Best for
Burnaby Heights is the old soul of North Burnaby. It runs along Hastings Street between Boundary Road and Willingdon Avenue — a 12-block commercial main street that somehow still functions the way main streets used to, with butchers, bakeries, produce markets, independent coffee shops, and some of the best Persian and Italian food in the region. North Burnaby has Metro Vancouver's largest established Iranian-Canadian community, and the Persian bakeries and restaurants along Hastings (Khayyam, Golestan, Rise Above) are the real deal.
The residential part of Burnaby Heights climbs north from Hastings up to Capitol Hill, with character houses from the 1920s–50s on tree-lined streets and some of the best views in Metro Vancouver — clear days let you see the Lions Gate Bridge, Stanley Park, and the North Shore mountains all at once. South of Hastings, the neighbourhood transitions into newer apartment buildings along Kensington Avenue and Duthie Avenue.
Burnaby Heights isn't on the SkyTrain — the nearest stations are Gilmore (Millennium Line, 15 minutes away by bus) or Brentwood — but it's well-served by the 135 SFU bus along Hastings and the 130 running south to Metrotown. Rents in the older apartment buildings are noticeably cheaper than Metrotown or Brentwood: one-bedrooms in 1970s concrete buildings often list at $1,500–1,800. For newcomers who value character, food, and views over SkyTrain proximity, Burnaby Heights is the best-kept secret in the city.
Services in Burnaby
Local price ranges for services — we don't yet break these down to the neighbourhood level, but prices in Burnaby are consistent across most inner areas.