Shaughnessy is an almost entirely residential neighbourhood in Vancouver

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...

, Canada, spanning about 447 hectares in a relatively central locale. It is bordered by 16th Avenue to the north, 41st Avenue to the south, Oak Street to the east, and Arbutus Street/West Boulevard to the west. Recent census estimates place its population at 9020, hailing from 2970 households.

The neighbourhood is characterized by the affluence of its residents: at an average annual household income of $136,252 and family income of $153,895 it is the wealthiest neighbourhood in Vancouver. It is also the site of many historical homes, especially in First Shaughnessy. 51.5% of the neighbourhood's homes were built before or 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...

, compared with 20.8% for the city at large. This is largely due to the 1981 First Shaughnessy Official Development Plan by-law, which promotes private property ownership and single-family dwelling, while limiting property subdivision and population density.

The neighbourhood was created in 1907 by the Canadian Pacific Railway

Canadian Pacific Railway

The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...

, then the largest real estate developer in Canada. It was meant as an alternative to the West End

West End, Vancouver

The West End of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada is on the downtown peninsula neighbouring Stanley Park and the areas of Yaletown, Coal Harbour and the downtown financial and central business districts....

, which was the traditional home for the budding city's elite. Thanks to aggressive marketing by the Railroad, highly regulated development and a stronger degree of exclusiveness, it gradually took the latter's status over the past century.

Shaughnessy is home to Little Flower Academy

Little Flower Academy

Little Flower Academy is an independent Catholic girls' day school in Vancouver, British Columbia. Established in 1927, by the Sisters of Saint Ann. It educates students at the secondary level between the grades of eight and twelve...

, Vancouver College

Vancouver College

Vancouver College is an all-boys university-preparatory Catholic school located in the Shaughnessy neighbourhood of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. VC's elementary and secondary programs have a combined population of over 1,000 students. Despite its Catholic denomination, it is open to all...

, York House School

York House School

York House School is an independent girls school for junior kindergarten through grade 12 located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is located in the Shaughnessy neighbourhood in the heart of Vancouver. Founded in 1932 as a Canadian school for girls, it adopted an English motto as opposed...

and Shaughnessy Elementary School. Secondary students either attend Eric Hamber (East of Granville Street) or Prince of Wales (West of Granville Street).