Welcome to the Vancouver Lexicon. Its purpose is to pin down the patois of the City of Vancouver by recording its toponyms, nicknames, slang terms, personalities, places, and other Van-centric things. Full A-Z here.

Pemberdise | nickname | A portmanteau of Pemberton and paradise. A increasingly popular nickname (and hashtag) for the town of Pemberton, BC (pop. 2,574) and its immediate, mountainous surrounds. It is presumed to have been given on account of the area being a veritable playground (thus paradise) for outdoor enthusiasts. This is evidenced by the term being especially employed by mountain bikers. It may have worked its way into local parlance by way of visiting Australians, who could have brought it over from the western part of their home country, where the town of Pemberton (pop. 720) is also referred to colloquially and affectionately as “Pemberdise” because of its mountain bike park and many natural wonders (eg. giant karri trees, Gloucester National Park, et cetera). Soon to be abused by real estate marketers.

Usage: “We biked and hiked our way into a secret backcountry camping spot with an amazing lake view up in Pemberdise last weekend…”