North Burnaby
Moving from West to East through North Burnaby, you'll find three successively bigger rolling hills with extraordinary views: the Heights, Capitol Hill and Burnaby Mountain.
While governed by the City of Burnaby, the areas of North Burnaby and South Burnaby have historically always had their own identities. Developed as an extension of Vancouver in the early 1900's, the community was meant to be an eastern alternate to the upscale Shaughnessy area. The streetcar connected the Heights to the rest of Vancouver in 1908. Merchants soon cropped up on Hastings Street, and a strong community feeling evolved, where shopkeepers knew neighbourhood children by name. The North Burnaby Merchants Association fought and succeeded in 1979 to deny city planners the right to make Hastings Street a highway with no stop-lights, thus securing the local small business merchants continued business and the sense of community that continues to this day. Every year the community merchants have a huge customers-appreciation day called ‘Hats-Off Day’, with a massive community party and a parade that attracts upwards of 80,000 visitors to the community.
Partly due to its central location and its lovely geography, this area is sought after as one of the premier inner-suburb communities. The lots in North Burnaby are generally zoned larger than those in Vancouver, and so larger homes are more prevalent as well. In the Heights area many of the original homes have been maintained and restored to their original character. Homes on Capitol Hill are often built to capture the fantastic panoramic views of the Inlet, Mountains and city.
As it is a very family-oriented area, and besides the great schools, there are services for children, adults and seniors to be found at one of the city's many Recreation Centers. Confederation Park, right next to Willingdon Community Center, offers incredible mountain views, a great playground, and a terrific running track and soccer fields.
The area has had a large Italian community for many years, as reflected in the many Italian restaurants and delis on Hastings Street. You can find some amazing deli meats and Italian specialty foods at Cioffi's.
Heading eastward over the hills is Burnaby Mountain with Simon Fraser University on top. The mountain has great hiking and mountain biking trails, and the University is considered one of the best in the country for its innovative programs. Architecturally it is a stunning campus, built in 1964-5 and designed by Arthur Erickson.
While Hastings Street continues to be one of the main commercial arteries, Lougheed Highway now hosts many of the larger chain stores, and Brentwood Mall is a wonderful mid-sized mall with shops and department stores and a surprisingly great selection of shoe stores.
North Burnaby is separated from South Burnaby by Highway 1, which makes it very easy to get around to other areas on the eastern side of Greater Vancouver.