Marpole
Encyclopedia
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, immediately northeast of Vancouver International Airport
Vancouver International Airport
Vancouver International Airport is located on Sea Island in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, about from Downtown Vancouver. In 2010 it was the second busiest airport in Canada by aircraft movements and passengers , behind Toronto Pearson International Airport, with non-stop flights daily to...
. It is approximately bordered by Angus Drive to the west, 57th Avenue to the north, Main Street to the east and the Fraser River
Fraser River
The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
to the south. It has undergone many changes in the past century, with the influx of traffic and development associated with the construction of the Oak Street Bridge
Oak Street Bridge
The Oak Street Bridge is a four-lane bridge crossing the Fraser River connecting Vancouver to Richmond in British Columbia. The main spans are heavy steel deck plate girders continuous over three spans of 60.9, 91.4 and 60.9 metres. The bridge is a part of Highway 99.- History :The Oak Street...
(which leads to Highway 99 leading to the southern suburbs) and the Arthur Laing Bridge
Arthur Laing Bridge
The Arthur Laing Bridge is a four-lane, high-level bridge carrying Grant McConachie Way over the North Arm of the Fraser River between Vancouver and Richmond, British Columbia's Sea Island where the Vancouver International Airport is located. Two parallel independent unpainted steel box girders...
(which leads to Vancouver International Airport
Vancouver International Airport
Vancouver International Airport is located on Sea Island in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, about from Downtown Vancouver. In 2010 it was the second busiest airport in Canada by aircraft movements and passengers , behind Toronto Pearson International Airport, with non-stop flights daily to...
).
History
Marpole is one of Vancouver's oldest communities. Evidence of settlement dating back to 3500 B.C. has been found in the area, and it was first inhabited by non-natives in the 1860s. It was originally called Eburne Station and once existed as a separate village separated from the city by miles of forest.At the turn of the 20th century, the Vancouver Lulu Island
Lulu Island
Lulu Island is the name of the largest island in the estuary of the Fraser River. The island makes up most of the City of Richmond, a major suburb of Vancouver, British Columbia...
Railway of the British Columbia Electric Railway
British Columbia Electric Railway
The British Columbia Electric Railway was a historic Canadian railway which operated in southwestern British Columbia.Originally the parent company, and later a division, of BC Electric, the BCER operated public transportation in southwestern British Columbia from its establishment in the...
interurban train were constructed, which triggered the development of sawmills, shingle mills and gravel companies in the region. The area was renamed after Richard Marpole
Richard Marpole
Richard Marpole was General Superintendent with the Canadian Pacific Railway Pacific Division in Vancouver. In the 1907 Voter's List he is noted as living at the corner of Hastings and Hornby Streets in Vancouver. He directed the C.P.R. interests during the Mission robbery investigation. He died...
in 1916, and by the time it joined Vancouver in 1929, it had become one of the area's major industrial centres.
Oak Street Bridge
The Oak Street Bridge is a four-lane bridge crossing the Fraser River connecting Vancouver to Richmond in British Columbia. The main spans are heavy steel deck plate girders continuous over three spans of 60.9, 91.4 and 60.9 metres. The bridge is a part of Highway 99.- History :The Oak Street...
was completed in 1957 and was partly responsible for a downturn in business around the Marine and Hudson area, as traffic shifted to the east. The 1975 opening of the Arthur Laing Bridge
Arthur Laing Bridge
The Arthur Laing Bridge is a four-lane, high-level bridge carrying Grant McConachie Way over the North Arm of the Fraser River between Vancouver and Richmond, British Columbia's Sea Island where the Vancouver International Airport is located. Two parallel independent unpainted steel box girders...
helped shift the business area back to the west, along Granville Street
Granville Street
Granville Street is a major street in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and part of Highway 99.-Location:Granville Street runs generally north-south through the centre of Vancouver, passing through several neighbourhoods and commercial areas, differing appreciably in their land value and the...
.
Transportation
Because of the Oak and Arthur Laing Bridges, traffic jams are common in the area, especially during peak hours. However, it is well-served by public transit (which is run by TransLinkTransLink (Vancouver)
TransLink is the organization responsible for the regional transportation network of Metro Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada, including public transport and major roads and bridges...
and operated by Coast Mountain Bus Company
Coast Mountain Bus Company
Coast Mountain Bus Company is the contract operator for bus transit services in Metro Vancouver and is a wholly owned subsidiary of the South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority known locally as TransLink, the entity responsible for transit...
) mostly because almost all the buses going to the southern suburbs pass through Marpole at some point.
In September 2009, the Canada Line
Canada Line
Canada Line is a rapid transit line in the Metro Vancouver region of British Columbia, Canada. Opened in August 2009, it is the third line in TransLink's SkyTrain metro network, servicing Vancouver, Richmond, and the Vancouver International Airport...
replaced most of the suburban routes and the 98 B-Line
98 B-Line
The 98 B-Line was a bus rapid transit line in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It connected Richmond, British Columbia to Downtown Vancouver, with a connection to Vancouver International Airport. It travelled mainly along Granville Street in Vancouver and No. 3 Road in Richmond. It was...
. It runs along Cambie Street, and has a station at Marine Drive, with a future station at 57th Avenue.
Marpole is also directly across the Fraser River from Vancouver International Airport
Vancouver International Airport
Vancouver International Airport is located on Sea Island in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, about from Downtown Vancouver. In 2010 it was the second busiest airport in Canada by aircraft movements and passengers , behind Toronto Pearson International Airport, with non-stop flights daily to...
, located on Sea Island
Sea Island, British Columbia
Sea Island is located in the city of Richmond, British Columbia, directly across the river from Vancouver and fifteen kilometres from Vancouver's downtown core. The island is in the estuary of the Fraser River, giving it a unique ecological environment...
in Richmond
Richmond, British Columbia
Richmond is a coastal city, incorporated in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Part of Metro Vancouver, its neighbouring communities are Vancouver and Burnaby to the north, New Westminster to the east, and Delta to the south, while the Strait of Georgia forms its western border...
, which is the second busiest airport in Canada.
Economy
Most of Marpole's stores are centred along the southern end of Granville Street. There are small corner shops located on Oak Street and 67th, and on Cambie at 57th. A large number of businesses, ranging from drive-through fast-food eateries to big box stores, manufacturers and distributors are also located along Marine Drive east of the Arthur Laing bridge, with more heavy-industry type businesses are located along the banks of the Fraser River. Just west of the Arthur Laing bridge are the Wild Coyote nightclub (under the on-ramp at Hudson), as well as the Fraser Arms Hotel and the Metro Theatre, an important live community theatre venue in Vancouver. Just west of the Fraser Arms is the approximate location of the Great Marpole Midden.Another large commercial district has been approved for Marpole, which will be in the eastern portion of the neighbourhood. The intersection of Marine Drive and Cambie Street was designated by the City of Vancouver as the "Marine Landing" precinct of the Cambie Corridor (Marine Landing Precinct)(Marine Landing - Marpole's Urban Dock). Currently one development in the Marine Landing precinct, "Marine Gateway" Marine Gateway has been approved, which will provide two residential towers, one office tower and a large amount of commercial and retail space, including 11 movie theatres. Construction on Marine Gateway is expected to begin in early 2012. There is currently a second proposal for the north east side of Marine Drive and Cambie Street by Intracorp which has not yet been approved.
Education
There are six elementary schools in the Marpole area. These include:- David Lloyd George Elementary SchoolDavid Lloyd George Elementary SchoolDavid Lloyd George Elementary School is an elementary school in the Marpole neighbourhood in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, part of School District 39 Vancouver.- Teams :...
- Sir Wilfrid Laurier Elementary SchoolSir Wilfrid Laurier Elementary SchoolSir Wilfrid Laurier Elementary School is located in the Marpole community on 57th Avenue at Laurel Street. It was named for Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the Prime Minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911....
- Laurier Annex
- McKechnie Elementary School
- J. W. Sexsmith Elementary SchoolJ. W. Sexsmith Elementary SchoolJ.W. Sexsmith Community Elementary is a public elementary school in Vancouver, British Columbia part of School District 39 Vancouver.- History :...
- St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School
There are no high schools which fall within Marpole's borders, however Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School
Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School (Vancouver)
Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School is named after the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Winston Churchill.Churchill Secondary is one of two International Baccalaureate schools and one of three French Immersion secondary schools in Vancouver.Churchill is fed by the surrounding...
sits just across 57th Avenue in Oakridge and serves the majority of the neighbourhood. Magee Secondary School
Magee Secondary School
Magee Secondary School is one of the first public high schools located in the Kerrisdale neighbourhood of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Magee is fed by the surrounding elementary schools in its catchment area. They include Maple Grove Elementary School, Dr. R.E. McKechnie Elementary School,...
serves the western portion of the neighbourhood.
Healthcare
George Pearson Centre is located in Marpole. It is a centre that specializes with adults with disabilities who require special assistance.Joy Kogawa's Obasan
Joy KogawaJoy Kogawa
Joy Nozomi Kogawa, CM, OBC is a Canadian poet and novelist of Japanese descent.-Life:Born Joy Nozomi Nakayama in Vancouver, British Columbia, she was sent with her family to the internment camp for Japanese Canadians at Slocan during World War II...
's bestselling novel, Obasan
Obasan
Obasan is a novel by the Japanese-Canadian author Joy Kogawa. First published by Lester and Orpen Dennys in 1981, it chronicles Canada's internment and persecution of its citizens of Japanese descent during World War II from the perspective of a young child...
, which tells the story of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
's internment
Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
and persecution
Persecution
Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another group. The most common forms are religious persecution, ethnic persecution, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these terms. The inflicting of suffering, harassment, isolation,...
of its citizens of Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
descent during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, partially takes place in Marpole, in a tiny bungalow located at 1450 West 64th Avenue. Joy Kogawa (nee Nakayama, born 1935) lived there as a child, and in 2006 the house was purchased by The Land Conservancy of British Columbia following a nation-wide fundraising campaign . The 1912 house stands as a cultural and historical reminder of the war-time experience of Canadians of Japanese heritage, who were interned in remote camps and their property expropriated during World War II.
Today, the Historic Joy Kogawa House Society, a community-based group of arts supporters, operates a writer-in-residence program at the house purely on a volunteer basis. The writer-in-residence program has been under way since 2009 and during that time has enriched the literary community and fostered an appreciation for Canadian writing by bringing well-regarded professional writers in touch with a local community of writers, readers, and students. The writer-in-residence program celebrates the work of Joy Kogawa, which brought the war-time experience of Japanese-Canadians to general awareness among Canadians.
Winona Park
Winona Park is a park in the Marpole neighbourhood of VancouverVancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, just south of the Langara golf course. It has 3 levels, each being the size of a football field. Unlike many similar parks which contain large grass fields, Winona Park is not attached to any community centre or school. Combined with the fact that it is situated in an area which consists mostly of low density residential housing, and the fact that organized sports clubs require an explicit permit for use of the fields, Winona Park is relatively calm as attendance is low, providing individual or couples a haven of privacy and peace.
In addition to the three parallel fields mentioned above, the park also features a small children's playground which consists of a slide, several bars, a tire swing, and 4 swings. It is notable that due to the terracing of the three fields and the natural southern aspect of the land in the area, there is a spectacular southern view featuring the North Arm Fraser River
Fraser River
The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
and into the Richmond
Richmond, British Columbia
Richmond is a coastal city, incorporated in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Part of Metro Vancouver, its neighbouring communities are Vancouver and Burnaby to the north, New Westminster to the east, and Delta to the south, while the Strait of Georgia forms its western border...
delta. It is said that on a clear day with minimal smog interference, one is able to see tens and tens of kilometres into the distance. Also, since most of the park is composed of grass expanses to accommodate the fields, a light breeze is present even on mostly windless days, granting users of the park relief from the heat of the summer sun. The park is not without shade, however, as there are large trees planted in a linear fashion between each of the fields/levels of the park.