Commercial Drive

Commercial Drive in the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, is a well-known street. The street runs through the neighborhood of Woodland-Grandview. In the area, there are many cultural facilities, businesses and residents. The inhabitants along Commercial Drive normally call the area as "The Drive" and it is one of Vancouver's Business Improvement Areas or BIA.

Found at the Commercial-Broadway Station are both the Sky Train's Millennium Line and Expo Line. Also, the district is served by various bus routes.

Commercial Drive has a high proportion of vegetarian and ethnic restaurants. This residential and commercial area is full of public housing and businesses. Compared to the Westside of Vancouver, this area has much lower property prices. It is considered a local transit center and offers great city services.

Commercial Drive has been the destination of immigrants to Vancouver. There are significant Latin America, African, Italian, East Indian and Asian communities located in the area. English is a minority language according to the 2001 Census for the Grandview-Woodland district, although it is still the most common language.

Because of its cultural diversity, Commercial Drive has a huge number of community groups and ethnic stores. There are a few fantastic European-style cafes, several bars, Edwardian-style heritage buildings and various alternative shops and entertainment venues. According to research performed during 2007, there are 93 restaurants on Commercial Drive between Broadway and Venables, and 19 of those are coffee bars.

Commercial Drive is home to various events. It has a reputation for an active street festival culture. Various well-known yearly events include the Parade of the Lost Souls in the month of October and the Dyke March in the month of August. Commercial Drive is also the host location to Vancouver's only queer spoken word and musician performance night known as Unsweetened and Outspoken. Commercial Drive is a fantastic place for people who really would like to experience a North American counter-culture on a large scale.