South Cambie

Amongst the smaller Vancouver, British Columbia neighbourhoods is South Cambie. It is amongst the smallest in both population and land area. The area is wedged between amongst the cities largest parks and the upscale neighbourhood of Shaughnessy. South Cambie is well known for its cluster of medical facilities.

The area of South Cambie is a small narrow strip of land totaling two hundred seventeen hectares. On the west edge of the district are the expensive residences of Shaughnessy, whereas Queen Elizabeth Park sits to the east on the slopes of Vancouver's Little Mountain. South Cambie extends to West 41st in the south from West 16th Avenue in the north. It is situated between Oak Street and the well-known north-south corridors of Cambie Street.

The area gets its name from Henry Cambie, who was a CPR engineer. In the 1800's, land was given as part of a land grant by the Canadian Pacific Railway. Mr. Cambie was in fact responsible for the western division of the railway. In 1874, the very first non-native settlers arrived, when Wlliam Mackie, a former gold miner, claimed 65 hectares of land surrounding a former elk pasture that is currently Douglas Park on West 22nd Avenue. Jeremiah Rogers soon followed and was one of the very first people to make use of mechanized logging equipment within British Columbia and constructed a road to the top of Little Mountain.

A small part of South Cambie in the year 1910, became a Chinese vegetable garden bringing people to the neighbourhood. Until the 1940s, much of the land all-around the area remained undeveloped.

Amongst the best medical facilities within the city of Vancouver are found within the South Cambie area like for instance the BC Women's Hospital and Health Centre and BC Children's Hospital in addition to Shaughnessy Hospital.