Yaletown
The vibrant community of Yaletown located in the Downtown core of Vancouver is a young professional's playground. Featuring some of the best restaurants, shopping and real estate in the city makes Yaletown "the place to be." Yaletown features 27 designated heritage buildings in the area which features exposed red brick and softwood beamed converted warehouse-lofts. The name comes from it's history, when in 1886 Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) moved it's rail yards to the current site from Yale, in the Fraser River Canyon region, so naturally name Yaletown quickly caught on. In 2010 we saw The Canada Line open in the heart of Yaletown at the intersection of Davie and Mainland, making it possible to get from Yaletown to the YVR (Vancouver International Airport) in under 20 minutes.
 
 
Kitsilano
Trendy Kitsilano aka Kits is located just over the Burrard St. Bridge from Downtown, Vancouver. Kits is best known for it's incredible beaches, shopping and laid back lifestyle. It was known in the 60's as being the hotspot for Vancouver's hippie lifestyle, but now, in modern day you’ll see a complete change as it’s now known to some as "Yuppie Central."
As home owner and resident of Kitsilano I am a little biased towards this unique sub-area of Vancouver and the incredible real estate it features. For me, I was really drawn to it for it's beachside community feel, while still being in close proximity to the bustle of Downtown.
In the summer you can spend your days playing Volleyball on Kits Beach, swimming at Kits Pool (one of North Amercia's largest outdoor heated salt water pools), and shopping at some of Vancouver's best boutique stores along West 4th Ave.  Kitsilano has a great neighbourhood vibe with a  friendly young demographic. People relocating from a smaller town or looking to start a family, but don’t want to jump to the suburbs will appreciate Kitsilano and everything it has to offer.
 
 
Gastown
Urban Gastown is one of the oldest areas of Downtown, Vancouver. It’s name comes from the famous Jack “Gassy” Deighton, a steamboat captain who arrived in 1867 to open a saloon. Because of it’s long history it was declared a Provincial Historical Site in 1971 and then upgraded to a National Historic Site in 2009. After you spend some time on the cobblestone streets and look at the old brick buildings and historic landmarks you’ll not wonder why. Modern day you’ll find a diverse range of commercial and residential residents from hip furniture stores, to up-and-coming fashion designers, to software firms, to talented tattoo artists...they’re all here! It’s home to some of the best night clubs around which means the streets come alive once the sun goes down and makes it a must see on a weekend night. Situated on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside makes for a very interesting demographic. Some of the city’s most powerful people call Gastown home, along with some of the city’s poorest, as homelessness is obviously evident in the area. There’s no question that if you love character, lofts and life on the wild side; you need to check out Gastown.
 
 
 
False Creek
False creek is a great area located in Central Vancouver that offers great value and typically breath taking views of Downtown, Vancouver. False Creek has many Leasehold Properties, which can be a bit deceiving when searching through real estate listings on MLS. I always tell my clients, if it seems like the best deal in Vancouver; it's probably a leasehold property. Geographically False Creek is located just over the Granville and Cambie bridges adjacent to Downtown. It's now connected with rapid transportation as the Canada Line opened in False Creek close to Olympic Village station in early 2010. You’ll find Granville Island False Creek home which means great shopping, restaurants and an abundance of tourists in the summer!
 
 
Fairview Slopes
Fairview is seeing many changes and developments in the area, as there are many “boutique” projects in the process of construction right now. Fairview typically represents great value in regards to real estate when you factor in price per square foot, area amenities and some of the views you get from “the slopes.” The Slopes is a natural steep hill that arises from False Creek  until Broadway at which point it levels off a bit. If you are lucky enough to own a condo facing north you’ll probably be greeted with views of the Yaletown Skyline, North Shore Mountains and False Creek. If you are looking for a larger unit with good value, consider Fairview as an option to buy in Vancouver.