South Granville Lifestyle & Demographics

Asian Affluence
Established Chinese families in suburbia

The most affluent of the Chinese-dominated lifestyles, Asian Affluence is home to educated, middle-aged families, 34 percent of whom speak Chinese as their first language. Most residents came to Canada in the 1980s and 1990s, settling in a handful of prosperous neighbourhoods in Toronto and Vancouver. With lofty household incomes of $104,000 and homes that have appreciated in value to an average of $370,000, Asian Affluence residents enjoy active - and activist - lifestyles. They travel abroad frequently, drive luxury cars, attend investment shows and go to a lot of classical music concerts. They're also active in community affairs, donating money to political and cultural groups. And these mostly university-educated consumers are early adopters, patronizing high-end stores for the latest in fashion and technology.

Upscale $103,998
Middle-Aged
Ethnic Presence: High (Chinese)

Few clusters have more wanderlust than Asian Affluence. According to surveys, residents rank near the top in a dozen travel categories- -from travelling to Hong Kong and America's western states to flying business class and staying at resort lodges. When these frequent flyers get home, they have the wherewithal to indulge their taste in fine jewelry, books, photography and designer clothes; they like shopping at Talbots Fairweather and The Bay. Though originally from other countries, these residents are now card-carrying Canadians with wallets full of membership cards in various customer rewards programs as well an impressive array of credit cards.

How they think
Asian Affluence is a strongly outer-directed cluster. Scoring high on Ostentatious Consumption and Concern for Appearance, these Canadians are eager to show others that they've made it. They want their possessions and personal appearance to denote status, success, and style. This desire for status spills over into their approach to nationalism: Asian Affluence residents are strong on Importance of National Superiority. These Canadians are uncomfortable with complexity and change; they are among the weakest on Adaptability to Complexity in Life and register little Need for Autonomy. Asian Affluence residents cope with the change and frenzy of modern life by focusing on family (they are very strong on Primacy of the Family) and by pursuing the clear, measurable goals of status and material success.

Attitudes
"When shopping for clothes, I generally look for designer labels"
"I've written an editor of a paper/magazine"
"I enjoy entertaining"
"I tend to be the first to own new electronic products"
"Most alternative therapies, like acupuncture, are more effective than standard medicine"

Asian Up-and-Comers
Successful middle-aged Asian families

Divided between Vancouver and Toronto, Asian Up-and-Comers is often the first stop for new immigrants from China and, to a lesser degree, the Philippines, Vietnam and South Asia. These middle-aged families typically are well-educated and ethnically diverse. More than a third speak Chinese, nearly two-thirds speak a language other than English and 60% are foreign born. While their incomes are just average, this cluster's above-average savings levels and lofty home values - averaging nearly $309,000 for their suburban houses - result in decidedly upscale spending patterns: wardrobes filled with designer clothes and jewellery, driveways lined with sporty luxury cars, nights spent at the theatre. Self-described early adopters, Asian Up-and-Comers residents are especially fond of the latest in computers, consumer electronics and Internet technology - often to stay connected to relatives back home.

Upper-Middle $60,082
Middle-Aged
Ethnic Presence: High (Chinese)

The residents of Asian Up-and-Comers are relatively recent immigrants: nearly half came to Canada since 1990. But these large, often multigenerational families are beginning to prosper in their adopted country. Some have recently moved or bought their first home, and the 27 percent who still rent their residences will be a future market for houses. Already, many adults have university degrees and white collar jobs. And they apply their smarts when shopping, first researching products on the Internet to get the best deals. They're big on travel to Hong Kong and the western United States. And they're active in the community, not just in patronizing local shops and restaurants, but in writing public officials and donating money to political groups.

How they think
Asian Up-and-Comers is a cluster that is modern, autonomous and idealistic in its values. Among the strongest clusters on the trend Introspection and Empathy, these Canadians are living rich, thoughtful lives. This cluster is enthusiastic about consumption-especially technology, but not obsessed with material things. Asian Up-and-Comers is strong on a number of idealistic trends from Global Ecological Consciousness to Ethical Consumerism to Equality of the Sexes. This cluster delights in the non-rational: strong on Intuitive Potential and Personal Creativity, Asian Up-and-Comers residents like to feel as well as think, and create as well as produce. Asian Up-and-Comers is flexible and open; it has no particular Aversion to Complexity in Life and has little time for Ethnic Intolerance or the Acceptance of Violence.

Attitudes
"I find it enriching to talk to different kinds of people"
"I tend to be the first to own new electronic products"
"I read newspaper inserts before Shopping"
"Being Canadian is part of my identity"
"It is important for me to feel connected to my cultural roots"

Electric Avenues
Young upper-middle-class urban singles

Urban lifestyles typically attract young singles and couples, and Electric Avenues is no exception. These neighbourhoods - concentrated in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa-Hull and Montreal - are known as havens for university graduates who rent apartments (in low- and high-rise buildings), have white collar jobs and pursue yuppie lifestyles. While residents here have average household incomes, their spending power appears greater because so many are childless households. Like their younger cousins in Grads & Pads, they spend freely on entertainment, designer clothes and cultural events. But being more established, they devote more time to tracking their investments and less time patronizing the local nightclub. While no one would consider Electric Avenues residents conservative, they are less liberal in their outlook than Grads & Pads.

Upper-Middle $62,094
Young
Ethnic Presence: Low

Electric Avenues bring together a diverse mix of cultures in a vibrant city setting: apartment-dwelling singles from a dozen Asian and European countries all united by a youthful, educated sensibility. As Consumers, they're big on travel, books, health foods and yoga. And though supermarket surveys would seem to indicate they are starving-spending less than $50 weekly on groceries-they frequent all types of restaurants. Electric Avenues residents like nothing more than to meet friends at coffee bars, making it the top-ranked cluster for drinking cappuccino.

How they think
Electric Avenues is a cluster of autonomous, flexible and engaged Canadian youth. Electric Avenue residents' flexibility and openness to change is evident particularly in their orientation to matters of gender, sexuality, and family: this cluster is among the strongest on Flexible Definition of the Family, Gender Equality, and Sexual Permissiveness. Electric avenues residents question rules and received wisdom. They want the freedom to make their own decisions without deferring to the wishes of a boss, father, religious leader, or other authority figure: this cluster is strong on Control of Destiny and Adaptability to Complexity in Life. There is a dash of youthful thrill-seeking here, evident in the cluster's high scores on Penchant for Risk-Taking and Importance of Spontaneity in Daily Life. But these young Canadians find no thrill in showing others they're richer or better off; this cluster is among the weakest on the trends Ostentatious Consumption and Concern for Appearance.

Attitudes
"I am willing to pay more for environmentally-friendly products"
"I am more independent than most people"
"I am interested in discovering more ways to improve my intuition"
"The use of marijuana should be legalized in Canada"

$100K outdoor gym for Vancouver seniors underused

Kathryn Willey will not reveal her age.

Vancouver’s only ActNow senior ambassador with the provincial Ministry of Health, Willey defers the question about her date of birth. She won’t even give a decade. “I’m trying to stay young,” she exclaimed. “I’m not going to tell you how old I am.” (read more)

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