Tall apartment buildings soaring skywards with small wooden houses between them like forest undergrowth make up the city's West End. It is the most donsely populated area of Vancouver.

West End people regard themselves as a city within a city and in the boundaries West of Burrard Street, there are people of all nationalities, ages and customs.

Population is transient and the majority of West Enders are a restless breed, most of them being young and single. All agree that if one does have to live in an apartment, in the center of a large city, then West End is the only way to do it. With English Bay, Stanley Park and Burrard Inlet on three sides, there is no lack of natural surroundings.

Among the attractions of West End is the proximity of beach at English Bay, where daily can be seen in many-colored suits no matter what the weather. On summer days, popcorn vendors sell their buttered popcorn from picturesque kiosks.

Overlooking all this, midway along Beach Avenue, is the venerable Sylvia hotel, whose eight storeys as late as 1955 were the tallest feature of West End. Later, Sylvia seems to represent the traditional aspect of West End, struggling against the progress of high-rises.

Although the area is dominated by high-rise apartments, main shopping areas, Robson and Denman streets, are composed largely of small stores, which have a distinctly European air. Here, shopper is temped by the sights, sounds and smell of the many specialty shops ranging from imported clothing to food stores and restaurants.

Later, "People Parks" have been created, some through streets have been closed to automobile traffic and park benches with additional greenery have been provided. These efforts have resulted in a much more cohesive community, with community centers and a neighborhood newspaper.