Living on Blundell near No. 6 Road for the last 30 years, Richmond resident De Whalen refers to the sometimes forgotten area of town as the "mysterious east."
Indeed, crossing the Blundell overpass above Highway 99 to get to her neighbourhood and you are greeted by a sudden change of scenery from urban to very agricultural.
"We've got a little hobby farm that's an acre and a third," said Whalen, who, with her husband, built a three-car garage, workspace next to her house and also later added a barn at the back.
"The properties here are all acreages, from half an acre all the way up to five acres."
Her current four-bedroom home, bought for $146,000 in 1983, is not her first in East Richmond - she also lived at No. 6 Road and Westminster, as well as in other parts of town like Kingswood where she owned a condo.
But nothing could quite match the appeal of owning actual land, and plenty of it.
"We had both been brought up on farms or in the country. We thought 'Gee, if we have any kids it would be nice if they had property to run around in,'" she said, joking that even though her now-24-year-old son had ample opportunity to do that growing up, he still eventually became a techie spending more time in front of computers than being outdoors.
"The property was enough to build a barn to keep my horses, and it's close enough to Vancouver that you can get to work in 20 minutes to half an hour and you don't have to move all the way out to Langley Richmond or something. It was just a sweet spot."
When Whalen is not riding her two horses, walking her dog or tending to her expansive garden, she said civilization is just a short distance away - although it still requires hopping into a car or onto a bicycle.
For shopping or dining needs, there is Ironwood Plaza at the corner of No. 5 Road and Steveston Hwy. that has no shortage of big chains like Save-On-Foods, London Drugs, Canadian Tire, Browns Social House, Tim Hortons and Boston Pizza.
People can also take care of finances at Scotiabank, insure their car at Ironwood Insurance Agencies or read a book at the Richmond Public Library.
When Whalen is in the mood for entertainment, she said she doesn't have to look much further than the nearby
Riverport complex featuring SilverCity, Big River Brew Pub, The Richmond Ice Centre, and more.
"I love Watermania, and it's pretty close. There are pools with all kinds of water programs, a weight room, yoga classes and fitness classes."
But regardless of all the close-by amenities, the biggest draw remains the one right outside her door.
"It's the big sense of openness, all the trees and the animals.
"We've got coyotes in the back property, there's a herd of 30 or 40 of them yipping away.
"We have no rabbit problem because of that," said Whalen, laughing.
