If you haven’t checked out Vancouver is Awesome you should. My favourite section is Vancouver Was Awesome, and a recent post from Rhiannon Coppin documents a walking tour I did in January where we looked at the neighbourhood around Franklin and Commercial Drive.

Mostly known for its chicken processing plants, this area was once home to a significant Chinese business district created in 1910/11 due to pressure from City Hall and threats to the existing Chinatown at Pender and Carrall. While the plans for the wholesale relocation of Chinatown to the eastern edge of the city were never carried out this enclave was a result of City actions in that direction. There’s much more to discover here and it’s an area of on-going research for me.