Main Street (Vancouver)

Main Street is a street in Vancouver. It runs from Waterfront Road in the north end to Kent Avenue in the south end. It is 8.8 km long. It is one of the main streets in Downtown Vancouver. Parts of the former Highway 1A and Highway 99A used to be part of Main Street.

The street was originally named Westminster Avenue before being renamed to Main Street on July 20, 1910. Many shopkeepers on the north side of the street were against the name change but the south welcomed the change. City Council had first voted not to change the name but eventually reversed their decision. It was once home to a bascule bridge that crossed False Creek. The bridge was eventually torn down and replaced with the Canadian National Station. The street was also once home to many hotels because of it being close to both New Westminster and the United States border.

It runs through the Downtown Eastside, Old Japantown, Chinatown, Strathcona, Mount Pleasant, Riley Park–Little Mountain, Punjabi Market, and Sunset neighbourhoods.

The Main Street–Science World station is located on Main Street. It features the Expo Line of the SkyTrain. It is one of the busiest stations for the SkyTrain.

There are many events that take place on Main Street such as Car Free Day, Vancouver Vaisakhi Festival, and the Vancouver Mural Festival where people paint murals on the sides of buildings. On January 24, 2025, the Mural Fest announced that they were shutting down.

References

Category:Streets in Vancouver