02 The story
A hill with a view and a history
Capitol Hill is the rounded rise just north of Hastings Street, east of the Heights. Its streets curve up and over the hill, and many homes look out over Burrard Inlet to the North Shore mountains. It is mostly residential, with a mix of older bungalows, newer family houses and low-rise apartments closer to Hastings.
Early settler L.I. Dundas logged the hill in 1902, and Dundas Street still runs up one side and down the other. Capitol Hill has some notable former residents. Inventor Donald Hings lived at the top of the hill, where he developed a portable radio set in the late 1930s that became known as the walkie-talkie. Painter Jack Shadbolt, whose name lives on in the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, also lived here.
Things to do
The main draw is the outdoors. A section of the Trans Canada Trail skirts the northern flank of the hill, and small lookout parks near the top give wide views of the inlet, the port and the mountains. Walks here are short but steep, so bring good shoes.
For shops and food, head down to Hastings Street, where the commercial strip continues east from the Heights with grocery stores, cafés and family restaurants. Confederation Park and its pool, library and miniature railway are just to the west, and Burnaby Mountain is a few minutes east by bus.
Capitol Hill suits families and anyone who values quiet streets and views over nightlife. Most residents drive or use the R5 along Hastings. The hill can be slippery in the rare snowfall, so plan ahead in winter.
