Vancouver is a coastal city and major seaport, located on the mainland of south-western British Columbia, Canada. It is named after Captain George Vancouver, a British explorer.
The population of the city of Vancouver is just under 600,000, making it the eighth largest city in Canada. However, the population of the metropolitan region, known as Metro Vancouver, has been estimated to be as high as 2,249,725 (2007 estimate), bolstered mainly by the expanding southern cities of Surrey and Richmond. This then, makes it the largest metropolitan area in western Canada and the third largest in the country.
Vancouver is ethnically diverse, with 52% of city residents and 43% of Metro residents having a first language other than English. The population of the city is growing rapidly, and the Metro population is projected to reach 2.6 million by 2020. Population density is highest for a major city on the continent after New York City, San Francisco, and Mexico City, and on track to being second by 2021.
Vancouver is located between the Strait of Georgia and the Coast Mountains. Its economy has traditionally relied on British Columbia's resource sectors: forestry, mining, fishing and agriculture. It 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. It has since become the busiest seaport in Canada, and exports more cargo than any other port in North America.
Vancouver is consistently ranked one of the three most liveable cities in the world. According to a 2007 report by Mercer Human Resource Consulting for example, Vancouver tied with Vienna as having the third highest quality of living in the world, after Zürich and Geneva. In 2007, Vancouver was ranked the second most expensive in Canada after Toronto, and, in 2006, the 56th most expensive city in which to live among 143 major cities in the world; in the same survey, Zurich and Geneva were ranked as the ninth and seventh most expensive, respectively.
The 2010 Winter Olympics will be held in Vancouver and nearby Whistler.
Vancouver has been called a "city of neighbourhoods", each with a distinct character and ethnic mix. People of British origin were historically the largest ethnic group in the city, and elements of British society and culture are still highly visible in some areas, particularly South Granville and Kerrisdale.
The population of the city of Vancouver is just under 600,000, making it the eighth largest city in Canada. However, the population of the metropolitan region, known as Metro Vancouver, has been estimated to be as high as 2,249,725 (2007 estimate), bolstered mainly by the expanding southern cities of Surrey and Richmond. This then, makes it the largest metropolitan area in western Canada and the third largest in the country.
Vancouver is ethnically diverse, with 52% of city residents and 43% of Metro residents having a first language other than English. The population of the city is growing rapidly, and the Metro population is projected to reach 2.6 million by 2020. Population density is highest for a major city on the continent after New York City, San Francisco, and Mexico City, and on track to being second by 2021.
Vancouver is located between the Strait of Georgia and the Coast Mountains. Its economy has traditionally relied on British Columbia's resource sectors: forestry, mining, fishing and agriculture. It 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. It has since become the busiest seaport in Canada, and exports more cargo than any other port in North America.
Vancouver is consistently ranked one of the three most liveable cities in the world. According to a 2007 report by Mercer Human Resource Consulting for example, Vancouver tied with Vienna as having the third highest quality of living in the world, after Zürich and Geneva. In 2007, Vancouver was ranked the second most expensive in Canada after Toronto, and, in 2006, the 56th most expensive city in which to live among 143 major cities in the world; in the same survey, Zurich and Geneva were ranked as the ninth and seventh most expensive, respectively.
The 2010 Winter Olympics will be held in Vancouver and nearby Whistler.
Vancouver has been called a "city of neighbourhoods", each with a distinct character and ethnic mix. People of British origin were historically the largest ethnic group in the city, and elements of British society and culture are still highly visible in some areas, particularly South Granville and Kerrisdale.
The Chinese are by far the largest visible ethnic group in the city, and Vancouver has one of the most diverse Chinese-speaking communities, with several Chinese dialects being represented. There are also some neighbourhoods with high concentrations of single ethnic groups, such as the Punjabi Market, Little Italy (roughly synonymous with Commercial Drive but also including the Nanaimo and Hastings area), Greektown, and Japantown. Bilingual street signs can be seen in various neighbourhoods, including Chinatown and the Punjabi Market.
The above discriptions were taken mostly from Wikipaedia as I didn’t feel I had enough knowledge to do the City justice. Ive driven into the area a few times now but I mostly go to our yard in Delta. I only really go into the city for collections and once when I was in there I took a ride on the Sky Train.
Here's some stuff I found on the Sky Train……………………………….
The SkyTrain is a two-line urban mass transit system in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It uses Bombardier's Advanced Rapid Transit technology, with fully automated trains running principally on elevated tracks (hence the name). There have been no derailments or collisions in its history. It uses the same linear induction motor-driven trains as the Scarborough RT line in Toronto, the Kelana Jaya Line in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Detroit's People Mover, and the AirTrain JFK in New York City.
SkyTrain is operated by British Columbia Rapid Transit Company under contract from TransLink, a regional government transportation agency. It operates on a proof-of-payment fare system and is policed by the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority Police Service. Skytrain Attendants (STAs) are present to provide first aid, directions, customer service and inspect fares, and they monitor train faults and drive the trains when necessary. TransLink claims to lose about C$6 million in unpaid fares annually, including $3 million from SkyTrain alone.
SkyTrain's 49.5 km (30.8 mi) of track make it the longest automated light rapid transit system in the world. It also uses the longest mass transit-only bridge, the SkyBridge, to cross the Fraser River. There are 33 stations in the system, which carries more than 160,000 - 180,000 people every day on the two lines. The Expo Line was built in time for the Expo 86 World's Fair; the Millennium Line opened in 2002 and further expansions are underway to coincide with the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Construction of the Canada Line began in November 2005. The Evergreen Line is in the planning stage. The former will be completed in 2009, and the latter in 2014. Translink has also released a ten year plan outlining a Broadway Line and further expansion of the Expo Line into Surrey. The Canada Line will run from downtown Vancouver to Richmond, with a branch to Vancouver International Airport.
The above discriptions were taken mostly from Wikipaedia as I didn’t feel I had enough knowledge to do the City justice. Ive driven into the area a few times now but I mostly go to our yard in Delta. I only really go into the city for collections and once when I was in there I took a ride on the Sky Train.
Here's some stuff I found on the Sky Train……………………………….
The SkyTrain is a two-line urban mass transit system in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It uses Bombardier's Advanced Rapid Transit technology, with fully automated trains running principally on elevated tracks (hence the name). There have been no derailments or collisions in its history. It uses the same linear induction motor-driven trains as the Scarborough RT line in Toronto, the Kelana Jaya Line in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Detroit's People Mover, and the AirTrain JFK in New York City.
SkyTrain is operated by British Columbia Rapid Transit Company under contract from TransLink, a regional government transportation agency. It operates on a proof-of-payment fare system and is policed by the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority Police Service. Skytrain Attendants (STAs) are present to provide first aid, directions, customer service and inspect fares, and they monitor train faults and drive the trains when necessary. TransLink claims to lose about C$6 million in unpaid fares annually, including $3 million from SkyTrain alone.
SkyTrain's 49.5 km (30.8 mi) of track make it the longest automated light rapid transit system in the world. It also uses the longest mass transit-only bridge, the SkyBridge, to cross the Fraser River. There are 33 stations in the system, which carries more than 160,000 - 180,000 people every day on the two lines. The Expo Line was built in time for the Expo 86 World's Fair; the Millennium Line opened in 2002 and further expansions are underway to coincide with the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Construction of the Canada Line began in November 2005. The Evergreen Line is in the planning stage. The former will be completed in 2009, and the latter in 2014. Translink has also released a ten year plan outlining a Broadway Line and further expansion of the Expo Line into Surrey. The Canada Line will run from downtown Vancouver to Richmond, with a branch to Vancouver International Airport.
The Evergreen line will run from Lougheed Town Centre to Coquitlam Town Centre. The Broadway Line, although not confirmed, is said to extend from the Millennium Line at VCC-Clark station and end at the University of British Columbia in the University Endowment Lands, tunneling underneath Broadway a majority of the way. The system has been the subject of several political, social, and economic controversies.
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