed here, please let us know!

Education

Tecumseh Elementary School

http://tecumseh.vsb.bc.ca/ - 1850 East 41st Avenue, East Vancouver, B.C. V5P 1K9, Tel: (604) 713-5390

George T. Cunningham Elementary School

http://cunningham.vsb.bc.ca/ - 2330 East 37th Avenue, Vancouver, B.C., V5R 2T3, Tel: (604) 713-4675

Lord Selkirk Elementary School

http://selkirk.vsb.bc.ca/ - 1750 East 22nd Avenue, East Vancouver, B.C., V5N 2P7, Tel: (604) 713-4650

Gladstone Secondary School

http://gladstone.vsb.bc.ca/ - 4105 Gladstone Street, Vancouver, BC, V5N 4Z2 Tel: (604) 713-8288

Vancouver School Board

http://www.vsb.bc.ca - The Vancouver school district is a large, urban and multicultural school district providing programs to 56,000 students in Kindergarten to Grade 12, over 3,000 adults in adult education programs and over 40,000 in continuing education.

Parks and Community Centres

Kensington Community Centre

http://vancouver.ca/parks/cc/kensington/index.htm - Opened in 1980, offers a wide variety of activities. 5175 Dumfries Street, East Vancouver, BC, V5P 3A2, Tel: (604) 718-6200

Trout Lake Community Centre

http://vancouver.ca/parks/cc/troutlake/index.htm - Located on beautiful John Hendry Park. 3350 Victoria Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5N 4M4, Tel: (604) 257-6955

Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation

http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/parks/index.htm - Offers information on parks and recreation in the Vancouver.

Government

Pacific National Exhibition

http://www.pne.ca/ - Captures the spirit, history of the city, its people and its many achievements. 2901 East Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC, V5K 5J1, Tel: 604-252-3583.

Vancouver Public Library

http://www.vpl.ca/branches/Kensington/home.html - Vancouver public library - Kensington Branch. 3927 Knight Street, Vancouver, B.C., V5N 3L8, Tel: 604-665-3961

City dump and Recycling Depot

http://vancouver.ca/engsvcs/solidwaste/transfer/index.htm - Vancouver city recycling depot and garbage dump. 377 West Kent Avenue North, Vancouver, BC