Georgia Street is an east–west street in the cities of Vancouver and
Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. Its section in Downtown Vancouver,
designated West Georgia Street, serves as one of the primary streets for
the financial and central business districts, and is the major
transportation corridor connecting downtown Vancouver with the North
Shore (and eventually Whistler) by way of the Lions Gate Bridge.
The remainder of the street, known as East Georgia Street between Main
Street and Boundary Road and simply Georgia Street within Burnaby, is
more residential in character, and is discontinuous at several points.
West
of Seymour Street, the thoroughfare is part of Highway 99. The entire
section west of Main Street was previously designated part of Highway
1A, and markers for the '1A' designation can still be seen at certain
points.
Starting from its western terminus at Chilco Street by
the edge of Stanley Park, Georgia Street runs southeast, separating the
West End from the Coal Harbour neighbourhood. It then runs through the
Financial District; landmarks and major skyscrapers along the way
include Living Shangri-La (the city's tallest building), Trump
International Hotel and Tower, Royal Centre, 666 Burrard tower, Hotel
Vancouver and upscale shops, the HSBC Canada Building, the Vancouver Art
Gallery, Georgia Hotel, Four Seasons Hotel, Pacific Centre, the
Granville Entertainment District, Scotia Tower, and the Canada Post
headquarters. The eastern portion of West Georgia features the Theatre
District (including Queen Elizabeth Theatre and the Centre in Vancouver
for the Performing Arts), Library Square (the central branch of the
Vancouver Public Library), Rogers Arena, and BC Place. West Georgia's
centre lane between Pender Street and Stanley Park is used as a
counterflow lane.
East of Cambie Street, Georgia Street becomes a
one-way street for eastbound traffic, and connects to the Georgia
Viaduct for eastbound travellers only; westbound traffic is handled by
Dunsmuir Street and the Dunsmuir Viaduct, located one block to the
north.
East Georgia Street begins at the intersection with Main
Street in Vancouver's Chinatown, then runs eastwards through Strathcona,
Grandview–Woodland and Hastings–Sunrise to Boundary Road. East of the
municipal boundary, Georgia Street continues eastwards through Burnaby
until its terminus at Grove Avenue in the Lochdale neighbourhood. This
portion of Georgia Street is interrupted at several locations, such as
Templeton Secondary School, Highway 1 and Kensington Park.
Georgia
Street was named in 1886 after the Strait of Georgia, and ran between
Chilco and Beatty Streets. After the first Georgia Viaduct opened in
1915, the street's eastern end was connected to Harris Street, and
Harris Street was subsequently renamed East Georgia Street.
The
second Georgia Viaduct, opened in 1972, connects to Prior Street at its
eastern end instead. As a result, East Georgia Street has been
disconnected from West Georgia ever since.
On June 15, 2011 Georgia Street became the focal point of the 2011 Vancouver Stanley Cup riot.
