Davie Village
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Davie Village (aka the Davie District) is a gay village in the West End of Vancouver Canada.
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Considered by many of the area's gay residents to be the city's gay centre, Davie Village is located on Davie Street roughly between Burrard and Jervis Streets.
Located along in the village are a variety of shops, restaurants, services, and hotels catering to a variety of customers. There are also residences along Davie Street. Davie Village is also home to the offices of Xtra West, a self-titled "Lesbian and Gay Biweekly" newspaper. The Centre (formerly the Gay and Lesbian Centre) is located just off Davie Street on Bute. The Centre provides a variety of services for the city's gay, lesbian, transgendered and bisexual residents. Davie Street is also home to one of the city's oldest gay bathouses. The street's most notable business is undoubtedly Little Sister's Book and Art Emporium ("Little Sister's"), a gay and lesbian bookstore known nationally for its ongoing legal battles with Canada Customs.
The Davie Street Business Improvement Association (established in 1999) is responsible for the naming of Davie Village (named in 1999), and also commissioned banners from local artist Joe Average which fly from lamposts along the street. The two-sided banners depict a rainbow flag on one side and a sun design by Average on the other. Many of the businesses and residents along the street (and also in the rest of the West End) also fly rainbow flags, a symbol of gay pride, and many of the covered bus stop benches along Davie Street are painted a deep pink.
The Village hosts a variety of events during the year, including the Davie Street Festival which runs in conjunction with Vancouver's annual Gay Pride Parade, during which sections of the street are closed to motor traffic.