Vancouver (pronounced /vænˈkuːvər/) is a coastal city and major seaport located in the Lower Mainland of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is the core of the largest metropolitan region in both British Columbia and Western Canada, although as a municipality it is only ranked 8th nationally.
Vancouver is bounded by the Strait of Georgia, Burrard Inlet, the Fraser River, the city of Burnaby, and the University Endowment Lands. Vancouver is named after Captain George Vancouver, a British explorer. The name Vancouver itself originates from the Dutch "van Coevorden", denoting somebody from (in Dutch: "van") Coevorden, an old city in The Netherlands.[3]
The population of the city of Vancouver is 615,473[4] and the population of Metro Vancouver is 2,271,224.[5] Vancouver is also part of the slightly larger Lower Mainland metropolitan area which comprises a total population of 2,547,479,[5] making it the largest metropolitan area in Western Canada and the third largest in the country.[6] Vancouver is ethnically diverse, with 52% of city residents[7][8] and 43% of residents of Metro Vancouver [9] having a first language other than English.
Vancouver was first settled in the 1860s as a result of immigration caused by the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, particularly from the United States, although many immigrants did not remain after the rush. The city developed rapidly from a small lumber mill town into a metropolitan centre following the arrival of the transcontinental railway in 1887. The Port of Vancouver became internationally significant after the completion of the Panama Canal, which reduced freight rates in the 1920s and made it viable to ship export-bound prairie grain west through Vancouver.[10] It now claims to be the busiest seaport in Canada, and is the fourth largest tonnage port in North America.[11]
Prior to the 1980s, the economy of Vancouver had traditionally relied on British Columbia's resource sectors: forestry, mining, fishing and agriculture. It has diversified over the past 30 years, however, and today its second largest industry, after forestry, is tourism, and it has become the third-largest film production centre in North America after Los Angeles and New York City, earning it the nickname Hollywood North.[12][13][14][15][16]
Vancouver is consistently ranked one of the three most livable cities in the world.[17][18][19][20] According to a 2009 report by Mercer Human Resource Consulting for example, Vancouver has the fourth highest quality of living in the world, after Zürich, Vienna and Geneva and ranked first in a survey by magazine The Economist.[21][22][23] In 2007, according to Forbes, Vancouver had the 6th most overpriced real estate market in the world and second in North America after Los Angeles.[24][25] In 2007, Vancouver was ranked Canada's second most expensive city to live after Toronto and the 89th most expensive globally, and, in 2006, the 56th most expensive city in which to live among 143 major cities in the world.[26] In 2007, Vancouver was ranked as the 10th cleanest city in the world by Forbes.[27] In October 2008, the City of Vancouver was named one of "Canada's Top 100 Employers" by Mediacorp Canada Inc., and was featured in Maclean's newsmagazine.[28]
The 2010 Winter Olympics and 2010 Winter Paralympics will be held in Vancouver and nearby Whistler, a mountain town 125 km north of the city.[29][30][31]
Vancouver is bounded by the Strait of Georgia, Burrard Inlet, the Fraser River, the city of Burnaby, and the University Endowment Lands. Vancouver is named after Captain George Vancouver, a British explorer. The name Vancouver itself originates from the Dutch "van Coevorden", denoting somebody from (in Dutch: "van") Coevorden, an old city in The Netherlands.[3]
The population of the city of Vancouver is 615,473[4] and the population of Metro Vancouver is 2,271,224.[5] Vancouver is also part of the slightly larger Lower Mainland metropolitan area which comprises a total population of 2,547,479,[5] making it the largest metropolitan area in Western Canada and the third largest in the country.[6] Vancouver is ethnically diverse, with 52% of city residents[7][8] and 43% of residents of Metro Vancouver [9] having a first language other than English.
Vancouver was first settled in the 1860s as a result of immigration caused by the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, particularly from the United States, although many immigrants did not remain after the rush. The city developed rapidly from a small lumber mill town into a metropolitan centre following the arrival of the transcontinental railway in 1887. The Port of Vancouver became internationally significant after the completion of the Panama Canal, which reduced freight rates in the 1920s and made it viable to ship export-bound prairie grain west through Vancouver.[10] It now claims to be the busiest seaport in Canada, and is the fourth largest tonnage port in North America.[11]
Prior to the 1980s, the economy of Vancouver had traditionally relied on British Columbia's resource sectors: forestry, mining, fishing and agriculture. It has diversified over the past 30 years, however, and today its second largest industry, after forestry, is tourism, and it has become the third-largest film production centre in North America after Los Angeles and New York City, earning it the nickname Hollywood North.[12][13][14][15][16]
Vancouver is consistently ranked one of the three most livable cities in the world.[17][18][19][20] According to a 2009 report by Mercer Human Resource Consulting for example, Vancouver has the fourth highest quality of living in the world, after Zürich, Vienna and Geneva and ranked first in a survey by magazine The Economist.[21][22][23] In 2007, according to Forbes, Vancouver had the 6th most overpriced real estate market in the world and second in North America after Los Angeles.[24][25] In 2007, Vancouver was ranked Canada's second most expensive city to live after Toronto and the 89th most expensive globally, and, in 2006, the 56th most expensive city in which to live among 143 major cities in the world.[26] In 2007, Vancouver was ranked as the 10th cleanest city in the world by Forbes.[27] In October 2008, the City of Vancouver was named one of "Canada's Top 100 Employers" by Mediacorp Canada Inc., and was featured in Maclean's newsmagazine.[28]
The 2010 Winter Olympics and 2010 Winter Paralympics will be held in Vancouver and nearby Whistler, a mountain town 125 km north of the city.[29][30][31]
Country
Canada
Province
British Columbia
Region
Lower Mainland
Regional District
Metro Vancouver
Incorporated
1886
Government
- Mayor
Gregor Robertson (Vision Vancouver)
- City Council
List of Councilors[show]
Suzanne Anton (NPA)David Cadman (COPE)George Chow (Vision)Heather Deal (Vision)Kerry Jang (Vision)Raymond Louie (Vision)Geoff Meggs (Vision)Andrea Reimer (Vision)Tim Stevenson (Vision)Ellen Woodsworth (COPE)
Area
- City
114.67 km2 (44.3 sq mi)
- Metro
2,878.52 km2 (1,111.4 sq mi)
Elevation
2 m (7 ft)
Population (Census 2006)[1][2]
- City
615,473 (Ranked 8th)
- Density
5,335/km2 (13,817.6/sq mi)
- Metro
2,271,224 (Ranked 3rd)
- Demonym
Vancouverite
Time zone
PST (UTC−8)
- Summer (DST)
PDT (UTC−7)
Postal code span
V5K to V6Z
Area code(s)
604, 778
NTS Map
092G03
GNBC Code
JBRIK
Website
City of Vancouver
1 History
2 Geography and climate
3 Demographics
3.1 Population growth
4 Economy
5 Government
5.1 Provincial representation
5.2 Federal representation
5.3 Policing
5.4 Military
6 Transportation
7 Education
7.1 Schools
7.2 Universities and colleges
7.3 International students
8 Architecture and cityscape
9 Arts and culture
9.1 Visual art and the Vancouver School
10 Sports and recreation
10.1 Professional sports teams
11 Media
11.1 English-language media
11.2 Multicultural media
12 Affiliated cities and municipalities
13 See also
14 References
15 External links
16 Related information
2 Geography and climate
3 Demographics
3.1 Population growth
4 Economy
5 Government
5.1 Provincial representation
5.2 Federal representation
5.3 Policing
5.4 Military
6 Transportation
7 Education
7.1 Schools
7.2 Universities and colleges
7.3 International students
8 Architecture and cityscape
9 Arts and culture
9.1 Visual art and the Vancouver School
10 Sports and recreation
10.1 Professional sports teams
11 Media
11.1 English-language media
11.2 Multicultural media
12 Affiliated cities and municipalities
13 See also
14 References
15 External links
16 Related information
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