The District of North Vancouver, commonly North Vancouver or North Van, is a district municipality in British Columbia, Canada, situated north of the city of Vancouver across the Burrard Inlet. It surrounds the respective City of North Vancouver on three sides, and the remaining North Shore municipality of West Vancouver on the other, and is part of the Metro Vancouver Regional District.
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History
First, the Spanish arrived, giving their name to Vancouver's Spanish Banks, and, in 1792, Captain George Vancouver explored the local shores.
Since 2018, there have been proposals to amalgamate the District of North Vancouver with the City of North Vancouver into a single North Vancouver. Surveys have shown that the majority of the municipalities' residents support the idea, and many do not even know that the city and the district are separate entities.
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.
Collectively, the district, West Vancouver and the City of North Vancouver are commonly referred to as the North Shore.
Sites of interest
The Capilano Suspension Bridge in a private park carries hikers across the Capilano River to nature trails and a unique rainforest canopy walk (there is an admission fee).
The Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge is in a District of North Vancouver public park (free admission). Also at the park is the Lynn Canyon Ecology Centre.
Grouse Mountain is a ski hill and a tourist destination reached by either a gondola lift or the famous Grouse Grind hike.
Mount Seymour Provincial Park is a ski and hiking destination in the district.
The Cleveland Dam in the Capilano River Regional Park offers nature trails as well as a fish hatchery, the Capilano River Hatchery.
Mount Fromme is a mountain bicycling destination.
Northlands Golf Course is a public golf course owned and operated by the District of North Vancouver.
Maplewood Flats Conservation Area is a conservation area known for its bird watching and easy to access trails
Maplewood Farm is an educational children's farm operated by the District of North Vancouver
The Museum of North Vancouver Archives is part of MONOVA and holds historical records of the North Shore
Transportation
The main (and only) highway through the District of North Vancouver is the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1). This crosses over the Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing from Vancouver and goes through the district to the western border with West Vancouver.
Public transit is provided by TransLink and is mostly operated by its subsidiary Coast Mountain Bus Company, which runs a network of bus routes throughout the North Shore municipalities, including the R2 Marine Dr, as well as buses connecting the municipality with the rest of the Metro Vancouver. The SeaBus ferry, which is part of the TransLink system, stops at Lonsdale Quay, which connects the North Shore with Vancouver, and Waterfront station, which connects to the SkyTrain network. The West Vancouver Blue Bus service also runs a few routes in the two North Vancouvers, along with the 255, which connects them to West Vancouver. As of 2026, there is no rapid transit system in North Vancouver, but TransLink aims to build a bus rapid transit line from Metrotown in Burnaby to Park Royal in West Vancouver as a measure to bring rapid transit to the traffic-congested North Shore.
Demographics
At the 2021 Canadian census conducted by Statistics Canada, North Vancouver had a population of 88,168 living in 32,700 of its 34,179 total private dwellings, a change of 2.9% from its 2016 population of 85,649. With a land area of 160.66 km2 (62.03 sq mi), it had a population density of 548.8/km2 (1,421.3/sq mi) in 2021.
Languages
Mother languages as reported by each person:
In terms of Chinese languages, 2.7% of the population speak Mandarin, 1.7% speak Cantonese and 0.2% speak other varieties.
Religion
According to the 2021 census, religious groups in North Vancouver included:
Irreligion (48,275 persons or 55.2%)
Christianity (29,845 persons or 34.2%)
Islam (5,570 persons or 6.4%)
Judaism (845 persons or 1.0%)
Buddhism (775 persons or 0.9%)
Sikhism (550 persons or 0.6%)
Hinduism (295 persons or 0.3%)
Indigenous spirituality (15 persons or <0.1%)
In terms of Christianity, 12.4% of the population was Catholic, 11.4% were Protestant, 7.2% were Christian n.o.s, 0.9% were Christian Orthodox, and 2.2% belonged to other Christian denominations and Christian-related traditions.