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Vancouver Travel Guide - Travel S Helper

Vancouver

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Vancouver, formally the City of Vancouver, is the most populous city in British Columbia, Canada.

According to the 2011 census, the city has 603,502 residents, making it the seventh biggest municipality in Canada. The Greater Vancouver region, with a population of around 2.4 million people, is the country’s third most populous metropolitan area, the second biggest city on the US–Canada border, and the most populated in Western Canada. Vancouver is one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities in Canada, with 52 percent of citizens speaking a language other than English as their first language. Vancouver has been designated as a Beta global city. The City of Vancouver has a land area of around 114 square kilometers and a population density of approximately 5,249 persons per square kilometre (13,590 per square mi). With nearly 250,000 people, Vancouver is the most densely inhabited municipality in Canada and the fourth most densely populated metropolis in North America, after only New York City, San Francisco, and Mexico City.

On 1 July 1867, Gastown sprung up on clearcuts on the west end of the Hastings Mill logging sawmill’s land, where a temporary pub had been put up on a board between two stumps and the owner, Gassy Jack, convinced the inquisitive millworkers to construct him a tavern. Other businesses and hotels immediately followed suit along the shoreline to the west of that original venture. Gastown was legally established as a recognized townsite known as Granville, B.I. (“B.I” standing for “Burrard Inlet”). As part of the land and political transaction that saw the townsite become the CPR railhead, it was renamed “Vancouver” and constituted as a city soon thereafter, in 1886. By 1887, the transcontinental railway had been extended to the city in order to take use of its huge natural harbour, which quickly became an important link in a commercial route connecting the Orient, Eastern Canada, and Europe. Port Metro Vancouver is the third biggest port by tonnage in the Americas (displacing New York), the 27th largest port in the world, the busiest and largest in Canada, and the most diverse port in North America as of 2014. While forestry remains the city’s most important sector, Vancouver is widely recognized as an urban oasis surrounded by nature, making tourism the city’s second-largest industry. Major film production studios in Vancouver and Burnaby have transformed Greater Vancouver and its surrounding regions into one of the major film production hubs in North America, giving it the film industry moniker, Hollywood North.

Vancouver has frequently ranked as one of the top five global cities for livability and quality of life, and the Economist Intelligence Unit dubbed it the first city to rank among the top 10 most liveable cities for five years in a row. Many international conferences and events have taken place in Vancouver, including the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, UN Habitat I, Expo 86, the World Police and Fire Games in 1989 and 2009, and the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, which were held in Vancouver and Whistler, a resort town 125 kilometers (78 miles) north of the city. Following thirty years in California, the annual TED conference relocated to Vancouver in 2014. Several FIFA Women’s World Cup matches were held in Vancouver, including the final at BC Place Stadium.

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Vancouver | Introduction

Vancouver – Info Card

POPULATION : • City 603,502
• Urban 2,135,201
• Metro 2,313,328
FOUNDED :   Incorporated 6 April 1886
TIME ZONE : • Time zone PST (UTC−8)
• Summer (DST) PDT (UTC−7)
LANGUAGE :  English (official) , French (official)
RELIGION :
AREA : • City 114.97 km2 (44.39 sq mi)
• Metro 2,878.52 km2 (1,111.40 sq mi)
ELEVATION :   0–152 m (0–501 ft)
COORDINATES :  49°15′N 123°6′W
SEX RATIO :  Male: 49.63%
 Female: 50.37%
ETHNIC :
AREA CODE :  604, 778, 236
POSTAL CODE :  V5K to V6Z
DIALING CODE :  +1 604

Tourism in Vancouver

Vancouver is at an advantageous position in the globe. With miles of shoreline, beautiful foliage, and the North Shore Mountains as a backdrop, it’s difficult not to pause and be surprised by what you see.

But if you scrape under the surface, you’ll discover a global metropolis with numerous faces. It’s a mix of old and modern, a stopover for immigrants who have enriched the city’s neighborhoods, festivals, and cuisine. On the one hand, it is the third largest metropolitan region in Canada, the second most popular tourist destination in the country, and the economic center of British Columbia. It is a contemporary metropolis of glass skyscrapers with a diverse range of festivals, cultures, and attractions, and it has hosted international events such as the 1986 World Exposition and the 2010 Winter Olympics. Others see it as Vansterdam, the laid-back socially progressive city with a relaxed stance toward marijuana. Some see it as the doorway to Asia because of its Asian ancestry and closeness to China and Japan. And, with so much beauty just outside your door, Vancouver is a sanctuary for outdoor aficionados. It’s one of those unique spots where you can ski in the mountains, go to the beach, and play golf all in the same day.

All of this makes it simple to identify as a local. Walk along the Seawall. Spend a day at one of the parks. Indulge in meals and delicacies from all around the globe at a local restaurant. Or just take a seat on the beach or on a balcony and watch the world go by — After all, Vancouver is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

VISITOR INFORMATION

  • Tourism Vancouver Visitor Centre, 200 Burrard St (Plaza level, Burrard & Cordova),  +1 604 683-2000, fax: +1 604 682-6839. 8:30AM-6PM. Offers maps, brochures and other information for visitors.

Geography of Vancouver

Vancouver is located on the Burrard Peninsula, between the Burrard Inlet to the north and the Fraser River to the south. Vancouver Island protects the Strait of Georgia from the Pacific Ocean to the west. The city has a total size of 114 km2 (44 sq mi) and is located in the Pacific Time Zone (UTC8) and the Pacific Maritime Ecozone. Until the city was named in 1885, “Vancouver” referred to Vancouver Island, and it is still often assumed that the city is situated on the island. Both the island and the city are named after British Royal Navy Captain George Vancouver (as is the city of Vancouver, Washington in the United States).

Stanley Park, which measures 404.9 hectares in Vancouver, is one of the biggest urban parks in North America (1,001 acres). On a clear day, spectacular sights include the snow-capped volcano Mount Baker in the state of Washington to the southeast, Vancouver Island across the Strait of Georgia to the west and southwest, and Bowen Island to the northwest.

Economy of Vancouver

Vancouver is one of the country’s main industrial centers, located on the Pacific Rim and at the western end of Canada’s transcontinental highway and rail networks. Port Metro Vancouver, Canada’s biggest and most diverse port, conducts yearly commerce worth more than C$172 billion with over 160 different trading economies. Port operations contribute $9.7 billion in GDP and $20.3 billion in economic output. Vancouver is also the home of several forest product and mining enterprises. Vancouver has recently emerged as a hub for software development, biotechnology, aerospace, video game creation, animation studios, television production, and the film industry. Lululemon, Kit and Ace, Mountain Equipment Co-op, Herschel Supply Co., Reigning Champ, and Nature’s Path Organic Foods were all created and based in Vancouver, owing to the city’s strong emphasis on lifestyle and health culture.

The picturesque setting of Vancouver makes it a popular tourist destination. Many people come to admire the city’s gardens, including Stanley Park, Queen Elizabeth Park, and the VanDusen Botanical Garden, as well as the mountains, ocean, woodland, and parklands that surround the city. Every year, almost a million tourists travel through Vancouver on their way to Alaska aboard cruise ships.

Vancouver is the most pressured city in Canada in terms of house affordability. Demographia listed Vancouver as the world’s second most expensive city in 2012, evaluated as even more severely overpriced than in 2011. Cooperative housing, permitted supplementary suites, higher density, and smart expansion are some of the techniques used by the city to minimize housing expenses. The typical two-level property in Vancouver sold for a record high of $987,500 in April 2010, compared to the Canadian average of $365,141.

Since the 1990s, the downtown peninsula has seen the erection of high-rise condominia sponsored in part by an influx of wealth from Hong Kong immigrants after the former colony’s 1997 transfer to China. Such growth has concentrated in the Yaletown and Coal Harbour sectors, as well as near several SkyTrain stations to the east of downtown. The city’s decision to co-host the 2010 Winter Olympics had a significant impact on economic growth as well. Concerns were made that the Olympics will worsen Vancouver’s growing homelessness issue because owners of single-room occupancy motels, which house many of the city’s lowest-income citizens, renovated their facilities to attract higher-income residents and visitors. The 1986 World Exposition, another big international event staged in Vancouver, drew nearly 20 million people and contributed $3.7 billion to the Canadian economy. The exhibition resulted in the construction of certain still-standing Vancouver icons, including as the SkyTrain public transportation system and Canada Place.

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