Vancouver Luxury and Waterfront Real Estate
Coal Harbour Area Information
When one thinks of luxury residences in British Columbia, the name Coal Harbour is probably the last title you would expect to come up with. Coal brings up images of hard labour and heavy industry. The fact that the Coal Harbour district in Vancouver is one of the area’s most exclusive waterfront living communities is testament to a country wide effort to rejuvenate older parts of big cities and make them something truly special.
In fact, Coal Harbour is touted not only as one of Vancouver’s most upscale neighbourhoods, but as one of its newest oceanside communities as well. Up until 15 years ago, Coal Harbour was a series of railroad tracks, depots, and vacant buildings. It was named for the deposit of coal found there in the 19th century, which had long since been tapped out. In the mid-1990s the movement to fill in rather than spread out began to gain momentum in big cities all across Canada, and developers saw opportunity in the Coal Harbour district.
Capitalizing on this opportunity, they designed a high rise luxury condominium neighbourhood right on Burrard Inlet. Today, the community of Coal Harbour connects the downtown core of Vancouver to Stanley Park in the west, with sea wall running the whole way along.
As we mentioned, the community is almost exclusively high rise, modern luxury condominiums overlooking the Pacific Ocean at Burrard Inlet. This means that residents of the area can count on the very latest amenities along with a view that is unrivalled anywhere in the country (in other words, you can drink in the view on a typically spectacular Vancouver summer day from any number of rooftop lounges or poolside areas). The high rise structures are located along the shore line with views to Stanley Park, Deadman’s Island (a naval development that stands just off shore in the Inlet) and the spectacular North Shore mountains.
While almost all of Coal Harbour’s luxury real estate residences are condos, one of the most distinctive features about the community are the many marinas that dot the coastline. There are several boating and rowing clubs as well, and Coal Harbour takes high end living in Vancouver to a whole new level with the inclusion of six of only 18 floating homes to have legal title in the city.
While the main features of Coal Harbour tend to be aquatically based (the view of the ocean as well as the marinas) one of the main draws is the neighbourhood’s proximity to the downtown area of Vancouver. To the east, Coal Harbour is bordered by the Financial District, the most important finance area in Western Canada. Behind Coal Harbour and all around it are all the opportunities that a big city like Vancouver can afford; GM Place is just a twenty minute walk (or five minute bus ride) away, the architecturally spectacular Canada Place lies within Coal Harbour’s boundaries, as does the Coal Harbour Seaplane Base (the terminals of several local seaplane companies offering service to Victoria, Nanaimo, Whistler and the Gulf Islands) and Vancouver's future Convention and Exhibition Centre.
And, of course, all the amenities of Vancouver are just a few blocks from Coal Harbour. Five star restaurants and hotels, upscale shopping and health clubs abound; it is no wonder that the newest waterfront community in Vancouver is also touted as one of Vancouver’s most upscale neighbourhoods!
