West End New Westminster Real Estate & Homes for Sale
New Westminster’s West End is a mostly residential neighbourhood with boundaries determined by the commercial areas of 12th and 20th Streets and 6th Avenue. This area was once fairly separated from the city proper, and even though the city’s expansion has connected the neighbourhood to nearby communities, its commercial node has remained.
West End has a population of about 4,400 and a median household income of $66,629, which is 37% higher than the city’s average. 73.8% of the homes in the area are owned by the occupant, which is 20% more than the rest of the city on average. Almost half of all households are single family homes, and there are 15% more couples with children than the New West at large.
West End New Westminster Homes For Sale
- All Listings
- Over $1,000,000
West End shares Metro Vancouver’s mild temperate rainforest climate that brings 2,000 hours of sunshine and 111cm of rain each year. The area’s temperatures range from 6°C to 22°C.
Employment Opportunities
The West End has more residents on average in the areas of business, finance and administration as well as trades, transport and equipment. New Westminster employs more folks in manufacturing, educational services, and public administration than the rest of the Metro Vancouver area on average.
The city’s major employers include the Royal Columbian Hospital, Douglas College, and TransLink (which has a new local headquarters in the Brewery District development). The city’s many recent development initiatives continue to create jobs in nearly all sectors. (2006, 2015)
Shopping
Following the fun Vancouver-area trend of local community garage sale events, the West End Garage Sale has joined Queen’s Park, Massey Victory Heights, Glenbrook North and the Quay as an active participant of the annual ritual of renewal.
The West End district around 12th Street is an edgy commercial area featuring indie shops and an eclectic mix of services like photo studios, tattoo parlours and record stores. The indie vibe of the neighbourhood also carries over into locally minded grocers and barber shops.
Great outlet and big box store shopping is available right across the bridge in Queensborough. Down the hill near the riverfront is the newly renovated Quayside area and its popular River Market, which carries on the city’s new tradition of fostering local innovation in shopping, dining and architecture.
Dining
The nearby Brow-of-the-Hill neighbourhood’s 12th Street is lined with old-style cafes and eateries with many choices from Mexican to Filipino to South Indian.
For dining throughout the city, consider a night out at one of the Starlight Casino’s five restaurants in Queensborough or grab a delicious meal at the fresh-faced River Market. The Quayside market’s developers specially courted Vancouver restaurateurs to create Wild Rice and Re-Up BBQ, which are quickly becoming two of the city’s favourite dining spots.
Transportation and Ease of Access
Five rapid transportation stations have been added to the city’s public transit system, so commuting to Vancouver proper via the SkyTrain takes less than 30 minutes.
West End’s southern border is defined by 6th Avenue, which is dotted with TransLink stops that connect travellers to commercial and recreational spots throughout the city and beyond.
Schools
Strong Start, a free provincially-funded program for children six and under is expanding to the West End and will provide preschoolers with school readiness skills through play-based learning.
West End is also home to two Montessori preschools, Seeds and Roots and Somewhere to Grow. The preschools feed into Lord Tweedsmuir Elementary School, which boasts the largest enrolment in the district.
The school manages its large student population by sectioning the school off into 24 smaller divisions that fall into three academic streams: Montessori, early French immersion and the regular track.
New Westminster’s only high school is also one of the largest in the province. new Westminster Secondary School has been segmented into several mini-schools, including the International Baccalaureate Programme.
Nearby colleges and universities include New West’s Douglas College, Burnaby’s Simon Fraser University and Vancouver’s University of British Columbia, which is 31.7km away by car.
The Arts
The areas well-supported performing arts can be found at a number of venues throughout the city, including the large Massey Theatre near the high school and two stages at beautiful Queen’s Park. The local commercial districts are also dotted with galleries, and local markets and festivals show off the best of the city’s crafting community.
The 12th Street Music Festival is organized by the West End Business Association each year features four music stages and a Kid Zone where families can visit a crafts area and a petting zoo. There are also muscle cars on display, yummy treats and many community craft vendors.
Recreation and Sports
West End’s Grimston Park is a recreation-lover’s dream right in the neighbourhood with a new playground, wading pool, lacrosse box, tennis courts and a soccer field. The lower slope of the park is a great place to toboggan in the winter. Grimston Park also hosts the annual Summerfest, a new community get-together with live music, a mini-farmer’s market and a movie screening under the stars.
The Riverside Adventure Park is a smaller local neighbourhood park with a playground and benches to relax in the shade of the trees.
Nearby Moody Park is a local destination for sports matches and outdoor swimming pool. Residents also love Queen’s Park in the centre of the city, which has become regionally famous for its natural splendor and recreational facilities.
The Outdoors
Those wanting a taste of the outdoors need only to visit one of the city’s 48 parks, which cover a staggering 10% of the city’s total area (and growing). Many of the parks have trails to follow, but the city’s also keeping runners, bicyclists and walkers in mind when developing new features like the Quayside boardwalk, Queensborough’s Perimeter Trail, or the proposed footbridge that will eventually connect them.
Wildlife sanctuaries can be found down the river at the estuary or 7km north of New West at Burnaby Lake, which is a beautiful destination for a kayak or canoe adventure.
Investing in West End
Undervalued real estate has brought many Metro Vancouverites to New Westminster, but once they come, they see there are many more reasons to invest in property here. The typical West End home would be upwards of $200,000 more expensive if it were located just minutes north in Burnaby. However, there is a shortage of homes on the market compared to the influx of buyers, creating a strong real estate market with frequent bidding wars.
The area’s recent period of growth promises to make buying a home in New West even more irresistible. New West was among the top ten cities in BC with the fastest growth rate between 2006 and 2011.
The West End’s beautiful hillside neighbourhood is one of the most wealthy in the city with a median household income that’s 37% higher than the city’s average. It’s also one of the closest neighbourhoods to neighbouring Burnaby, giving it great access to the parks and commercial districts of both cities.
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