The seaside town of WHITE ROCK is one of Vancouver’s 16 Municipalities. When you live here and move across the greater Vancouver area on a daily basis, its easy to perceive the municipalities as being “neighborhoods” of Vancouver, and since White Rock is one of my favourite spots, I decided to showcase it as my first Vancouver “Neighborhood watch”
Depite all the new development, it is still more of a local hangout than a tourist hot spot
White Rock lies about 52km south of Vancouver’s downtown which puts it within an arm stretch of the Can/US border, thats about an hours drive from downtown, which is why I’d say its more of a local hangout and not a well known tourist spot, as most tourists don’t venture that far south of the city – however due to urban sprawl, it is a much shorter distance from many other Vancouver neighborhoods, making it a great place to live or visit frequently – be it for a lunch, dinner or to spend time on the beach.
White Rock was given its name because of a 490 ton Glacial erratic White Rock on the beachfront first discovered by Spanish Explorers. The rock was initially white because of the excrement of shellfish eating seabirds, but is now kept white with paint. The Rock, the Pier and the Railway line
running parallel to the beach are the landmarks that give White Rock its uniqueness, and the water of Semiahmoo Bay is on the whole pretty safe for swimming, kayaking and paddle boarding, and when the tide goes out you can explore tide pools, skim board, go board sailing or build sand castles.
There are so many restaurants to choose from you won’t be leaving hungry
Even though the main business and shopping area of White Rock lies a km or two in from the waterfront – it is the 8km stretch of sandy beach flanked by restaurants, galleries and shops that stretch out along Marine Drive, that White Rock its really known for. The Beach is essentially split into 2 sections – East Beach and West Beach which are separated by a rise in the shoreline and what is locally referred to as the “hump”.
West Beach was developed first as that is where the Rock and Pier are situated, and even though development has spread to East Beach,
to me the east side has retained its seaside charm of beach cottages more than the west side, but having said that, you will still find quite a few seaside cottages …some rustic and others modernized, between the many newer homes, and walking around the maze of steep hillside roads is bound to give you a workout with a view.
As the original cottage lots were generally small, many of the new houses have had to conform to limited space and are narrow 2 and 3 floor luxury homes, many with elevators and expansive rooftop decks or balconies to make the most of the view.
Many years ago before the urban sprawl, White Rock had a reputation as a “newly wed or nearly dead” out of town destination, as it attracted many old retirees, and being further from downtown Van, it was one of the more affordable options for young couples wanting their first home.
How times have changed – it now attracts young professionals and families as well as retirees, and is one of the more expensive and desirable Neighborhoods to live in.
Over the last decade fair amount of hi-rise luxury apartment buildings have been built at the top of the hill, and more are presently being built or are in the planning, all making the most of the views looking out towards the US coastline or Vancouver islands. These luxury apartments are in demand because of their views and luxury living facilities, by young professionals as well as retirees and empty nesters.
White Rock itself is not a large area and the surrounding south Surrey suburbs of Ocean Park & Crescent Beach are a short drive away – these middle and upper class areas generally have larger properties and more expansive homes, with good schools, community facilities and modern shopping malls spread throughout the area.
Always fun to go to is the White Rock Sea Festival, which runs over 2 days and takes place each year over the BC Day Long weekend. It runs along the waterfront starting at West Beach and all along to East Beach. As it gets very crowded Its advisable to park a few blocks from the beach and take public transit down to the festival. Here you will find everything from morning yoga to a vendor market, traditional salmon BBQ, outdoor concerts, parades, and tons of other family and child friendly activities, and if weather permitting – a movie night at the nearby Semiahmoo Park.
All in all if you visit Vancouver and have some spare time, or are driving up from the US to Vancouver or down to the US, then a stop at White Rock is well worth considering.
