District of North Vancouver

History

First, the Spanish arrived, giving their name to Vancouver's Spanish Banks, and, in 1792, Captain George Vancouver explored the local shores. But it was not until 1862 that the first attempt was made to harvest the North Shore's rich stands of timber, leading to fuller settlement of the area that would later become North Vancouver. The first industry on the North Shore was Pioneer Mills, founded in 1862 to log the huge trees of the coastal rainforest. After twice changing hands, the operation was bought by Sewell ("Sue") Prescott Moody in 1865. Near where the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool grain elevators now stand, the town of Moodyville grew up and stood as the main centre of activity on the North Shore until the mill closed in 1901. The first school was established in Moodyville. The second, Central School, opened in 1902 in a building that still stands as part of what is now Presentation House at 3rd Street and Chesterfield Avenue, the current home of the North Vancouver Museum and Archives. In 1891, the first municipality on the North Shore was formed as the District of North Vancouver. It stretched across the North Shore from Horseshoe Bay to Deep Cove but omitted Moodyville. In the early years of the 20th century, a real estate boom took place, with speculators – including the British poet Rudyard Kipling – eager to turn a quick dollar. A new community began to take shape. In 1902, the Hotel North Vancouver was built; in 1905, the first bank, a branch of the Bank of North America, opened. A newspaper, the Express, commenced publication in 1905, and in 1906 the British Columbia Electric Railway began streetcar service. Industry, particularly shipbuilding, became central, with the nearby stands of trees a rich resource for a society in which ships, houses, and most…

Geography

The District of North Vancouver is separated from Vancouver by the Burrard Inlet. It can be accessed by the Lions' Gate Bridge, the Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing, and the SeaBus passenger ferry. The district is bounded by the Capilano River to the west, Indian Arm to the east, Burrard Inlet to the south, and the Coast Mountains to the north. It sprawls in an east–west direction across the mountain slopes and is characterized by rugged terrain and steep and winding roadways. While there is no true urban core within the district, there are a number of separate commercial neighbourhood centres. These include (from west to east): Edgemont Village, Upper Lonsdale, Lynn Valley, Main Street, Parkgate, and Deep Cove. The district has much in common with West Vancouver and the City of North Vancouver. Together, these three municipalities are commonly referred to as the North Shore. Most of the residents of the district live in single-family dwellings. Except for a few more historical areas, much of the development of the district has occurred since the 1950s. The City of North Vancouver has considerably higher commercial and residential density. North Vancouver has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate type Cfb).

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  89,163
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  76,317
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  71,535
• Spotted Towhee

  Pipilo maculatus Swainson, 1827 · Aves
  57,969
• Glaucous-winged Gull

  Larus glaucescens J.F.Naumann, 1840 · Aves
  57,285
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  54,833
• Anna's Hummingbird

  Calypte anna (R.Lesson, 1829) · Aves
  51,732
• Northern Flicker

  Colaptes auratus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  49,623

Most recent

• M 2.56 — 2026-05-29
  7 km ENE of Ferndale, Washington
• M 2.7 — 2026-04-27
  5 km N of Anacortes, Washington
• M 2.7 — 2026-01-26
  12 km WSW of Anacortes, Washington
• M 2.7 — 2025-10-21
  10 km SE of Salt Spring Island, Canada
• M 2.6 — 2025-09-18
  14 km SW of Cowichan Bay, Canada
• M 2.8 — 2025-04-05
  20 km ENE of South Pender Harbour, Canada