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Vancouver is a coastal city located in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is named for British Captain George Vancouver, who explored the area in the 1790s. The name Vancouver itself originates from the Dutch "van Coevorden", denoting somebody from Coevorden, a city in the Netherlands.
The largest metropolitan area in Western Canada, Vancouver ranks third largest in the country and the city proper ranks eighth. According to the 2006 census Vancouver had a population of just over 578,000 and its Census Metropolitan Area exceeded 2.1 million people. Its residents are ethnically and linguistically diverse; 52% do not speak English as their first language.
Logging sawmills established in 1867 in the area known as Gastown became the nucleus around which the townsite grew, and Vancouver was incorporated as a city in 1886. By 1887, the transcontinental railway was extended to the city to take advantage of its large natural seaport, which soon became a vital link in a trade route between the Orient, Eastern Canada, and London. The Port Metro Vancouver is now the busiest and largest in Canada, as well as the fourth largest port (by tonnage) in North America. While forestry remains its largest industry, Vancouver is well known as an urban centre surrounded by nature, making tourism its second largest industry. It also is the third largest film production centre in North America after Los Angeles and New York City, earning it the nickname Hollywood North.
Vancouver has ranked highly in worldwide "livable city" rankings for more than a decade according to business magazine assessments. It has hosted many international conferences and events, including the 1976 United Nations Conference on Human Settlements and the 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication. The 2010 Winter Olympics and 2010 Winter Paralympics were held in Vancouver and nearby Whistler, a resort community 125 km (78 miles) north of the city.
Location
Vancouver is situated at 49° 16' N, 123° 7' W, in the Pacific Time Zone (UTC-8). It is in the Pacific Maritime Ecozone. It is adjacent to the Strait of Georgia, a body of water that is shielded from the Pacific Ocean by Vancouver Island. Some unfamiliar with the region find it disconcerting that Vancouver does not lie on Vancouver Island. However, both the city and the island (and their American counterpart) are named after Captain George Vancouver of Great Britain, who explored the region in 1792.
Climate
Vancouver's climate is unusually temperate by Canadian standards; it is the warmest major city in Canada during the winter. The temperature and weather are similar to that of Seattle, Vancouver's nearest major US neighbour. Summer months are usually sunny and the temperatures moderate, with the daily maximum averaging 22°C (74°F) in July and August. Springs and autumns are generally rainy and cool. Rainfall is frequent in winter. Snow occurs in the surrounding mountains but rarely at sea level. Vancouver typically has one or two light snowfalls per winter. The daily average temperature in January is 3°C (37°F). For a few nights near the summer solstice each June, the northern sky remains slightly lit by the sun, and nightime lasts only about 6 hours.
People
Vancouver is home to people of many ethnic backgrounds and religions. It contains the second largest Chinatown in North America (after San Francisco's), and many ethnic neighbourhoods including the Punjabi Market, Japantown, Little Italy, and Greektown. Street signs bilingual in English and Chinese or Punjabi can be seen at centres of ethnic concentration. Prior to the hand-over of Hong Kong to China many Chinese immigrants made Vancouver their home, earning it the controversial nickname Hongcouver. This continued a tradition of immigrants flocking from all around the world to call Vancouver home. Statistics Canada data shows that 17% of the roughly 2 million population of the census metropolitan area is ethnic Chinese.
Vancouver has many progressive elements, including a bustling music and art scene, one of the largest gay communities in North America, and innovative approaches to drug issues. The Four Pillars Drug Strategy combines harm reduction (needle exchanges, safe injection sites) with prevention, treatment, and enforcement. Marijuana laws are generally unenforced within the city region allowing several "marijuana cafes" to open, earning it the name the Amsterdam of the North, or Vansterdam.
Vancouver is relatively free of racial tension; every ethnic group is represented in every social class. One result is a relatively high rate of intermarriage; trans-ethnic couples are unremarkable in any neighborhood.
Rankings
Vancouver ranked second (2002, 2003) and third (2004, 2005) in a worldwide quality of life survey of 215 cities, conducted by Mercer Human Resource Consulting. Vancouver consistently ranks in the top 5 in most worldwide rankings. Vancouver is always ranked number #1 when compared to its Canadian and American peers. Vancouver has tied for first with the cities of Salzburg and Oslo among the UN chosen cities for highest living standards the last 4 years running.
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