Vancouver

For the city in Washington, see Vancouver, Washington.

Vancouver is a coastal city and major seaport on the mainland of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The city has a population of over 630,000 and is the largest city in British Columbia. Metro Vancouver has a population of over 2 million people.^[5] That makes it the third largest metropolitan area in Canada. Vancouver has a mix of people from different cultures. Fifty-two percent of city residents have a first language that is not English.^[6][7]

Vancouver
City
City of Vancouver
Flag Coat of arms
Nickname:  See Nicknames of Vancouver
Motto(s):  "By Sea, Land, and Air We Prosper"
Location within Metro Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada
Vancouver Location within British Columbia Show map of British Columbia Vancouver Location within Canada Show map of Canada Vancouver #Location within North America Show map of North America
Coordinates: 49°15′N 123°6′W
Country	Canada
Province	British Columbia
Region	Lower Mainland
Incorporated	April 6, 1886
Named for	Captain George Vancouver R.N., (1757-1798), explored 1792 for British Royal Navy
Government
• Mayor	Ken Sim
• City Council	List of Councillors Sarah Kirby-Yung Lisa Dominato Brian Montague Mike Klassen Peter Meiszner Rebecca Bligh Lenny Zhou Adriane Carr Christine Boyle Pete Fry
• MPs (Fed.)	List of MPs Don Davies (NDP) Hedy Fry (L) Jenny Kwan (NDP) Joyce Murray (L) Harjit Sajjan (L) Jody Wilson-Raybould (I)
• MLAs (Prov.)	List of MLAs Brenda Bailey (NDP) Spencer Chandra Herbert (NDP) George Chow (NDP) Adrian Dix (NDP) David Eby (NDP) Mable Elmore (NDP) Kevin Falcon (U) George Heyman (NDP) Michael Lee (U) Joan Phillip (NDP) Niki Sharma (NDP)
Area
• City	123.63 km2 (47.73 sq mi)
• Land	115.18 km2 (44.47 sq mi)
• Urban	911.64 km2 (351.99 sq mi)
• Metro	2,878.93 km2 (1,111.56 sq mi)
Elevation	0–152 m (0–501 ft)
Population  (2021)[1][2]
• City	662,248 (8th)
• Density	918.0/km2 (2,378/sq mi)
• Urban	2,264,823[3]
• Metro	2,642,825 (3rd)
• Metro density	918.0/km2 (2,378/sq mi)
Demonym	Vancouverite
Time zone	UTC−8 (PST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (PDT)
Forward sortation area	V5K - V6T, V6Z, V7X - V7Y
Area codes	604, 778, 236, 672
NTS Map	092G03
GNBC Code	JBRIK
Highways Hwy 1 (TCH)	Hwy 7 Hwy 1A Hwy 7A Hwy 99
GDP	US$ 154.3 billion[4]
GDP per capita	US$58,384[4]
Website	City of Vancouver

History

Native People began living in this area around 10,000-8,000 years ago. These people were part of three main groups: the Squamish, Musqueam, and Tsleil-Waututh.^[8][9]

Vancouver was founded in 1886, and is named after British naval captain George Vancouver. Captain Vancouver explored the area around Vancouver and Vancouver Island in the 1790s.

Buildings and information

The University of British Columbia is in Vancouver.

Vancouver also has Stanley Park which has beaches and totem poles. Nearby is Grouse Mountain which has good skiing and has a 2.9 km (1.8 mi.) hiking trail which is known as the Grouse Grind. Grouse Mountain also has an animal sanctuary, including wolves and bears.

The Lions Gate Bridge is also in Stanley Park, Vancouver.

Sports

Rogers Arena is the home of the Vancouver Canucks

Vancouver has two ice hockey teams, the Vancouver Canucks (who play for the National Hockey League) and the Vancouver Giants (who play for the Western Hockey League).

The BC Lions of the Canadian Football League are based in Vancouver. The team has won 6 Grey Cups.

In soccer, Vancouver is home to the Vancouver Whitecaps FC. They play in the Major League Soccer (MLS).

The 2010 Winter Olympics were held in Vancouver and it was the first time Canada won a gold medal on Canadian soil.

Geography

Vancouver is on a peninsula on the West Coast of Canada, less than a one-hour drive north of the Canada-U.S. border. Between Vancouver and the Pacific Ocean to the west is a large island called Vancouver Island. Until the city was named in 1885, "Vancouver" referred to Vancouver Island. Some people mistakenly think that the city is on Vancouver Island. On the south shore of Vancouver is the Fraser River, which flows west into the Strait of Georgia. The water along the north shore is called Burrard Inlet. The city has an area of 114 square kilometres (44 sq mi). The larger metropolitan area is 2,878 square kilometres (1,111 sq mi). As with most of British Columbia, Vancouver is in the Pacific Time Zone (UTC−8).

Climate

Vancouver has an oceanic climate (Cfb in the Köppen climate classification). The average precipitation per year is 1189 mm, mostly from October to April. High temperatures in the summer average 22 °C. The highest temperature ever recorded was 34.4 °C on July 30, 2009. On average, snow falls on only 11 days per year. The snow is usually wet, not very deep, and melts in the rain. On average, on only 4.5 days a year does the temperature not rise above freezing.

Climate data for Vancouver International Airport (Richmond), 1981–2010 normals, extremes 1898–present[a]
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high humidex	17.2	18.0	20.3	23.9	33.7	33.9	38.3	35.9	33.0	27.2	21.1	16.1	38.3
Record high °C (°F)	15.3 (59.5)	18.4 (65.1)	20.0 (68.0)	26.1 (79.0)	30.4 (86.7)	33.3 (91.9)	34.4 (93.9)	33.3 (91.9)	30.0 (86.0)	25.0 (77.0)	20.1 (68.2)	15.0 (59.0)	34.4 (93.9)
Average high °C (°F)	6.9 (44.4)	8.2 (46.8)	10.3 (50.5)	13.2 (55.8)	16.7 (62.1)	19.6 (67.3)	22.2 (72.0)	22.2 (72.0)	18.9 (66.0)	13.5 (56.3)	9.2 (48.6)	6.3 (43.3)	13.9 (57.0)
Daily mean °C (°F)	4.1 (39.4)	4.9 (40.8)	6.9 (44.4)	9.4 (48.9)	12.8 (55.0)	15.7 (60.3)	18.0 (64.4)	18.0 (64.4)	14.9 (58.8)	10.3 (50.5)	6.3 (43.3)	3.6 (38.5)	10.4 (50.7)
Average low °C (°F)	1.4 (34.5)	1.6 (34.9)	3.4 (38.1)	5.6 (42.1)	8.8 (47.8)	11.7 (53.1)	13.7 (56.7)	13.8 (56.8)	10.8 (51.4)	7.0 (44.6)	3.5 (38.3)	0.8 (33.4)	6.8 (44.2)
Record low °C (°F)	−17.8 (0.0)	−16.1 (3.0)	−9.4 (15.1)	−3.3 (26.1)	0.6 (33.1)	2.2 (36.0)	6.1 (43.0)	3.9 (39.0)	−1.1 (30.0)	−6.1 (21.0)	−14.3 (6.3)	−17.8 (0.0)	−17.8 (0.0)
Record low wind chill	−22.6	−21.2	−14.5	−5.4	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	−11.4	−21.3	−27.8	−27.8
Average precipitation mm (inches)	168.4 (6.63)	104.6 (4.12)	113.9 (4.48)	88.5 (3.48)	65.0 (2.56)	53.8 (2.12)	35.6 (1.40)	36.7 (1.44)	50.9 (2.00)	120.8 (4.76)	188.9 (7.44)	161.9 (6.37)	1,189 (46.81)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	157.5 (6.20)	98.9 (3.89)	111.8 (4.40)	88.1 (3.47)	65.0 (2.56)	53.8 (2.12)	35.6 (1.40)	36.7 (1.44)	50.9 (2.00)	120.7 (4.75)	185.8 (7.31)	148.3 (5.84)	1,153.1 (45.38)
Average snowfall cm (inches)	11.1 (4.4)	6.3 (2.5)	2.3 (0.9)	0.3 (0.1)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.1 (0.0)	3.2 (1.3)	14.8 (5.8)	38.1 (15.0)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm)	19.5	15.4	17.7	14.8	13.2	11.5	6.3	6.7	8.3	15.4	20.4	19.7	168.9
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm)	18.4	14.7	17.5	14.8	13.2	11.5	6.3	6.8	8.3	15.4	19.9	18.4	165.2
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm)	2.6	1.4	0.9	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.03	0.8	2.8	8.73
Average relative humidity (%)	81.2	74.5	70.1	65.4	63.5	62.2	61.4	61.8	67.2	75.6	79.5	80.9	70.3
Mean monthly sunshine hours	60.2	91.0	134.8	185.0	222.5	226.9	289.8	277.1	212.8	120.7	60.4	56.5	1,937.5
Percent possible sunshine	22.3	31.8	36.6	45.0	46.9	46.8	59.3	62.1	56.1	36.0	21.9	22.0	40.6
Average ultraviolet index	1	1	3	4	6	6	7	6	4	2	1	1	4
Source: Environment Canada[12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] and Weather Atlas[26]

Housing in Vancouver

Vancouver has had a housing affordability crisis for many years.^[27] It came in as the second-least affordable housing market compared with 90 other metropolitan areas in different countries. The only place considered less affordable was Hong Kong.^[28]

Vancouver has been criticized for saying that it provides many social housing units to residents. However social housing can refer to small apartments renting for $1,700 per month. There are people with household incomes of up to $120,000 living in social housing in Vancouver.^[29]

The government has been attempting to address the housing crisis situation by imposing a series of taxes such as the Foreign-buyers tax and Empty Homes Tax in 2016 and Speculation tax in 2018.

Rents in Vancouver were very high, and apartment vacancies were very low in 2019.^[30]

Media

Television

• CBC Radio
• CKGO (730)
• CKNO (Knowledge Network)
• CIVT (CTV Television Network)

Newspapers

• The Vancouver Sun
• The Globe and Mail
• The Province
• The National Post

Internet Media

• The Tyee
• NowPublic
• Daily Hive

Notable people

See the main article: List of people from Vancouver

Notes

1. 1981–2010 normals are for Vancouver International Airport, while extreme high and low temperatures are from Vancouver PMO (October 1898 to May 1945),^[10] and Vancouver International Airport (January 1937 to present).^[11]

References

1. "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
2. "Data table, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population - Vancouver, City (CY) [Census subdivision], British Columbia". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
3. Census Profile, 2016 Census
4. "Table 36-10-0468-01 Gross domestic product (GDP) at basic prices, by census metropolitan area (CMA) (x 1,000,000)". Statistics Canada. January 27, 2017. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
5. "Province of British Columbia and Greater Vancouver Transit Authority (TransLink) Facts 2008" (PDF). Government of Canada. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-06-24. Retrieved 2007-12-01.
6. "2006 Census: Population by mother tongue - cities". Archived from the original on 2008-01-26. Retrieved 2007-12-17.
7. "City Facts 2004" (PDF). City of Vancouver. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-02-06. Retrieved 2006-11-11.
8. Thom, Brian (1996). "Stó:lo Culture - Ideas of Prehistory and Changing Cultural Relationships to the Land and Environment". Archived from the original on 2007-07-18. Retrieved 2006-11-23.
9. Carlson, Keith Thor, ed. (2001). A Stó:lō-Coast Salish Historical Atlas. Vancouver, BC: Douglas & McIntyre. pp. 6–18. ISBN 1-5505-4812-3.
10. "Daily Data Report for October 1898". Environment Canada. 31 October 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
11. "Monthly Data Report for 1937". Environment Canada. 31 October 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
12. "1981 to 2010 Canadian Climate Normals". Environment Canada. 2015-09-22. Climate ID: 1108447. Retrieved 2016-05-09.
13. "Daily Data Report for March 1941". Canadian Climate Data. Environment Canada. 31 October 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
14. "Daily Data Report for April 1934". Canadian Climate Data. Environment Canada. 31 October 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
15. "Daily Data Report for June 1925". Canadian Climate Data. Environment Canada. 31 October 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
16. "Daily Data Report for September 1944". Canadian Climate Data. Environment Canada. 31 October 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
17. "Daily Data Report for October 1934". Canadian Climate Data. Environment Canada. 31 October 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
18. "Daily Data Report for December 1939". Canadian Climate Data. Environment Canada. 31 October 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
19. "Daily Data Report for June 1901". Canadian Climate Data. Environment Canada. 31 October 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
20. "Daily Data Report for July 1909". Canadian Climate Data. Environment Canada. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
21. "Daily Data Report for August 1910". Canadian Climate Data. Environment Canada. 31 October 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
22. "Daily Data Report for September 1908". Canadian Climate Data. Environment Canada. 31 October 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
23. "Daily Data Report for October 1935". Canadian Climate Data. Environment Canada. 31 October 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
24. "Calculation Information". Environment Canada. 31 October 2011. Retrieved 2016-05-12.
25. "Daily Data Report for November 2016". Canadian Climate Data. Environment Canada. 31 October 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
26. d.o.o, Yu Media Group. "Vancouver, Canada - Detailed climate information and monthly weather forecast". Weather Atlas. Retrieved 2019-07-06.
27. Douglas Todd: Vancouver's housing crisis four decades in the making
28. Why Ottawa’s attempts to help young Canadians afford housing simply won’t work
29. Dan Fumano: 'Call it what it is' — Most Vancouver 'social housing' geared to $50,000+ incomes
30. A desperate housing situation calls for desperate measures

Other websites

• Official City of Vancouver website
• Tourism Vancouver Archived 2015-08-23 at the Wayback Machine