History:  Named after a chief of the Squamish Nation Khahtsahlanough. Kitsilano has the distinction of being the second most recognized neighbourhood in Canada.  One of the area's first non-native settlers, Sam Greer, lived on Kits Beach. In 1882 Sam, an Irishman, who had been an unsuccessful gold prospector in the Cariboo, claimed he bought 160 acres, bounded by lst Avenue, Trafalgar and the beach.  He moved his wife and duaghter into a small cabin at the present site of the Kits Beach bathhouse.  His land claim was never recognized by the CPR.  They began proceedings to prove his claim was worthless and that the railway had legal title. The CPR was given authority to evict Sam and sent in the sheriff.  Sam grazed the sheriff with buckshot and was convicted of common assault in 1891.  He died in 1925 at the age of 82.  Greer Street commemorates this colourful early citizen.  Sam's daughter, Jessie Hall, married John Hall, the city's first notary public.  Born in 1872 Jessie was the first settler baby in the Cariboo.  In 1908 the Hall family built Killarney Manor at Bayswater & Point Grey Road.  The stone mansion had oak and mahogany woodwork, elaborate stained glass, bathroom tiles set with gold, a massive fireplace inlaid with carved shamrocks and a fully outfilled ballroom with a sprung floor.  Jessie was known for her charitable work and when she died in 1949, an era ended for Kitsilano.  Seven years later, developers bought the old mansion and built the palatial Killarney apartments, which retain the mansion's stone wall and much of the grace and charm of an earlier era.

Housing: Craftsman style houses were built i Kits during the 1910 to 1912 boom period. Neighbourhood housing consists of heritage homes, bungalows, lowrise condo buildings, townhomes and duplexes.

Movies:  One of the first movies filmed in Vancouver was Robert Altman's 1960 file "That Cold Day in the Park" and Kits was the selected location.

Library:  The Kits Branch of the Vancouver Public Library is the oldest branch in the province, opened in 1927.

Totem Pole: The totem pole outside the Maritime Museum was carved by Mungo Martin and is a replica of the one given to Queen Elizabeth II in 1967.  At that time it was the tallest totem pole in the world.

Recreation:  Most of Kits recreation focuses on the waterfront.  Kits Beach has an outdoor pool, tennis courts, beach volleyball and the seawall for jogging/biking/rollerblading and Vanier Park.  Not to forget the Kits Community Centre, the Vanouver Conservatory of Music and the Observatory.

Shopping:  Kits has it all - health food stores to clothing and kitchen stores.  Check out the character cafe on Arbutues and 6th, which dates back to 1907.  4th Avenue and West Broadway offer everything at your doorstep.

Transportation:  A 10 minute commute to Downtown by car, bus or bike.

Schools:  Bayview Elementary 2251 Collingwood, Henry Hudson 1551 Cypress, Lord Tennyson 1936 W. 10th, fraser Academy 2294 W. 10th, Kits Secondary 2550 W. 10th, Montessori 1819 Larch