Strathcona
Neighbourhood Market Profile

Strathcona is a vibrant community of seniors, working families, professionals and artists. A multi-cultural centre, the area is comprised of more residents with Chinese and Vietnamese heritage than average for the City of Vancouver. Chinese is the dominant household language for area residents. Household sizes in this area are smaller than the City or GVRD average. With a higher proportion of apartment type housing, the area is home to a greater percentage of renters than average for the City, including a significant proportion of those living in non-market housing.

Reflecting their older age, lower education levels and smaller household size, Strathcona exhibits lower household incomes than the Vancouver or GVRD average. However, with an increasing number of families as well as young singles with higher disposable incomes, the face of Strathcona is changing. Building on its cultural heritage, the Strathcona area is also increasingly attracting young singles with artistic and cultural employment and interests.

Strathcona residents in the work force are primarily involved in sales and service as well as employment related to industry, including “trades, transport and equipment related” and “processing and manufacturing.” A significant percentage also tend toward employment in art, culture, recreation and sport.

About the BIA

Strathcona is Vancouver’s oldest residential community. Its longest running known business has existed for nearly 100 years.¹ The Strathcona Business Improvement Area (BIA) boundaries (see Figure 1) are Gore Avenue, Hastings Street, Raymur Avenue, Venables Street, Clarke Drive and the waterfront (Powell and Railway streets). It comprises more than 8,700 residents, 370 businesses and approximately 7,000 employees.²

This report provides an overview of the Strathcona neighbourhood market, focusing primarily on population, household and spending statistics.³ The Strathcona Commercial Area Profile focuses on key market information including zoning and development potential as well as business and employee mix.

^{1. Strathcona Business Opportunities, p.1.}

^{2. Source of employee count is Strathcona BIA 2005 Business Opportunities report. Note that resident and business totals may differ from Strathcona BIA data primary source materials (see footnote 3).}

^{3. Unless otherwise stated, statistics used in this report come from Statistics Canada’s 2001 Census data. Census data is copyrighted material and any reproduction without prior approval is prohibited.}

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Fast Facts

• BIA size: 68.1 hectares; residential area size: 171 hectares

• 8,700 residents and a daytime employee base of almost 11,000

• Population density per sq. km: 51, as compared with 48 for Vancouver and 7 for GVRD.

• Average household size: 1.8 people, as compared with 2.3 and 2.6 for Vancouver and the GVRD respectively.

• Average household income: $27,139, as compared with $64,889 for Vancouver and $68,853 for the GVRD

• Average house price: $521,644 (detached); $234,222 (condo)

• Dominant language: Chinese. Vietnamese and English are also prevalent – significantly higher incidence of Chinese and Polish, and significantly lower incidence of Punjabi than Vancouver or GVRD.

• 18% of residents have moved in the past year, primarily from elsewhere in the City (12%), as compared with 20% for Vancouver and 16% for the GVRD.

• New Canadians: 2% international migrants in the past year; 9% in the past 5 years. Both are in keeping with GVRD averages and slightly lower than City of Vancouver averages.

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Physical Profile

The Strathcona BIA is centrally located within the City of Vancouver – approximately 3 kilometres from City Hall and 2 kilometres from downtown. It is also close to rail and marine commercial and passenger terminals along the waterfront. Comprised primarily of special comprehensive development (DEOD), industrial (M-1 and M-2) and light industrial (I-2), with a mix of comprehensive (CD-1) and special residential (RT-3) zoned properties, the Strathcona BIA contains a substantial portion of older and heritage buildings. Special zonings established for the Downtown Eastside (DEOD) and Strathcona (RT-3) areas have facilitated opportunities to strengthen the provision of affordable housing as well as compatible commercial and industrial uses in Strathcona.⁴

^{4. Source: City of Vancouver VanMap.}

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Heritage and Culture

Strathcona is known for its heritage character. The area has more than 200 structures listed on the Vancouver Heritage Register – 30 within the BIA itself. Many of the heritage buildings reflect the area’s commercial roots as well as its Chinese heritage. The Strathcona Mural Program established by the BIA provides additional visual art and a clean image. The BIA is home to four public art pieces, including the Oppenheimer Memorial Totem Pole and one series art piece – “Walls of Change” along East Hastings. The Strathcona community garden at 768 Prior Street is within walking distance. The Strathcona Public Library is also located near the BIA, at 592 East Pender.

Recreation

The Strathcona BIA is home to Oppenheimer Community Park. Two others – Maclean Park and Strathcona Linear Park are within walking distance. The RayCam Community Centre at 920 East Hastings is within the BIA boundaries and the Strathcona Community Centre at 601 Keefer is just outside the BIA.

Education

Lord Strathcona and Admiral Seymour elementary schools are within walking distance of the BIA. Templeton Secondary is approximately 2 km to the east.

Transportation

With ample street parking, the Strathcona BIA is easily accessible by vehicle. It is also well served by frequent transit service, including: along Hastings: #10 Hastings/Downtown, #16 Arbutus/29th Avenue, #20 Victoria/Downtown and #135 SFU/Burrard Station; along Prior: #22 Knight/McDonald; along Powell: #4 Phibbs Exchange/UBC and #7 Nanaimo Station/Dunbar.Most of these routes provide direct access to Skytrain via Main Street/Science World, Stadium/Chinatown, Burrard or Waterfront stations.Bikeways in the area provide viable cycling access to the BIA, including north-south via the Mosaic Bikeway along Woodland/MacLean and east-west along Adanac and the TransCanada Trail along Keefer.

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Key Population Indicators

Population

With a total population⁵ of 8,711, the Strathcona BIA neighbourhood is comprised of 53% men and 47% women – this represents statistically more men and fewer women than the City of Vancouver and the GVRD average of 49% and 51% respectively.

Strathcona also comprises significantly fewer children and young adults than the City or GVRD average, as well as a significantly higher proportion of older adults, particularly those 65 years of age or older (28% as compared with 5% for City and GVRD). As outlined in Figure 2, fully 53% of Strathcona residents are 45 years of age or older as compared with an average of 22% for the City and GVRD. Strathcona saw a population growth rate of 5% between 2001 and 2005, as compared with 3% for the Vancouver average and 5% for the GVRD average.

^{5. Population base includes all residents within the geographic polygon 1 km east of Clark Street to 1 km west of Gore (east/west) and Prior/Malkin/Glen/Grant to the waterfront (south/north), as opposed to the BIA boundaries. Residential area established in consultation with Strathcona BIA and Small Business BC.}

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Ethnic Origin

Ethnic origin refers to the culture or ethnic roots with which residents identify themselves. In Strathcona, the top 5 ethnic origins in order are Chinese, Canadian, English, Vietnamese and Irish. Strathcona’s strong Chinese heritage (52%) is significantly more concentrated than the City and GVRD average (30% and 24% respectively).

Strathcona exhibits significantly less Scottish ancestry than either Vancouver or the GVRD (not in Strathcona’s top 5). Figure 3 illustrates key differences between Strathcona residents’ ethnic origin as compared with the average for Vancouver and the GVRD. As illustrated, Strathcona has a much greater proportion of residents with East and Southeast Asian origins (61%) than Vancouver (40%) or the GVRD (25%) and more residents with Aboriginal origins (5% vs. 3% for both Vancouver and the GVRD). It also has significantly fewer residents with Canadian, British and European heritage. Approximately 18% of Strathcona residents have moved in the past year as compared with 20% for Vancouver and 16% for the GVRD. Most have moved from elsewhere in the City (12%). About 9% of Strathcona residents are new Canadians, having immigrated in the past five years (2% in the past year). This is in keeping with the GVRD average. Most migrants have come from other areas of Vancouver, rather than intra- or extra-provincially.

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Spoken Languages

Reflecting Strathcona’s long-standing Chinese heritage, the dominant spoken language in the area is Chinese, with fully 50% of residents listing this as their dominant language. As Figure 4 illustrates, only 35% of Strathcona residents list either of Canada’s two official languages as their mother tongue. Strathcona also exhibits differences in non-official spoken languages, with fewer than average Punjabi, Korean, and Tagalog (Filipino) speakers, and greater than average Vietnamese, Spanish and Polish speakers.

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Level of Education

Strathcona area residents have lower education levels than city or regional averages. The dominant education level is “less than grade 9” (32%). As Figure 5 illustrates, only 40% of people 20 years of age or older have some form of post secondary education, as compared with 68% of Vancouver and 66% of GVRD residents. In addition, the population aged 15-24 is slightly less likely than their city or regional counterparts to be attending school, particularly for those attending part-time.

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Household Income

Reflecting their smaller household size, significant proportion of post-retirement population and lower education levels, Strathcona residents have lower than average household income levels than their city or regional counterparts, as Figure 6 illustrates. Average 2001 household income levels in Strathcona were $23,372, as compared with $64,889 for Vancouver and $68,853 for the GVRD. Projected 2005 income levels are $27,139.

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Occupation

Reflecting their older average age, a high percentage of Strathcona residents are not in the labour force. Only 45% of the population 15-years of age and over is in the labour force, as compared with an average of 65% in Vancouver and 66% for the GVRD. In addition, likely in part due to the high number of non-market housing in the area, the employment rate is lower, at 36% as compared with the Vancouver average of 60%. The unemployment rate of 9% is higher than the city and regional average of 5%.Strathcona residents who are in the labour force tend to be employed in significantly more sales and service, trades, transport and equipment positions than average for the city and the region. In part reflecting the type of businesses in this area, Strathcona residents also are more highly represented than average in processing and manufacturing, art, culture, recreation and sport, and social science/government positions. They are also employed in comparatively fewer management, business, finance and administrative, as well as health and natural and applied science positions than the city and regional average. This is illustrated in more detail in Figure 7.

The top 5 occupations for Strathcona residents are:

• other sales & service (16%)

• clerical occupations (7%)

• machine operators in manufacturing (6%)

• chefs & cooks (6%)

• paralegals, social service (4%)

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Family Structure

Strathcona is home to 4,632 households. Of these, 1,533 or 33% are families, significantly less than the Vancouver or GVRD average (57% and 71% respectively). Reflecting the higher number of single-person households, average household size in Strathcona is smaller than the GVRD and Vancouver average (1.8 persons per household as compared with 2.3 and 2.6 for Vancouver and the GVRD). However, Strathcona households with families reflect GVRD and Vancouver averages for size and number of children as Figure 8 illustrates.

Strathcona is also home to a smaller proportion of two-parent families, whether married or common-law, and a significantly higher proportion of lone-parent families – 26% as compared with 17% for Vancouver and 15% for the GVRD, as illustrated in Figure 9. Given that family sizes and number of children per family for Strathcona family households are comparable to city and regional averages, it is likely that Strathcona has a higher number of seniors living with their adult children.

^{6. Family is defined as a census family - a married couple, a common-law couple or a lone-parent with a child or youth who is under the age of 25 and who does not have his or her own spouse or child living in the household. Married couples and common-law couples may or may not have such children and youth living with them.}

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Housing Profile

Structural Mix

Fully 80% of all Strathcona dwelling units are apartments, while only 9% are semi-detached and 9% are detached housing, as Figure 10 illustrates. Reflecting Strathcona’s heritage roots, the dominant dwelling type in the area is apartments less than five stories. Strathcona is home to a much greater percentage (42%) of this type of housing as compared with the Vancouver average of 34%, although in keeping with the GVRD average of 43%.

Tenure

In keeping with this housing mix, a greater proportion of Strathcona area residents are renters (82%) as compared with the city average of 56% and GVRD average of 39%. The Strathcona BIA has significantly more non-market housing than other Vancouver BIAs. There are 30 non-market housing complexes within the Strathcona BIA and several more within walking distance.⁷

^{7. Source: City of Vancouver VanMap.}

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Age of Housing Stock

Reflecting its heritage roots, the average age of housing in the Strathcona area is significantly older than the city average or GVRD average. The Strathcona area has also seen significantly fewer housing developments than the rest of Vancouver and the GVRD over the past 15 years. However, there were a significant number of new constructions in the period from 1971 to 1990. This may reflect the growth in the number of non-market housing units in the late 1980s. Recent developments of artist live-work studios are helping to increase the ratio of newer/renovated housing stock.

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Housing Prices

Housing prices⁸ in the Strathcona residential area are slightly below that of the City of Vancouver and GVRD. The 2005 average price for a detached house in this area was $521,664 as compared with $522,979 in Vancouver and $567,417 in the GVRD. However, rates are fast approaching regional averages – the one-year average increase was 38% as compared with 22% for Vancouver and 19% for the GVRD.

^{8. Housing price information courtesy of the Real Estate Board of Vancouver. Note that Strathcona is contained within the Real Estate Board’s Mount Pleasant catchment area.}

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Spending Patterns

In part reflecting their smaller household sizes, Strathcona households spend less per year than the average Vancouver or GVRD household. In 2005, Strathcona households averaged $30,511 in household spending as compared with $62,536 for City of Vancouver and $65,917 for GVRD households.

On a percentage basis, spending patterns are very similar to Vancouver and GVRD averages, as Figure 12 illustrates. Figure 13 provides a complete breakdown of average 2005 spending per Strathcona household.

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Survey Says...!

In 2005, the Strathcona BIA commissioned WISE Consulting to conduct a Goods and Services Analysis study.⁹ The study included an analysis of the Strathcona – Oppenheimer area resident profile, which was approximately twice the size of the resident base identified for this BIA Neighbourhood Profile report; however the overall findings are similar.

In addition to creating an overall residential profile, the Goods and Services Study also identified three distinct residential segments, including “North of Hastings,” “Residents Bordering Chinatown,” and “Main Residential.” A significant finding of this segmentation was that in addition to a high proportion of seniors on fixed incomes as well as individuals with very low average household income, the Strathcona area is also home to a significant number of young singles with high disposable incomes.

The Goods and Services Analysis confirms key findings identified in the analysis above, including the importance of:

• Chinese language in the Strathcona BIA – having this capability within will likely increase business appeal in this area.

• services that cater to seniors and those on fixed and low incomes

• services that cater to families with children

• home products that are attractive to renters, such as smaller and portable furnishings

• stores that cater to the ethnic mix

• need for continued security measures in the area to help residents and workers to feel that they can live, work and shop safely.

The Goods and Service Analysis also determined that Strathcona residents shop regularly within the Strathcona BIA. Businesses people would like to see include:

• deli, lunch stops

• grocery, dry goods, organic foods and supplements

• gifts and sundries, used books

• music and art supplies/events/services

• social and private clubs, entertainment venues

• equipment and tool rental

• auto detailing, repair and services

• specialty drive-in for commuters-dry cleaning, car services, grocery

• upscale restaurant for area businesses to take clients

• ESL and specialty training schools.

^{9. The Strathcona Goods & Services Analysis: A Snapshot of Issues and Opportunities, Wise Consulting, 2005. Permission to use report granted by the Strathcona BIA.}

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Conclusions

Centrally located close to Downtown Vancouver and easily accessible, the Strathcona BIA enjoys a stable base of residential customers.

Businesses catering to seniors or working families who spend their money carefully, as well as small and primarily apartment households, will find the Strathcona residential area an appropriate market in which to locate. In addition, building on its cultural heritage, the Strathcona area is also increasingly attracting young singles with artistic and cultural employment and interests. Combined with attractive zoning, the Strathcona area has significant potential for businesses catering to these interests, including artist live-work studios. Businesses wishing to serve this up and coming market will find Strathcona’s low lease rates attractive.