Best for
Commercial Drive — The Drive — is a 20-block stretch running north-south through the Grandview–Woodland neighbourhood in East Vancouver. It was Vancouver's Little Italy from the 1950s to the 1980s and still has the espresso bars and delis to prove it, but today it's more accurately the city's Latin American, Ethiopian, and long-term-bohemian corridor. It's where cafés still let you sit with one coffee for three hours and nobody asks you to leave.
The stretch between 1st and 14th has more independent restaurants per block than anywhere else in the city, and almost none of them are chains. Havana Restaurant has been an anchor for decades. The Drive is also home to some of the best vintage shops, indie bookstores (Pulpfiction, People's Co-op), and record stores left in Vancouver.
Living here is still relatively affordable by Vancouver standards — one-bedrooms in older character buildings run $1,800–2,300, and the neighbourhood is well-served by the 20 bus and the Commercial–Broadway SkyTrain station (the busiest station in the entire network). Commercial Drive is the best fit for newcomers who want character, affordability, and a strong sense of community, and who don't mind a slightly scruffy edge.
Schools in this catchment
Public secondaries serving Commercial Drive
Catchment is determined by your home address — verify with the Vancouver School Board (SD 39) catchment lookup before any move.
Templeton Secondary · Grades 8–12
Hastings-Sunrise catchment secondary, smaller and more close-knit than the big east-side schools, with a long-running Tech Mini School.
Mini School
Britannia Secondary · Grades 8–12
Commercial Drive's catchment secondary, integrated into the Britannia Community Services Centre with pool, rink, and library on-site.
Mini School
Safety in Commercial Drive
Commercial Drive itself stays busy and walkable until late, especially the patio-restaurant blocks between Venables and Broadway. Side streets are quiet residential. The block immediately around Commercial–Broadway SkyTrain station sees the usual transit-hub mix of late-night activity but is well-lit and patrolled. Bike theft is an above-average concern across all of East Van — use a U-lock and Project 529 registration.
Services in Vancouver
Local price ranges for services — we don't yet break these down to the neighbourhood level, but prices in Vancouver are consistent across most inner areas.