[3] The Oakridge area was one of the last parts of Vancouver to be left in its natural state, with the exception of a golf course built near West 49th and Cambie in 1926 and some institutional construction including hospitals and boarding schools prior to World War II.

Much of the area was built with single-family homes, and the Oakridge Centre shopping mall, constructed in 1959 at West 41st Avenue and Cambie Street, provided a centrepoint for the residential boom.

It was dominated by bungalow homes constructed in the 1950s and 1960s; however, in the last 10 years, many of these smaller houses have been torn down and have been replaced by larger multi-level residences.

A massive redevelopment of Oakridge Centre, which began in 2019, is currently ongoing to turn the suburban mall into a high-density, transit-oriented neighbourhood with multiple high-rises, the tallest in the city outside of the downtown peninsula, expected completion in 2027.

The city is conducting a "master planning" process for the Oakridge Centre area, potentially increasing retail, residential, commercial, office and community uses on the site.