Okay, have you seen this recent MoveHub article about Vancouver, WA topping their (very scientific) hipster index? Now, I’m not totally sure about their dataset, but I think I can make a more convincing case for the hipster-ness of Vancouver.
What do you mean by “hipster”?
The MoveHub article has its own definition, but I think I can dig a little deeper.
First of all, I think people misidentify the “hipster” fashion sense and occasional eating habits as its own subculture. Living in a gentrifying neighborhood and wearing glasses and ironic t-shirts isn’t actually hipster, it’s usually just what’s affordable and fashionable.
“Hipster” comes from the jazz age and is what people who were on the cutting edge were called. Remember those jokes “I was doing __ before it was cool”? That’s the real hipster mentality. And frankly, only a few people have it. The idea isn’t to seek something out or live a particular way because it’s cool- it’s to be and act how you want because you define cool.
Is Vancouver Hipster?
Vancouver or The Couve totally registers high on my hipster index, but not because of its density of microbreweries and tattoo parlors. Not even for its rent hikes.
I think Vancouver is hipster because it unironically is what it represents itself to be. It’s a small suburban city that takes pointers from the bigger city next door (Portland), but it also has its own very cool factors. Here are just a few things that make Vancouver hipster:
- The farmer’s market is HUGE. You may think you know farmer’s markets, but Vancouver’s is basically famous. I spoke to someone from Florida the other day – and they had heard of it. Here you’ll find the usual seasonal fruits and veggies from both Oregon and Washington, along with artisanal food, handmade items, local art, pet treats, flowers, locally made outdoor furniture, botanical lotions, and tons more. It’s basically like the downtown Portland Farmer’s Market, Saturday Market, and a swap meet rolled into one.
- Their thrift game is on point. There are a ton of awesome places to go thrifting in Vancouver. Places that aren’t Goodwill, though they have those too.
- They freakin love to read. If buying a VCR and old VHS tapes are hipster, then bibliophiles were reading before it was cool. The Vancouver library is huge and amazing. So, if you unapologetically tell people that you read the Game of Thrones books before the show came out – you may fall in love with this library.
- Free concerts are real. Summertime free concerts in the park are hippie and hipster – and they’re a tradition in Vancouver.
- Making exercise fun is a thing. And not in an overly-peppy kind of way. Instead, people in Vancouver genuinely love to hike, bike, run, or climb. There’s a ton of nature in and surrounding Vancouver. Also, there are really cool indoor places like Source which are emphatically not a gym- but are places to have tons of fun. While doing indoor activities.
So, although rents and house prices are going up in Vancouver- and yes there are tattoo parlors and microbreweries and places to eat vegan food – it’s a small city that’s proud to be itself. And I think that’s the mark of a real hipster.
Want to find out more about moving to Vancouver, Portland, Lake Oswego, or any of the other Portland-adjacent cities in Oregon or Washington? We’ve got the hookup!