Mount Pleasant is a lively, vibrant neighbourhood whose residents have strong ties to their community.  Main Street and Commercial Drive in particular exhibit a real neighbourhood feel, set amongst trendy boutiques, innovative eateries, cafes, and markets.  Although Mount Pleasant is one of the older neighbourhoods in Vancouver, the vibe is always young and fresh.

Who Lives There

Mount Pleasant is an eclectic community of artists, students, young professionals, and families.  Most residents are between the ages of 20 and 44 and highly educated.  Although 74% or the population has post-secondary education of some sort – above average – the average annual household income for Mount Pleasant is lower than that of Vancouver and Metro Vancouver.  This discrepancy likely reflects the fact that, although 75% of the population above 15 years of age is in the labour force, many are young and employed in arts, culture, recreation and sports rather than business, finance and administration. 

Things to Do

Main Street and Commercial Drive are replete with interesting shops and restaurants.  Try Motherland or Smoking Lily on Main Street for some original finds, or hit up one of the many vintage stores such as Bohemia Gallery.  Mintage on Commercial also has great finds.  Second Time Around is one of several antique stores on Main St, and Dream Designs on Commercial features locally made, 100% organic and 100% natural home furnishings and apparel.  The best way to find what you’re looking for on Main St. or Commercial Dr. is to stroll through the neighbourhood and see what catches your eye, but be prepared to spend a couple hours browsing in the process.

Mount Pleasant is renowned for Vietnamese restaurants; try Pho Linh on Broadway.  The Reef Caribbean Restaurant has two locations, on Main St. and on Commercial Dr.  Commercial Dr. is also home to Havana, serving excellent Cuban fare, and Me and Julio’s, the sister restaurant of Lolita’s South of the Border Cantina.  Me and Julio’s is a great brunch spot, as is Locus on Main, which also has an innovative cocktail list for the evening crowd.   Lucy’s Eastside Diner is Main Street’s most recent addition, and promises the best burgers in town; its sister restaurant, The Whip, is a fun late night hangout.  For those wishing to take their evening to the dance floor, The Biltmore on Kingsway and 12^th Ave. is casual and fun.

The brand new Mount Pleasant Community Centre on 1^st and Kingsway offers numerous programs and activities for adults and children, and a state of the art fitness centre.  Parks in the area include Jonathon Roger, Guelph, Robson and Tea Swamp.

Commercial Drive hosts several cultural festivals throughout the year, including Italian Week each June and the Parade of Lost Souls every October.

Real Estate

Mount Pleasant real estate prices have been increasing faster than other parts of Vancouver, reflecting the new developments in the area.  Most properties are detached, but low-rise apartment buildings and townhouses line the main streets.  New developments such as Quebec Corner Townhouses exemplify the direction in which Mount Pleasant is headed.  The neighbourhood is already well established, and housing prices are relatively on par with the Vancouver average, but newer properties are more expensive, and will bring a new wave of residents to the area as Vancouver expands eastward.

Schools and Safety

Fraser Elementary, Nightingale Elementary and Mount Pleasant Elementary are all in the area, as is Sir Charles Tupper Secondary School.  St. Patrick’s is a private secondary school on W.11^th near Main St.  Langara College is not far from Mount Pleasant, and SFU and UBC can be easily accessed by public transit.

Mount Pleasant is relatively safe, but is bordered by the downtown eastside; this does not render the north part of the neighbourhood unsafe, necessarily, but residents should exercise a degree of caution in this part of Mount Pleasant.  For the most part, however, Mount Pleasant is an extremely friendly community.

Transportation