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{{About|the Canadian city}}
{{pp-move-indef}}
<!-- Infobox begins -->
{{Infobox settlement
|name = Vancouver
|official_name = City of Vancouver
|nickname = [[Nicknames of Vancouver|See article]]
|other_name =
|native_name = <!-- for cities whose native name is not in English -->
|settlement_type =City
|motto = "By Sea, Land, and Air We Prosper"
|image_skyline = Vancouver Photo Montage.png
|imagesize =
|image_caption = Clockwise from top: Downtown Vancouver as seen from the southern shore of [[False Creek]], [[University of British Columbia]] campus, [[Lions Gate Bridge]], boats on the harbour, [[Granville Island]], [[Chinatown, Vancouver|Chinatown]] gate, and [[totem pole]]s in [[Stanley Park]]
|image_flag = Flag of Vancouver (Canada).svg
|alt=asdsad
|flag_size =
|image_seal =
|seal_size =
|image_shield = Coat of arms of Vancouver.png
|shield_size =
|image_blank_emblem = Vancouverlogo.svg
|citylogo_size =
|image_map = GVRDVancouver.svg
|mapsize =
|map_caption = Location of Vancouver within [[Metro Vancouver]] in British Columbia, Canada
|image_map1 =
|mapsize1 =
|map_caption1 =
|image_dot_map =
|dot_mapsize =
|dot_map_caption =
|dot_x = |dot_y =
|pushpin_map=
|pushpin_map_caption=
|coordinates_region = CA-BC
|subdivision_type = Country
|subdivision_name = {{CAN}}
|subdivision_type1 = Province
|subdivision_name1 = {{BC}}
|subdivision_type2 = [[Regions of Canada#British Columbia|Region]]
|subdivision_name2 = [[Lower Mainland]]
|subdivision_type3 = [[List of British Columbia Regional Districts|Regional District]]
|subdivision_name3 = [[Greater Vancouver Regional District|Greater Vancouver (GVRD)]]
|subdivision_type4 =
|subdivision_name4 =
|government_footnotes =
|government_type =
|leader_title = [[Mayor]]
|leader_name = [[Gregor Robertson (politician)|Gregor Robertson]] ([[Vision Vancouver]])
|leader_title1 = [[Vancouver City Council|City Council]]
|leader_name1 = {{Collapsible list
|title = '''List of Councillors'''
|frame_style = border:none; padding: 0;
|list_style = text-align:left;display:none;
|1=[[Suzanne Anton]] ([[Non-Partisan Association|NPA]])
|2=[[David Cadman]] ([[Coalition of Progressive Electors|COPE]])
|3=[[George Chow]] ([[Vision Vancouver|Vision]])
|4=[[Heather Deal]] ([[Vision Vancouver|Vision]])
|5=[[Kerry Jang]] ([[Vision Vancouver|Vision]])
|6=[[Raymond Louie]] ([[Vision Vancouver|Vision]])
|7=[[Geoff Meggs]] ([[Vision Vancouver|Vision]])
|8=[[Andrea Reimer]] ([[Vision Vancouver|Vision]])
|9=[[Tim Stevenson]] ([[Vision Vancouver|Vision]])
|10=[[Ellen Woodsworth]] ([[Coalition of Progressive Electors|COPE]])
}}
|leader_title3 = [[Members of the Canadian House of Commons|MPs]] (Fed.)
|leader_name3 = {{Collapsible list
|title = '''List of MPs'''
|frame_style = border:none; padding: 0;
|list_style = text-align:left;display:none;
|1 = [[Don Davies]] ([[New Democratic Party|NDP]])
|2 = [[Libby Davies]] ([[New Democratic Party|NDP]])
|3 = [[Ujjal Dosanjh]] ([[Liberal Party of Canada|Lib]])
|4 = [[Hedy Fry]] ([[Liberal Party of Canada|Lib]])
|5 = [[Joyce Murray]] ([[Liberal Party of Canada|Lib]])
}}
|leader_title4 = [[Legislative Assembly of British Columbia|MLAs]] (Prov.)
|leader_name4 = {{Collapsible list
|title = '''List of MLAs'''
|frame_style = border:none; padding: 0;
|list_style = text-align:left;display:none;
|1 = [[Gordon Campbell (Canadian politician)|Gordon Campbell]] ([[British Columbia Liberal Party|BC Lib]])
|2 = [[David Chudnovsky (politician)|David Chudnovsky]] ([[New Democratic Party of British Columbia|NDP]])
|3 = [[Adrian Dix]] ([[New Democratic Party of British Columbia|NDP]])
|4 = [[Colin Hansen]] ([[British Columbia Liberal Party|BC Lib]])
|5 = [[Spencer Herbert]] ([[New Democratic Party of British Columbia|NDP]])
|6 = [[Jenny Kwan]] ([[New Democratic Party of British Columbia|NDP]])
|7 = [[Jenn McGinn]] ([[New Democratic Party of British Columbia|NDP]])
|8 = [[Wally Oppal]] ([[British Columbia Liberal Party|BC Lib]])
|9 = [[Shane Simpson]] ([[New Democratic Party of British Columbia|NDP]])
|10 = [[Carole Taylor]] ([[British Columbia Liberal Party|BC Lib]])
}}
|established_title = Incorporated
|established_date = 1886
|named_for = [[Captain George Vancouver]]
|established_title2 =
|established_date2 =
|established_title3 =
|established_date3 =
|area_magnitude =
|unit_pref =<!--Enter: Imperial, if Imperial (metric) is desired-->
|area_footnotes =
|area_total_km2 = 114.67
|area_land_km2 =
|area_water_km2 =
|area_total_sq_mi =
|area_land_sq_mi =
|area_water_sq_mi =
|area_water_percent =
|area_urban_km2 =
|area_urban_sq_mi =
|area_metro_km2 = 2878.52
|area_metro_sq_mi =
|population_as_of = [[Canada 2006 Census|2006 Census]]<!-- THERE WAS NO CENSUS IN 2009 -->
|population_footnotes =<ref name="pop2006-Van" />
|population_note =
|population_total =<!--CENSUS 2006 DATA ONLY, DO NOT USE ESTIMATES -->578,041 [[List of the 100 largest municipalities in Canada by population|(8th]])
|population_density_km2 = 5335
|population_density_sq_mi =
|population_metro =<!--CENSUS 2006 DATA ONLY, DO NOT USE ESTIMATES -->2,116,581 ([[List of the 100 largest metropolitan areas in Canada|3rd]])
|population_density_metro_km2 =
|population_density_metro_sq_mi =
|population_urban =
|population_density_urban_km2 =
|population_density_urban_sq_mi =
|population_blank1_title = [[Demonym]]
|population_blank1 = Vancouverite
|population_density_blank1_km2 = |population_density_blank1_sq_mi =
|timezone = [[Pacific Standard Time Zone|PST]]
|utc_offset = −8
|timezone_DST = PDT
|utc_offset_DST = −7
|latd=49 |latm=15 |lats= |latNS=N
|longd=123 |longm=6 |longs= |longEW=W
|elevation_footnotes =
|elevation_m = 2
|elevation_ft =
|postal_code_type = Postal code span
|postal_code = V5K to V6Z
|area_code = [[Area code 604|604]], [[Area code 778|778]]
|blank_name = [[National Topographic System|NTS]] Map
|blank_info = 092G03
|blank1_name = [[Geographical Names Board of Canada|GNBC]] Code
|blank1_info = JBRIK
|website = [http://vancouver.ca/ City of Vancouver]
|footnotes =
}}<!-- Infobox ends -->

'''Vancouver''' ({{IPAc-en|icon|v|æ|n|.|ˈ|k|uː|v|ər}}) is a coastal city located in the [[Lower Mainland]] of [[British Columbia]], [[Canada]]. It is named for [[Kingdom of Great Britain|British]] [[Captain (naval)|Captain]] [[George Vancouver]], who explored and first mapped the area in the 1790s.<ref>The name ''Vancouver'' itself originates from the [[Dutch language|Dutch]] "van Coevorden", denoting somebody from [[Coevorden]], a city in the [[Netherlands]].</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vancouverhistory.ca/archives_coevorden.htm| title= Coevorden | work=The History of Metropolitan Vancouver| author= Davis, Chuck |accessdate=2009-12-01}}</ref>

The [[metropolitan area]] is the [[List of the 100 largest metropolitan areas in Canada|the third-largest]] in the country, and most populous in [[Western Canada]], with the [[city proper]] ranked [[List of the 100 largest municipalities in Canada by population|eighth among Canadian cities]].<ref>
{{cite web |url=http://www40.statcan.gc.ca/l01/cst01/demo05a-eng.htm |title=Population of census metropolitan areas (2006 Census boundaries)|publisher=Statistics Canada |accessdate=2009-11-30}}
</ref><ref>
{{cite web |url=http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/popdwell/Table.cfm?T=301&S=3&O=D |title=Population and dwelling counts, for Canada and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2006 and 2001 censuses. |publisher=Statistics Canada |accessdate=2009-12-01}}
</ref>
According to the 2006 census Vancouver had a population of 578,041,<ref name="pop2006-Van">
{{cite web |url=http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=5915022&Geo2=CMA&Code2=933&Data=Count&SearchText=Vancouver&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom=
|title=Census 2006 Community Profiles: Vancouver, City and CMA|publisher=Government of Canada |year=2006 |accessdate=2011-01-10}}
</ref>
and 2,116,581 people<ref name="pop2006-Van" />
resided in its [[Census Metropolitan Area|metropolitan area]]. In 2009, Vancouver and the surrounding area (including Abbotsford) was estimated to have a population of 2,501,699.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/91-214-x/2008000/t021-eng.htm |title=Annual population estimates and demographic factors of growth by census metropolitan area, Canada, from July to June — Population estimates and factors of growth|publisher=Statistics Canada |year=2009 |accessdate=2011-03-24}}</ref>
Over the last 30 years, immigration has dramatically increased, making the city more [[Ethnic groups in Canada|ethnically]] and linguistically diverse; 52% do not speak [[English language|English]] as their [[first language]].<ref name="pop2006-Van" /><ref>
{{cite web |url=http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/cityplans/CityFacts04.pdf |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20060512164806/http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/cityplans/CityFacts04.pdf |archivedate=2006-05-12 |title= City Facts 2004 |publisher=City of Vancouver |year=2004 |accessdate=2011-01-10 |format=PDF}} 48.9% have neither English nor French as their first language.
</ref>
Almost 30% of the city's inhabitants are of [[Chinese people|Chinese]] heritage.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=5915022&Geo2=PR&Code2=59&Data=Count&SearchText=Vancouver&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=Visible%20minority&Custom=|title=Visible minority|publisher=Statistics Canada|date=2009-07-24|accessdate=2009-11-30}}
</ref>

From a [[logging]] [[sawmill]] established in 1867 a settlement named [[Gastown]] grew, around which a [[townsite]] named [[Granville, British Columbia|Granville]] arose. With the announcement that the railhead would reach the site, it was renamed "Vancouver" and incorporated as a city in 1886. By 1887, the [[Canadian Pacific Railway|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]].<ref name = Morley>
{{cite book |last=Morley |first=A. |year=1974 |title=Vancouver, from milltown to metropolis |url=http://lccn.loc.gov/64026114|location=Vancouver |publisher=Mitchell press [c9161]|accessdate=2009-12-02}}{{LCCN|64||026114}}
</ref><ref name="STEV">
{{Cite book |last=Norris|first=John M.|url=http://lccn.loc.gov/72170963 | title=Strangers Entertained |publisher=Vancouver, British Columbia Centennial '71 Committee |year=1971 | accessdate=2009-12-01}}{{LCCN|72||170963}}
</ref>
[[Port Metro Vancouver]] is the new name for the Port of Vancouver, which is now the busiest and largest in Canada, as well as the fourth largest port (by tonnage) in [[North America]].<ref>
{{cite web |url=http://www.portmetrovancouver.com/about/news/09-07-31/Port_Metro_Vancouver_Mid-Year_Stats_Include_Bright_Spots_in_a_Difficult_First_Half_for_2009.aspx |title=Port Metro Vancouver Mid-Year Stats Include Bright Spots in a Difficult First Half for 2009 |publisher=[[Port Metro Vancouver]]|date=2009-07-31|accessdate=2009-12-05}}
</ref>
While forestry remains its largest industry, Vancouver is well known as an urban centre surrounded by nature, making [[Tourism in Canada|tourism]] its second-largest industry.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tourismvancouver.com/pdf/research/monthly_overnight_visitors_1994_2005.pdf |title=Overnight visitors to Greater Vancouver by volume, monthly and annual basis |publisher=Vancouver Convention and Visitors Bureau |accessdate=2006-11-16 |format=PDF}}
</ref>
It also is the third-largest [[principal photography|film production]] centre in North America after [[Los Angeles]] and [[New York City]], earning its film industry the nickname [[Hollywood North]].<ref>
{{cite web|title=Industry Profile|url=http://www.bcfilmcommission.com/about_us/industry_profile.htm|publisher=BC Film Commission|accessdate=2006-12-24}}
</ref><ref>
{{cite book |last=Gasher |first=Mike |title=Hollywood North: The Feature Film Industry in British Columbia |publisher=University of British Columbia Press |month=November |year=2002 |location=Vancouver |isbn=978-0-7748-0967-2}}
</ref>

Vancouver has ranked highly in worldwide "livable city" rankings for more than a decade according to business magazine assessments<ref name="BBC News">
{{cite news |title=Vancouver and Melbourne top city league |publisher=BBC News |date=2002-10-04 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/2299119.stm |accessdate=2006-11-14}}
</ref><ref name="TEL">
{{cite news|url=http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2009/06/liveable_vancouver|author=Frary, Mark|title=Liveable Vancouver| work=The Economist|date= 2009-06-08|accessdate=2009-11-29}}
</ref> and it was also acknowledged by [[Economist Intelligence Unit]] as the first city to rank among top-ten of world's most liveable cities for five straight years.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/21/us-cities-liveable-idUSTRE71K0NS20110221 | work=Reuters | title=Vancouver still world's most liveable city: survey | date=2011-02-21}}</ref>
It has hosted many international conferences and events, including the [[1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games]], the [[United Nations|1976 United Nations Conference on Human Settlements]], and the [[Expo '86|1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication]]. In 1989, the city hosted the [[World Police and Fire Games]], and again in 2009, the latter of which drew the largest number of attending athletes to date. The [[2010 Winter Olympics]] and [[2010 Winter Paralympics]] were held in Vancouver and nearby [[Whistler, British Columbia|Whistler]], a resort community 125&nbsp;km (78&nbsp;miles) north of the city.<ref name="V2010">
{{cite web |url=http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-schedule-results/ |title=Vancouver 2010 Schedule |publisher=Official 2010 Olympic Site |year=2010 |accessdate=2010-01-25}}
</ref>

==History==
{{Main|History of Vancouver}}
{{See also|Timeline of Vancouver history}}

===Indigenous peoples===
[[Archaeology|Archaeological]] records indicate the presence of [[First Nations|Aboriginal people]] in the Vancouver area from 8,000 to 10,000 years ago.<ref>
{{cite web |last=Thom |first=Brian |year=1996 |url=http://home.istar.ca/~bthom/LONGTERM-FIN.htm |title=Stó:lo Culture – Ideas of Prehistory and Changing Cultural Relationships to the Land and Environment |accessdate =2006-11-23}}
</ref><ref name = Atlas>
{{cite book |last=Carlson |first=Keith Thor (ed.) |title=A Stó:lō-Coast Salish Historical Atlas |location=Vancouver, BC |publisher=Douglas & McIntyre |year=2001 |pages=6–18 |isbn=978-1-55054-812-9}}
</ref>
The city is located in the traditional territories of the [[Sḵwxwú7mesh|S<u>k</u>w<u>x</u>wú7mesh (Squamish)]], [[Musqueam Indian Band|Xwméthkwyiem (Musqueam)]], and [[Tsleil-Waututh First Nation|Tseil-waututh (Burrard)]] peoples of the [[Coast Salish]] group.<ref>
{{cite book | last=Barman | first=J. | year=2005 | title=Stanley Park's Secret | page=21 | location= | publisher=Harbour Publishing | isbn=978-1-55017-346-8}}
</ref>
They had villages in various parts of present-day Vancouver, such as [[Stanley Park]], [[False Creek]], [[Kitsilano]], [[Point Grey]] and near the mouth of the [[Fraser River]].<ref name = Atlas/>

[[File:First Vancouver Council Meeting after fire.jpg| thumb | left |A portrait of the first Vancouver City Council meeting after the 1886 fire. The tent shown was on the east side of the 100 block Carrall.<ref>{{cite news| last = Smedman| first = Lisa| title = History of Naming Vancouver's Streets: Hamilton's Legacy| work = [[Vancouver Courier]]| date = 2006-03-03 | url = http://www.6717000.com/newsArticle-1945.html | accessdate =2009-12-01}}</ref>|alt=Men standing and sitting around two tables, facing the camera. A large tent behind them has a wooden sign that reads "City Hall"]]

===Exploration and contact===

The first European to explore the coastline of present-day [[West Point Grey|Point Grey]] and parts of [[Burrard Inlet]] was [[José María Narváez]] of [[Spanish Empire|Spain]], in 1791, although one author contends that [[Francis Drake]] may have visited the area in 1579.<ref>{{cite book | last=Bawlf | first=R. Samuel | year=2003 | title=The Secret Voyage of Sir Francis Drake: 1577–1580 | publisher=Walker & Company | isbn=978-0-8027-1405-3}}</ref> [[George Vancouver]] explored the inner harbour of Burrard Inlet in 1792 and gave various places British names.<ref>{{cite book| last = Davis| first = Chuck | coauthors = W. Kaye Lamb | title = Greater Vancouver Book: An Urban Encyclopaedia | publisher = Linkman Press| year = 1997 | location = Surrey, BC| pages = 34–36| url = http://www.discovervancouver.com/GVB/captain-george-vancouver.asp | isbn = 978-1-896846-00-2 | accessdate = 2010-02-07}}</ref>

The explorer and [[North West Company]] trader [[Simon Fraser (explorer)|Simon Fraser]] and his crew were the first known people of European race to set foot on the site of the present-day city. In 1808, they travelled from the east down the [[Fraser River]], perhaps as far as Point Grey, near the [[University of British Columbia]].<ref>{{cite web| title = History of City of Vancouver| publisher = Caroun.com| url = http://www.caroun.com/Countries/America/Canada/Vancouver/2-VancouverHistory.html | accessdate =2007-01-17}}</ref>

===Early growth===
The [[Fraser Gold Rush]] of 1858 brought over 25,000 men, mainly from [[California]], to nearby [[New Westminster]] (founded February 14, 1859) on the [[Fraser River]], on their way to the [[Fraser Canyon]], bypassing what would become Vancouver.<ref name="Vancouver's past">{{cite book |last=Hull |first=Raymond |title=Vancouver's Past |publisher=University of Washington Press |year=1974 |location=Seattle |coauthors=Soules, Christine; Soules, Gordon |isbn=978-0-295-95364-9}}
</ref><ref>
{{cite book |url=http://www.amazon.ca/McGowans-War-Donald-Hauka/dp/978-1-55420-001-6|title=McGowan's War |publisher=New Star Books|ISBN=978-1-55420-001-6|author=Donald J. Hauka|date=27 November 2003|accessdate=2009-12-02}}
</ref><ref>
{{cite book |last=Matthews |first=J.S. "Skit" |title=Early Vancouver |year=1936 |publisher=City of Vancouver}}
</ref>
Vancouver is among British Columbia's youngest cities;<ref name="Horizons">{{cite book |last=Cranny |first=Michael |coauthors=Jarvis, Moles, Seney |title=Horizons: Canada Moves West |publisher=Prentice Hall Ginn Canada |year=1999 |location=Scarborough, ON |isbn=978-0-13-012367-1}}
</ref>
the first European settlement in what is now Vancouver was not until 1862 at McLeery's Farm on the Fraser River, just east of the ancient village of [[Musqueam]] in what is now [[Marpole]]. A sawmill established at Moodyville (now the [[North Vancouver, British Columbia (city)|City of North Vancouver]]) in 1863, began the city's long relationship with logging. It was quickly followed by mills owned by Captain Edward Stamp on the south shore of the inlet. Stamp, who had begun lumbering in the [[Port Alberni, British Columbia|Port Alberni]] area, first attempted to run a mill at [[Brockton Point]], but difficult currents and reefs forced the relocation of the operation in 1867 to a point near the foot of Gore Street. This mill, known as the [[Hastings Mill]], became the nucleus around which Vancouver formed. The mill's central role in the city waned after the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) in the 1880s. It nevertheless remained important to the local economy until it closed in the 1920s.<ref name="GVB">{{cite book |last=Davis |first=Chuck |title=The Greater Vancouver Book: An Urban Encyclopaedia |publisher=Linkman Press |year=1997 |location=Surrey, British Columbia |pages=39–47 |url=http://www.discovervancouver.com/GVB/history-of-vancouver.asp |accessdate= |isbn=978-1-896846-00-2}}
</ref>

The settlement which came to be called Gastown grew up quickly around the original makeshift [[tavern]] established by "Gassy" [[John Deighton|Jack Deighton]] in 1867 on the edge of the Hastings Mill property.<ref name="Horizons"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gastown.org/history/index.html|title=Welcome to Gastown|date=2008-03-28|publisher=Gastown Business Improvement Society|accessdate=2009-12-05}}
</ref>
In 1870, the [[Colony of British Columbia|colonial government]] surveyed the settlement and laid out a townsite, renamed "Granville" in honour of the then-British [[Secretary of State for the Colonies]], [[Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville|Lord Granville]]. This site, with its natural harbour, was eventually selected as the terminus for the Canadian Pacific Railway to the disappointment of [[Port Moody]], [[New Westminster]] and [[Victoria, British Columbia|Victoria]], all of which had vied to be the railhead. A railway was among the inducements for British Columbia to join the [[Canadian Confederation|Confederation]] in 1871, but the [[Pacific Scandal]] and arguments over the use of Chinese labour delayed construction until the 1880s.<ref>{{cite book |last=Morton |first=James |title=In the Sea of Sterile Mountains: The Chinese in British Columbia |publisher=J.J. Douglas |year=1973 |location=Vancouver |isbn=978-0-88894-052-0}}
</ref>

[[File:1898 Van Pan Map.jpg|| thumb | right |Panorama of Vancouver, 1898.|alt=Black-and-white illustration of Vancouver. Large ships fill the harbor in the south; the town, filling the center of the map, is bounded by trees on the left and top sides. Bridges span the middle-top body of water.]]

===Incorporation===
The City of Vancouver was incorporated on 6 April 1886, the same year that the first transcontinental train arrived. CPR president [[William Van Horne]] arrived in Port Moody to establish the CPR terminus recommended by [[Henry John Cambie]], and gave the city its name in honour of [[George Vancouver]].<ref name="Horizons"/> The [[Great Vancouver Fire]] on 13 June 1886, razed the entire city. The [[Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services|Vancouver Fire Department]] was established that year and the city quickly rebuilt.<ref name="GVB"/> Vancouver's population grew from a settlement of 1,000 people in 1881 to over 20,000 by the turn of the century and 100,000 by 1911.<ref>{{cite book| last = Davis| first = Chuck | coauthors = Richard von Kleist | title = Greater Vancouver Book: An Urban Encyclopaedia | publisher = Linkman Press| year = 1997 | location = Surrey, BC| page = 780 | isbn = 978-1896846002}}</ref>

Vancouver merchants outfitted prospectors bound for the [[Klondike Gold Rush]] in 1898.<ref name="Vancouver's past"/> One of those merchants, Charles Woodward, had opened the first [[Woodward's]] store at Abbott and Cordova Streets in 1892 and, along with [[Spencer's (department store)|Spencer's]] and the [[Hudson's Bay Company|Hudson's Bay]] department stores, formed the core of the city's retail sector for decades.<ref>{{cite web | title = Our History: Acquisitions, Retail, Woodward's Stores Limited| publisher = Hudson's Bay Company| url = http://www.hbc.com/hbcheritage/history/acquisitions/retail/woodwards.asp| accessdate =2007-01-23}}</ref>

The economy of early Vancouver was dominated by large companies such as the CPR, which provided capital{{citation needed|date=November 2010}} for the rapid development of the new city, and in fact was the main real estate owner and housing developer in the city. While some manufacturing did develop, natural resources became the basis for Vancouver's economy. The resource sector was initially based on logging and later on exports moving through the seaport, where commercial traffic constituted the largest economic sector in Vancouver by the 1930s.<ref>{{cite journal| last = McCandless | first = R. C.| title = Vancouver's 'Red Menace' of 1935: The Waterfront Situation| journal = BC Studies | issue = 22| page = 68| year = 1974 }}</ref>

===Twentieth century===
The dominance of the economy by big business was accompanied by an often militant [[Trades and Labour Congress of Canada|labour movement]]. The first major sympathy strike was in 1903 when railway employees struck against the CPR for union recognition. Labour leader Frank Rogers was killed by CPR police while picketing at the docks, becoming the movement's first martyr in British Columbia.<ref>{{cite book| last = Phillips| first = Paul A.| title = No Power Greater: A Century of Labour in British Columbia| publisher = BC Federation of Labour/Boag Foundation| year = 1967| location = Vancouver| pages = 39–41 }}</ref> The rise of industrial tensions throughout the province led to Canada's first general strike in 1918, at the [[Cumberland, British Columbia|Cumberland]] coal mines on [[Vancouver Island]].<ref>{{cite book| last = Phillips| first = Paul A.| title = No Power Greater: A Century of Labour in British Columbia| publisher = BC Federation of Labour/Boag Foundation| year = 1967| location = Vancouver| pages = 71–74 }}</ref> Following a lull in the 1920s, the strike wave peaked in 1935 when unemployed men flooded the city to protest conditions in the relief camps run by the military in remote areas throughout the province.<ref>{{cite journal| last = Manley| first = John | title = Canadian Communists, Revolutionary Unionism, and the 'Third Period': The Workers' Unity League,| journal = Journal of the Canadian Historical Association, New Series| volume = 5| pages = 167–194| year = 1994| url = http://www.erudit.org/revue/jcha/1994/v5/n1/031078ar.pdf | accessdate =|format=PDF}}</ref><ref name="Brown 1987">{{cite book| last = Brown| first = Lorne| title = When Freedom was Lost: The Unemployed, the Agitator, and the State| publisher = Black Rose Books| year = 1987| location = Montreal| isbn = 978-0-920057-77-3}}</ref> After two tense months of daily and disruptive protesting, the [[Relief Camp Workers' Union|relief camp strikers]] decided to take their grievances to the federal government and embarked on the [[On-to-Ottawa Trek]],<ref name="Brown 1987"/> but their protest was put down by force. The workers were arrested near [[Mission, British Columbia|Mission]] and interned in work camps for the duration of the Depression.<ref>{{cite book | last=Schroeder | first=Andreas | title=Carved From Wood: A History of Mission 1861–1992 | year=1991 | publisher=Mission Foundation | isbn=978-1-55056-131-9}}</ref>

Other social movements, such as the [[first-wave feminism|first-wave feminist]], moral reform, and [[temperance movement]]s were also influential in Vancouver's development. [[Mary Ellen Smith]], a Vancouver [[women's suffrage|suffragist]] and [[Prohibition in Canada|prohibitionist]], became the first woman elected to a [[Legislative Assemblies of Canadian provinces and territories|provincial legislature]] in Canada in 1918.<ref>{{cite book| last = Robin| first = Martin| title = The Rush for Spoils: The Company Province,| publisher = McClelland and Stewart| year = 1972| location = Toronto| page = 172| isbn = 978-0-7710-7675-6}}</ref> Alcohol prohibition began in the [[World War I|First World War]] and lasted until 1921, when the provincial government established control over alcohol sales, a practice still in place today.<ref>{{cite book | last = Robin| first = Martin| title = The Rush for Spoils: The Company Province,| publisher = McClelland and Stewart| year = 1972| location = Toronto| pages = 187–188| isbn = 978-0-7710-7675-6}}</ref> Canada's first [[prohibition (drugs)|drug law]] came about following an inquiry conducted by the federal [[Minister of Labour (Canada)|Minister of Labour]] and future [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]], [[William Lyon Mackenzie King]]. King was sent to investigate damages claims resulting from a riot when the [[Asiatic Exclusion League]] led a rampage through [[Chinatown, Vancouver|Chinatown]] and [[Japantown, Vancouver|Japantown]]. Two of the claimants were [[opium]] manufacturers, and after further investigation, King found that white women were reportedly frequenting [[opium den]]s as well as [[Chinese Canadian|Chinese]] men. A federal law banning the manufacture, sale, and importation of opium for non-medicinal purposes was soon passed based on these revelations.<ref>{{cite journal| author =Catherine Carstairs|title = 'Hop Heads' and 'Hypes':Drug Use, Regulation and Resistance in Canada, | publisher = University of Toronto | year = 2000| url =http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/ftp03/NQ53757.pdf| format = PDF| accessdate =}}</ref>

[[Amalgamation (politics)|Amalgamation]] with Point Grey and South Vancouver gave the city its final boundaries not long before it became the third-largest metropolis in the country. As of 1 January 1929, the population of the enlarged Vancouver was 228,193.<ref>{{cite book| last = Francis| first = Daniel| title = L.D.:Mayor Louis Taylor and the Rise of Vancouver| publisher = [[Arsenal Pulp Press]]| year = 2004| location = Vancouver| page = 135| isbn = 978-1-55152-156-5}}</ref>

==Geography==
{{See|Bodies of water in Vancouver|Lower Mainland Ecoregion}}
[[File:Stadtgliederung Vancouver 2008.png|thumb|Officially designated neighbourhoods of Vancouver (local usage varies)|alt=]]
Located on the [[Burrard Peninsula]], Vancouver lies between Burrard Inlet to the north and the Fraser River to the south. The [[Strait of Georgia]], to the west, is shielded from the Pacific Ocean by [[Vancouver Island]]. The city has an area of 114&nbsp;[[square kilometre|km<sup>2</sup>]] (44&nbsp;[[square mile|sq&nbsp;mi]]), including both flat and hilly ground, and is in the [[Pacific Time Zone]] (UTC−8) and the [[Pacific Maritime Ecozone]].<ref>
{{cite web
| title = Pacific Maritime Ecozone
| publisher = Environment Canada
| url = http://www.ec.gc.ca/soer-ree/English/Framework/NarDesc/pacmar_e.cfm
| date= 2005-04-11
| accessdate =2009-12-01
}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> Until the city's naming in 1885, "Vancouver" referred to Vancouver Island, and it remains a common misconception that the city is located on the island. The island and the city are both named after Royal Navy Captain George Vancouver, though the city of [[Vancouver, Washington]], on the north bank of the [[Columbia River]] opposite [[Portland, Oregon]], is only indirectly named for Captain Vancouver; that city’s name was adapted from [[Fort Vancouver]], which had been the headquarters of the [[Columbia District]] of the Hudson's Bay Company and the largest settlement in the Pacific Northwest until the [[Oregon Treaty]] of 1846.

Vancouver has one of the largest urban parks in North America, [[Stanley Park]], which covers 404.9&nbsp;hectares (1001&nbsp;acres).<ref>
{{cite web
|title=World66 – Vancouver Travel Guide
|url=http://www.world66.com/northamerica/canada/britishcolumbia/vancouver
|publisher=World 66
|accessdate=2006-10-18
}}</ref> The [[North Shore Mountains]] dominate the cityscape, and on a clear day scenic vistas 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 the [[Bowen Island]] to the northwest.<ref name="aboutvancouver">
{{cite web
| title = About Vancouver
| publisher = City of Vancouver
| url = http://vancouver.ca/aboutvan.htm
| date=2009-11-17
| accessdate =2009-12-01
}}</ref>

===Ecology===
The vegetation in the Vancouver area was originally [[temperate rain forest]], consisting of [[Pinophyta|conifers]] with scattered pockets of [[maple]] and [[alder]], and large areas of swampland (even in upland areas, due to poor drainage).<ref>
{{cite web
| title= Stanley Park History
| url=http://vancouver.ca/Parks/parks/stanley/history.htm
| publisher=City of Vancouver
| year=2009
| accessdate=2009-12-01
}}</ref>
The conifers were a typical coastal British Columbia mix of [[Douglas-fir|Douglas fir]], [[Thuja plicata|Western red cedar]] and [[Western Hemlock]].<ref>
{{cite web
| title="Lower Mainland Ecoregion": Narrative Descriptions of Terrestrial Ecozones and Ecoregions of Canada (#196)
| url=http://www.ec.gc.ca/soer-ree/English/Framework/Nardesc/Region.cfm?region=196
| publisher=Environment Canada
| accessdate=2009-12-04
}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}
</ref>
The area is thought to have had the largest trees of these species on the [[British Columbia Coast]]. Only in [[Seattle, Washington|Seattle]]'s [[Elliott Bay]] did the size of trees rival those of Burrard Inlet and [[English Bay (Vancouver)|English Bay]]. The largest trees in Vancouver's old-growth forest were in the Gastown area, where the first logging occurred, and on the southern slopes of [[False Creek]] and English Bay, especially around [[Jericho Beach]]. The forest in [[Stanley Park]] was logged between the 1860s and 1880s, and evidence of old-fashioned logging techniques such as [[Logging#Springboards|springboard notches]] can still be seen there.<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://vancouver.ca/Parks/parks/stanley/nature.htm
|title=Stanley Park: Forest – Monument Trees
|publisher = City of Vancouver
|year=2009
|accessdate=2009-12-01
}}
</ref>

Many plants and trees growing throughout Vancouver and the Lower Mainland were imported from other parts of the continent and from points across the Pacific. The [[araucaria araucana|monkey puzzle tree]], the [[Acer palmatum|Japanese Maple]], and various flowering exotics, such as [[magnolia]]s, [[azalea]]s, and [[rhododendron]]s. Some rhododendrons have grown to immense sizes,{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} as have other species imported from harsher climates in [[Eastern Canada]] or Europe. The native [[Acer glabrum|Douglas Maple]] can also attain a tremendous size. Many of the city's streets are lined with flowering varieties of [[Sakura|Japanese cherry]] trees donated from the 1930s onward by the government of Japan. These flower for several weeks in early spring each year. Other streets are lined with flowering chestnut, [[Aesculus hippocastanum|horse chestnut]] and other decorative shade trees.<ref>
{{cite web
|title=History
|url=http://www.vcbf.ca/history
|publisher=Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival
|year=2009
|accessdate=2009-11-30
}}{{Dead link|date=March 2010}}
</ref>

===Climate===
{{Main|Climate of Vancouver}}

Vancouver is one of the warmest Canadian cities. Vancouver's climate is temperate by Canadian standards and is usually classified as [[Oceanic climate|Oceanic]] or [[Marine west coast]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Cfb''). The summer months are typically dry, often resulting in moderate [[drought]] conditions, usually in July and August. In contrast, most days during late fall and winter (November–March) are [[Precipitation (meteorology)|rainy]] (''see'' "Climate Data," table below).

Annual precipitation as measured at Vancouver Airport in Richmond averages {{Convert|1199|mm|in}}, though this varies dramatically throughout the metropolitan area due to the topography and is considerably higher in the downtown area. In winter, a majority of days (again at Vancouver Airport) receive measurable precipitation. Summer months are drier and sunnier with moderate temperatures, tempered by sea breezes. The daily maximum averages {{Convert|22|C}} in July and August, with highs rarely reaching {{Convert|30|C}}.<ref>
{{cite web
| title=Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000
| url=http://www.climate.weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_e.html?Province=ALL&StationName=vancouver&SearchType=BeginsWith&LocateBy=Province&Proximity=25&ProximityFrom=City&StationNumber=&IDType=MSC&CityName=&ParkName=&LatitudeDegrees=&LatitudeMinutes=&LongitudeDegrees=&LongitudeMinutes=&NormalsClass=A&SelNormals=&StnId=889&
| publisher=Environment Canada
| date=2009-04-30
| accessdate=2009-12-02
}}
</ref>
The highest temperature ever recorded was {{Convert|34.4|C}} on 30 July 2009.<ref>
{{cite news
| title=Hottest day ever recorded in Vancouver
| url=http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/07/29/bc-heat-wave-forecast.html
| publisher= CBC News
| date= 2009-07-29
| accessdate=2009-07-29
}}
</ref><ref>
{{cite news
| title=Temperature record broken in Lower Mainland — again
| url=http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/07/30/bc-090730-heat-record.html
| publisher= CBC News
| date= 2009-07-30
| accessdate=2009-07-30
}}
</ref>
On average, snow falls on eleven days per year, with three days receiving {{Convert|6|cm|in}} or more. Average yearly snowfall is {{Convert|48.2|cm}} but typically does not remain on the ground for long.<ref name = climateYVR/>

Winters in Greater Vancouver are the fourth mildest of Canadian cities after nearby [[Victoria, British Columbia|Victoria]], [[Nanaimo]] and [[Duncan, British Columbia|Duncan]], all on Vancouver Island.<ref>
{{cite web
| title = Weather Winners — Mildest Winters
| publisher = Environment Canada
| url = http://www.on.ec.gc.ca/weather/winners/element.cfm?lang=e
| accessdate =2007-01-23
}}
</ref>

{{Vancouver weatherbox}}

==Cityscape==
[[File:Burrard Bridge View.jpg| thumb | right |A view of [[English Bay (Vancouver)|English Bay]] from the [[Burrard Bridge]]|alt=View of a blue-green bay, filled with small boats. On the left shore are docks; the beach on the right turns to buildings.]]

===Urban planning===
{{Main|Vancouverism}}
At 5,335 people per km<sup>2</sup> (13,817.6 people per mi<sup>2</sup>) in 2006, Vancouver is the fourth most densely populated incorporated city with a population above 500,000 in North America, after New York City, San Francisco, and Mexico City. Urban planning in Vancouver is characterized by high-rise residential and mixed-use development in urban centres, as an alternative to [[Urban sprawl|sprawl]].<ref>{{cite web | title = Vancouverism| publisher = Canadian Architect| url = http://www.canadianarchitect.com/issues/ISArticle.asp?aid=1000205807&issue=08012006#|author=Julie Bogdanowicz|date=August 2006|accessdate=2009-12-01}}</ref> This has been credited{{By whom|date=December 2009}} in contributing to the city's high rankings in livability.

This approach originated in the late 1950s, when city planners began to encourage the building of high-rise residential towers in Vancouver's [[West End, Vancouver|West End]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Some things worked: The best – or worst – planning decisions made in the Lower Mainland |author= |first=Frances |last=Bula | url=http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=ad56af4e-0f14-4717-9603-5fe5a0713e4c&k=51576 | newspaper=[[Vancouver Sun]] |publisher=Canada.com | date=2007-09-06 | accessdate=2009-12-04}}</ref> subject to strict requirements for setbacks and open space to protect sight lines and preserve green space. The success of these dense but livable neighbourhoods led to the redevelopment of urban industrial sites, such as North False Creek and Coal Harbour, beginning in the mid-1980s. The result is a compact urban core that has gained international recognition for its "high amenity and 'livable' development."<ref>{{cite book| last = Hutton| first = T.| title = The New Economy of the Inner City| publisher = Routledge| year = 2008| location = London & New York| pages = | isbn = 978-0-415-77134-4}} [http://books.google.com/books?id=z4ky8iSkNycC&pg=PA237&lpg=PA237&dq=West+End+Vancouver+compact+urban+core&source=bl&ots=onrBnOipOz&sig=l7d8-J-_bjt_DZcLg8yTiFEmdxY&hl=en&ei=61ZMSqCtHpGktwfQ3pyxBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10 Google Books link]</ref> More recently, the city has been debating "ecodensity"—ways in which "density, design, and land use can contribute to environmental sustainability, affordability, and livability."<ref>{{cite web| title=Vancouver EcoDensity Initiative|url=http://www.vancouver-ecodensity.ca/content.php?id=48| publisher = City of Vancouver|accessdate=2009-07-03}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>

{{Clear}}
{{wide image|Vancouver dusk pano.jpg|2000px|A panorama of Vancouver looking north from the vicinity of Broadway and Oak Street. The bridge on the left is the [[Granville Street Bridge]].}}

{{Clear}}
{{wide image|Vancouver_Skyline_2.jpg|2032px}}

===Architecture===
[[File:Marinebuildingvancouver.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Marine Building]], built in 1929, an example of Art Deco architecture from the era.]][[File:1a13ff56.jpg|thumb|right|In background: Jameson House building, downtown Vancouver]]
Notable buildings within the city include [[Christ Church Cathedral (Vancouver)|Christ Church Cathedral]], the [[Hotel Vancouver]], and the [[Vancouver Art Gallery]]. There are several [[modern architecture|modern]] buildings in the downtown area, including the [[Harbour Centre]], the Vancouver Law Courts and surrounding plaza known as [[Robson Square]] (designed by [[Arthur Erickson]]) and the [[Vancouver Library Square]] (designed by [[Moshe Safdie]]), reminiscent of the [[Colosseum]] in Rome, and the recently completed [[Woodward's building]] Redevelopment (designed by [[Gregory Henriquez]]).
[[File:Cruise_Ship_Terminal.jpg|thumb|left|The Cruise Ship Terminal]]

The original [[BC Hydro]] headquarters building at Nelson and Burrard Streets is a [[modernism|modernist]] high-rise, now converted into the Electra condominiums. Also notable is the "concrete waffle" of the MacMillan-Bloedel building on the north-east corner of the Georgia and Thurlow intersection. A prominent addition to the city's landscape is the giant tent-frame [[Canada Place]], the former Canada Pavilion from the 1986 World Exposition, which includes part of the [[Vancouver Convention Centre|Convention Centre]], a Cruise Ship Terminal and the Pan-Pacific Hotel. Two modern buildings that define the southern skyline are [[City Hall (Vancouver)|City Hall]] and the Centennial Pavilion of Vancouver Hospital, both designed by Townley and Matheson in 1936 and 1958 respectively.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://memorybc.ca/actor/show/isaar/16037|title=Townley, Matheson and Partners|publisher=Archives Association of British Columbia|year=2009|accessdate=2009-11-30}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| last = Kalman| first = Harold| title = Exploring Vancouver: Ten Tours of the City and its Buildings| publisher = University of British Columbia Press| year = 1974| location = Vancouver| pages = 160–161| isbn = 978-0-7748-0028-0}}</ref>

A collection of [[Edwardian period|Edwardian]] buildings in the city's old downtown core were, in their day, the tallest commercial buildings in the [[British Empire]]. These were, in succession, the Carter-Cotton Building (former home of the ''Vancouver Province'' newspaper), the [[Dominion Building]] (1907) and the [[Sun Tower]] (1911), the former two at Cambie and Hastings Streets and the latter at Beatty and Pender Streets. Another notable Edwardian building in the city is the Vancouver Art Gallery building, designed by [[Francis Rattenbury]], who also designed the provincial [[Parliament Buildings (Victoria)|Parliament Buildings]] in Victoria and the lavishly decorated second Hotel Vancouver, which was torn down after WWII due to the completion of the new, current, Hotel Vancouver a block away.<ref>{{cite web | last = Davis| first = Chuck| url = http://www.vancouverhistory.ca/archives_rattenbury.htm | title = Rattenbury | work= The History of Metropolitan Vancouver | accessdate =2006-11-23}}</ref>

The Sun Tower's [[cupola]] was finally exceeded as the Empire's tallest commercial building by the elaborate [[Art Deco]] [[Marine Building]] in the 1920s.<ref>{{cite book| last = Kalman| first = Harold| title = Exploring Vancouver: Ten Tours of the City and its Buildings| publisher = University of British Columbia Press| year = 1974| location = Vancouver| pages = 22, 24, 78| isbn = 978-0-7748-0028-0}}</ref> Inspired by New York City's [[Chrysler Building]], the Marine Building is known for its elaborate ceramic tile facings and brass-gilt doors and elevators, which make it a favourite location for movie shoots.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://two.archiseek.com/archives/9631| title = Marine Building| publisher = Archiseek | accessdate =2006-11-23}} {{dead link|date=January 2011}}</ref> Topping the list of the [[List of tallest buildings in Vancouver|tallest buildings in Vancouver]] is [[Living Shangri-La]] at 201&nbsp;metres (659&nbsp;ft)<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web |url = http://www.emporis.com/application/?nav=building&lng=3&id=176375| title = Living Shangri-La | publisher = Emporis Buildings | accessdate =2009-11-30}}</ref> and 62&nbsp;storeys. The second-tallest building in Vancouver is [[One Wall Centre]] at 150&nbsp;metres (491&nbsp;ft)<ref name="EMP">{{cite web |url = http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/ci/bu/sk/li/?id=100997&bt=2&ht=3&sro=1| title = Vancouver High-rise buildings (in feet)| publisher = Emporis Buildings | accessdate =2007-02-06}}</ref> and 48&nbsp;storeys, followed closely by the [[Shaw Tower (Vancouver)|Shaw Tower]] at 149&nbsp;metres (489&nbsp;ft).<ref name="EMP" />

{{Anchor|Culture}}

==Demographics==
{{Main|Demographics of Vancouver}}

Canada's national statistics agency estimated the population of the Vancouver metropolitan area to be 2,328,000 as of July 1, 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www40.statcan.gc.ca/l01/cst01/DEMO05A-eng.htm|title=Population of census metropolitan areas|publisher=Statistics Canada|year=2010|accessdate=2010-09-03}}</ref> BC Stats estimated the population of the city proper to be 642,843 in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bcstats.gov.bc.ca/data/pop/pop/mun/CurrentPopulationEstimates.pdf|title=2010 Sub-Provincial Population Estimates|publisher=BC Stats|year=201l|accessdate=2011-02-10}}</ref>

Vancouver has been called a "city of neighbourhoods," each with a distinct character and ethnic mix.<ref>{{cite journal| author = Thomas R. Berger| title = A City of Neighbourhoods: Report of the 2004 Vancouver Electoral Reform Commission| publisher = City of Vancouver| date = 2004-06-08| url = http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/erc/pdf/verc_report.pdf| format = PDF| accessdate =}}</ref> People of [[English people|English]], [[Scottish people|Scottish]], and [[Irish people|Irish]] origins were historically the largest ethnic groups in the city,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www40.statcan.gc.ca/l01/cst01/demo27y-eng.htm|title=Population by selected ethnic origins, by census metropolitan areas (2006 Census)|publisher=Statistics Canada|year=2006|accessdate=2009-12-01}}</ref> and elements of British and Irish society and culture are still visible in some areas, particularly South Granville<!--whatever the city's new name for it is; Granville from 6th to 16th--> and Kerrisdale. [[German Canadians|German]]s are the next-largest European ethnic group in Vancouver and were a leading force in the city's society and economy until the rise of anti-German sentiment with the outbreak of [[World War I]] in 1914.<ref name="STEV" /> The [[Chinese Canadian|Chinese]] are by far the largest visible ethnic group in the city, and Vancouver has a very diverse [[Chinese language|Chinese-speaking]] community, with several dialects represented, including [[Cantonese]] and [[Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin]].<ref name="GVB"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Visible minorities (2006 census)|url=http://www40.statcan.gc.ca/l01/cst01/demo53g-eng.htm|publisher=Statistics Canada|accessdate=2009-12-01}}</ref> Neighbourhoods with distinct ethnic commercial areas include the [[Vancouver Chinatown|Chinatown]], [[Punjabi Market, Vancouver|Punjabi Market]], [[Little Italy, Vancouver|Little Italy]], [[Greektown, Vancouver|Greektown]], and (formerly) [[Japantown, Vancouver|Japantown]].

In the 1980s, an influx of immigrants from [[Hong Kong]] in anticipation of [[Transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong|its transfer]] from the [[United Kingdom]] to [[People's Republic of China|China]], combined with an increase in immigrants from mainland China and previous immigrants from [[Taiwan]], established in Vancouver one of the highest concentrations of ethnic Chinese residents in North America.<ref>{{cite web| author= Cernetig, Miro|url=http://www2.canada.com/vancouversun/features/newhongkong/story.html?id=011b7438-172c-4126-ba42-2c85828bd6ce |title=Chinese Vancouver: A decade of change |work= [[Vancouver Sun]] |date=2007-06-30 |accessdate=2010-01-25}}</ref> This arrival of Asian immigrants continued a tradition of immigration from around the world that had established Vancouver as the second-most popular destination for immigrants in Canada (after [[Toronto]]).<ref>{{cite web| title = Canada's ethnocultural portrait: Canada| publisher = Statistics Canada| year =2001| url = http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/products/analytic/companion/etoimm/canada.cfm | accessdate =2007-01-28}}</ref> Other significant [[Asian Canadian|Asian]] ethnic groups in Vancouver are [[South Asia]]n (mostly [[Punjabi people|Punjabi]], usually referred to as [[Indo-Canadian]]), [[Vietnamese people|Vietnamese]], [[Filipino people|Filipino]], [[Indonesian people|Indonesian]], [[Korean people|Korean]], [[Cambodian people|Cambodian]]s and [[Japanese people|Japanese]]. Despite increases in Latin American immigration to Vancouver in the 1980s and 90s, recent immigration has been comparatively low, and African immigration has been similarly stagnant (3.6% and 3.3% of total immigrant population, respectively.)<ref>Hiebert, D., (June 2009). [http://www.irpp.org/choices/archive/vol15no7.pdf "The Economic Integration of Immigrants in Metropolitan Vancouver."] ''IRPPChoices'' '''15'''(7), p. 6. Retrieved on: 2009-07-13.</ref> In 1981, less than 7% of the population belonged to a [[visible minority]] group.<ref>{{cite web|title= Visible Minorities and Aboriginal Peoples in Vancouver's Labour Market |url= http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/lp/lo/lswe/we/special_projects/RacismFreeInitiative/Pendakur.shtml | author= Pendakur, Krishna | date= 2005-12-13 |publisher= Human Resources and Skills Development Canada |accessdate=2010-01-24}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> By 2008, this proportion had grown to 51%.<ref>{{cite web| title = Visible minorities the new majority| author= Hamilton, Graeme| work = National Post| date=2008-04-03| url = http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=417736 | accessdate =2010-01-24}}</ref>

Prior to the Hong Kong diaspora of the 1990s, the largest non-British ethnic groups in the city were [[Irish Canadian|Irish]] and [[German Canadian|German]], followed by [[Scandinavia]]n, [[Italian Canadian|Italian]], [[Ukrainian Canadian|Ukrainian]] and [[Chinese Canadian|Chinese]], most of the latter being descended from immigrants from [[Taishan]] (Toi Shan) in [[Guangdong]]. From the mid 1950s until the 1980s, many [[Portuguese Canadians|Portuguese]] immigrants came to Vancouver and the city now has the third-largest Portuguese population in Canada. [[Eastern Europe]]ans, including [[Yugoslavia|Yugoslavs]], [[Russians]], [[Czechs]], [[Poles]] and [[Magyars|Hungarians]] began immigrating after the Soviet takeover of Eastern Europe after [[World War II]].<ref name="STEV" /> [[Greeks|Greek]] immigration increased in the late 1960s and early 70s, with most settling in the [[Kitsilano]] area. Vancouver also has a significant [[Aboriginal peoples in Canada|aboriginal]] community of about 11,000 people.<ref>{{cite web|title=Community Highlights for Vancouver |url= http://www12.statcan.ca/english/Profil01/CP01/Details/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=5915022&Geo2=PR&Code2=59&Data=Count&SearchText=Vancouver&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom= | date= 2007-02-01 |publisher=Statistics Canada |accessdate=2010-01-24}}</ref>

Vancouver has a large [[gay community]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Gay U.S. couples can't get divorces for Canadian marriages |url= http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/09/25/bc-gay-couples-divorce-canada-marriage.html | date= 2009-09-25 |publisher= CBC News |accessdate=2010-01-24}}</ref> focused on the West End neighbourhood lining a certain stretch of Davie Street, recently officially designated as [[Davie Village]],<ref>{{cite web| title= Gay clubs build community in Vancouver | url=http://www.straight.com/article-155715/gay-clubs-build-community | author= Burrows, Matthew | date= 2008-07-31 | work= [[The Georgia Straight]] |accessdate=2010-01-24}}</ref> though the gay community is omnipresent throughout West End and Yaletown areas. Vancouver is host to one of the country's largest annual [[gay pride parade]]s.<ref>{{cite web| title = Milk protégé praises Vancouver Pride celebration | author= Weichel, Andrew| publisher = CTV News | url = http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20090802/bc_pride_parade_090802/20090802/?hub=BritishColumbiaHome| date= 2009-08-02| accessdate =2010-01-24}}</ref> British Columbia was the second Canadian jurisdiction (after [[Ontario]]) to legalize [[same-sex marriage in Canada|same-sex marriage]].<ref>{{cite news| title = Same-Sex rights: Canada timeline | publisher = CBC News | date=2007-03-01| url = http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/samesexrights/timeline_canada.html | accessdate =2010-01-24}}</ref>

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{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%;width:95%;text-align:center;line-height:120%"
|-
! colspan=17 | Canadian Census Population Growth by decade<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vpl.ca/branches/LibrarySquare/soc/pdfs/QF_Population_BC_Vancouver.pdf|title=City of Vancouver Population|publisher=Vancouver Public Library|format=PDF|accessdate=2009-12-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title = British Columbia Municipal and Regional District 2006 Census Total Population Results| publisher = BC Stats| url = http://www.bcstats.gov.bc.ca/data/cen06/mun_rd.asp| date=2006 Census | accessdate =2009-12-01 }}</ref>
|-
! Year
| 1891
| 1901
| 1911
| 1921
| 1931
| 1941
| 1951
| 1961
| 1971
| 1981
| 1991
| [[Canada 2001 Census|2001]]
| [[Canada 2006 Census|2006]]
|-
! Vancouver
| 13,709
| 26,133
| 100,401
| 117,217
| 246,593
| 275,353
| 344,833
| 384,522
| 426,256
| 414,281
| 471,644
| 545,671
| 578,041
|-
! Greater Vancouver
| 21,887
| 42,926
| 164,020
| 232,597
| 347,709
| 393,898
| 562,462
| 790,741
| 1,028,334
| 1,169,831
| 1,602,590
| 1,986,965
| 2,116,581
|}

==Economy==
{{Main|Economy of Vancouver}}

With its location on the [[Pacific Rim]] and at the western terminus of Canada's [[Trans-Canada Highway|transcontinental highway]] and rail routes, Vancouver is one of the nation's largest industrial centres.<ref name="aboutvancouver"/> The [[Port of Vancouver]], Canada's largest and most diversified, does more than [[Canadian dollar|C$]]75 billion in trade with over 130 different economies annually. Port activities generate $10.5 billion in [[gross domestic product]] and $22 billion in economic output.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.portmetrovancouver.com/about/factsandstats.aspx|title=Facts and Stats|publisher=Vancouver Port Authority|year=2009|accessdate=2009-12-01}}</ref> Vancouver is also the headquarters of [[forestry|forest product]] and [[mining]] companies. In recent years, Vancouver has become an increasingly important centre for [[software development]], [[biotechnology]] and a vibrant [[Cinema of Canada|film industry]].<ref name = Economy>{{cite web|url=http://wn.com/s/vancouvercity/index4.html|title=Economy|publisher=Vancouver City Guide|accessdate=2009-07-11}}</ref>

The city's scenic location makes it a major tourist destination. Visitors come for the city's gardens, [[Stanley Park]], [[Queen Elizabeth Park, British Columbia|Queen Elizabeth Park]], [[VanDusen Botanical Garden|VanDusen]] and the mountains, ocean, forest and parklands surrounding the city. Each year over a million people pass through Vancouver on [[cruise ship]] vacations, often bound for [[Alaska]].<ref name = Economy/>

Vancouver is amongst the least affordable cities in which to live in the nation, with the highest housing prices in Canada. Several 2006 studies rank Vancouver as having the least affordable housing in Canada, ranking 13th least affordable in the world, up from 15th in 2005.<ref>{{cite news|first=Frances|last=Bula|title=Vancouver is 13th least affordable city in world| work =Vancouver Sun|date= 2007-01-22|url=http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=c9fa8fe2-22b1-4de1-8b5e-643090903411 | accessdate= 2010-01-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.demographia.com/dhi-ix2005q3.pdf|title=Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey: 2006|publisher=Wendell Cox Consultancy|accessdate=2006-11-12|format=PDF}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Housing Affordability|url=http://www.rbc.com/economics/market/pdf/house.pdf|publisher=RBC Financial Group|accessdate=2006-09-27|format=PDF}}</ref> The city has adopted various strategies to reduce housing costs, including [[housing cooperative|cooperative housing]], legalized [[secondary suite]]s, increased density and [[smart growth]]. As of April 2010, the average two-level home in Vancouver sold for a record high of $987,500, compared with the Canadian average of $365,141.<ref>{{cite web| title = Survey of Vancouver housing price increase exceeds rest of Canada| work = BIV Daily Business News | publisher Business in Vancouver| date = 2010-04-09| url = http://www.bivinteractive.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2357&Itemid=46|accessdate =2010-04-28}}</ref>

Since the 1990s development of high-rise [[condominiums]] in the downtown peninsula has been financed, in part, by an inflow of capital from [[Hong Kong]] immigrants due to the former colony's 1997 [[Transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong|handover to the PRC]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2010}} Such development has clustered in the [[Yaletown]] and [[Coal Harbour]] districts and around many of the [[SkyTrain (Vancouver)|SkyTrain]] stations to the east of the downtown.<ref name = Economy/> The city's selection to co-host the [[2010 Winter Olympics]] has also been a major influence on economic development. Concern has been expressed that Vancouver's increasing [[homelessness]] problem may be exacerbated by the Olympics because owners of single room occupancy hotels, which house many of the city's lowest income residents, have begun converting their properties in order to attract higher income residents and tourists.<ref>{{cite news| title = Homelessness could triple by 2010: report | publisher = CBC News | date = 2006-09-21 | url = http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2006/09/21/bc-pivot-housing.html | accessdate = 2010-01-25}}</ref> Another significant international event held in Vancouver, the [[Expo 86|1986 World Exposition]], received over 20 million visitors and added $3.7 billion to the Canadian economy.<ref name="Can Encyc - Expo 86">{{cite web | url=http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0002692 | title=Expo 86 | accessdate=March 29, 2011 | author=O'Leary, Kim Patrick | publisher=The Canadian Encyclopedia}}</ref> Some still-standing Vancouver landmarks, including the SkyTrain public transit system and [[Canada Place]], were built as part of the exposition.<ref>{{cite web| title = Expo 86 | work = The Canadian Encyclopedia| author= O'Leary, Kim Patrick | publisher = Historica| url = http://www.canadianencyclopedia.ca/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&ArticleId=A0002692| accessdate=2007-01-17}}</ref>

==Government==
{{Main|Government and politics of Vancouver}}

Vancouver, unlike other British Columbia municipalities, is [[Local government in Canada|incorporated]] under the ''[[Vancouver Charter]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bclaws.ca/Recon/document/freeside/--%20V%20--/Vancouver%20Charter%20%20SBC%201953%20%20c.%2055/00_Act/vanch_00.htm|title=Vancouver Charter|publisher=Queen's Printer (British Columbia)|date= 2009-11-18|accessdate=2009-11-29}}{{dead link|date=July 2010}}</ref> The legislation, passed in 1953, supersedes the ''Vancouver Incorporation Act, 1921'' and grants the city more and different powers than other communities possess under BC's ''Municipalities Act''.

The civic government has been dominated by the [[centre-right]] [[Non-Partisan Association]] (NPA) since the [[World War II|Second World War]], albeit with some significant [[centre-left]] interludes until 2008.<ref name="GVB" /> The NPA fractured over the issue of [[narcotic|drug]] policy in 2002, facilitating a landslide victory for the [[Coalition of Progressive Electors]] on a [[harm reduction]] platform. Subsequently, North America's [[Insite|first safe injection site]] was opened for the significant number of intravenous [[heroin]] users in the city.

Vancouver is governed by the ten-member [[Vancouver City Council]], a nine-member School Board, and a seven-member [[Vancouver Park Board|Park Board]], all elected for three-year terms through an [[At-Large|at-large]] system. Historically, in all levels of government, the more affluent west side of Vancouver has voted along [[Conservatism in Canada|conservative]] or [[Liberalism in Canada|liberal]] lines while the eastern side of the city has voted along [[left-wing politics|left-wing]] lines.<ref>{{cite journal|author = Andrea Barbara Smith| title = The Origins of the NPA: A Study in Vancouver Politics| version = MA thesis| publisher = University of British Columbia| year = 1981}}</ref> This was reaffirmed with the results of the [[British Columbia general election, 2005|2005 provincial election]] and the [[Canadian federal election results in Vancouver and the Northern Lower Mainland|2006 federal election]].
[[File:Vancouver City Hall.JPG|thumb|right|[[Vancouver City Hall]]]]

Though polarized, a political [[consensus]] has emerged in Vancouver around a number of issues. Protection of urban parks, a focus on the development of [[rapid transit]] as opposed to a freeway system, a harm reduction approach to illegal drug use, and a general concern about community-based development are examples of policies that have come to have broad support across the [[political spectrum]] in Vancouver.

In the [[Vancouver municipal election, 2008|2008 Municipal Election]] campaign, NPA incumbent mayor Sam Sullivan was ousted as mayoral candidate by the party in a close vote, which instated Peter Ladner as the new mayoral candidate for the NPA. [[Gregor Robertson (politician)|Gregor Robertson]], a former MLA for [[Vancouver-Fairview]] and head of [[Happy Planet]], was the mayoral candidate for Vision Vancouver, the other main contender. Vision Vancouver candidate Gregor Robertson defeated Ladner by a considerable margin, nearing 20,000 votes. The balance of power was significantly shifted to Vision Vancouver, which held 7 of the 10 spots for councillor. Of the remaining three, COPE received 2 and the NPA 1. For park commissioner, 4 spots went to Vision Vancouver, 1 to the Green Party, 1 to COPE, and 1 to NPA. For school trustee, there were 4 Vision Vancouver seats, 3 COPE seats, and 2 NPA seats.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://vancouver.ca/electionresults2008|title=Vancouver Votes Municipal Election 2008 |publisher=City of Vancouver |accessdate=2009-11-29}}</ref>

===Provincial and federal representation===
In the [[Legislative Assembly of British Columbia]], Vancouver is represented by 11 [[Member of the Legislative Assembly|Members of the Legislative Assembly]] (MLAs). There are currently five seats held by the [[British Columbia Liberal Party|BC Liberal Party]] and five by the [[British Columbia New Democratic Party|BC New Democratic Party]] and one vacant seat.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.leg.bc.ca/mla/MLALookup/LocIndex.asp?Community=V |title= MLA Finder |accessdate=2010-01-22 |publisher=Legislative Assembly of British Columbia |date=2009-07-21 }}</ref>

In the [[Canadian House of Commons]], Vancouver is represented by five [[Member of Parliament|Members of Parliament]]. In the [[Canadian federal election, 2004|2004 federal elections]], the [[Liberal Party of Canada]] won four seats and the federal [[New Democratic Party]] (NDP) one. In the [[Canadian federal election, 2006|2006 federal elections]], all the same Members of Parliament were re-elected. However, on 6 February 2006, [[David Emerson]] of [[Vancouver Kingsway]] defected to the [[Conservative Party of Canada|Conservative Party]], giving the Conservatives one seat in Vancouver. In the [[Canadian federal election, 2008|2008 federal election]], the NDP took the Vancouver Kingsway seat vacated by Emerson, giving the NDP two seats to the Liberals' three.<ref>{{cite web |author= Beers, David| url=http://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/Federal-Politics/2008/10/15/KingswayRookie/index.html?commentsfilter=1|title= In Vancouver-Kingsway, an NDP rookie replaces Emerson |accessdate=2008-08-02 |work= The Tyee |date=2008-10-15 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canadavotes/ridings/|title= Canada Votes 2008: Results, Ridings & Candidates |accessdate=2008-08-02 |publisher= CBC News |date=2008-11-07 }}</ref>

===Policing===
While most of the Lower Mainland is policed by the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]]'s "E" Division, Vancouver operates the [[Vancouver Police Department]], with a strength of 1,174 sworn members and an operating budget of $149 million in 2005.<ref>{{cite web| title = Welcome to "E" Division| publisher = Royal Canadian Mounted Police| url = http://bc.rcmp.ca/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=24&languageId=1 | accessdate =2007-11-01}}</ref><ref name="BTC">{{cite web| title = Beyond the Call| work = Annual Report 2005| publisher = Vancouver Police Department | year = 2005| url = http://vancouver.ca/police/Planning/Reports/2005AnnualReport.pdf| format = PDF | accessdate =2006-11-23 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title = Vancouver Police Department Operating Results| publisher = Vancouver Police Board|month=April | year=2005| url = http://vancouver.ca/police/policeboard/financial/OperatingResults0405.pdf | format = PDF| accessdate =}}</ref> Over 16% of the city's budget was spent on police protection in 2005.<ref>{{cite web| title = 2005 Annual Report| publisher = City of Vancouver| year = 2005| url = http://vancouver.ca/publications/pdf/COVannualreport2005.pdf| format = PDF| accessdate =}}</ref>

The Vancouver Police Department's operational divisions include a [[police bicycle|bicycle squad]], a [[water police|marine squad]], and a [[police dog|dog squad]]. It also has a [[mounted police|mounted squad]], used primarily to patrol Stanley Park and occasionally the Downtown Eastside and West End, as well as for crowd control.<ref>{{cite web| title = Mounted Squad: Patrol District One| publisher = Vancouver Police Department| url = http://web.archive.bibalex.org/web/20050221232742/http://vancouver.ca/police/operations/mounted/index.htm| date=2005-01-18| accessdate=2010-01-31}}</ref> The police work in conjunction with civilian and volunteer run Community Police Centres.<ref>{{cite web| title = Operations Division| publisher = City of Vancouver| url = http://web.archive.bibalex.org/web/20060517020351/http://www.vancouver.ca/police/operations/index.htm| date= 2006-01-03 | accessdate=2010-01-31}}</ref> In 2006, the police department established its own [[counter-terrorism|Counter Terrorism Unit]]. In 2005, a new transit police force, the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority Police Service (now [[South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority Police Service]]), was established with full police powers.

Although it is illegal, Vancouver police generally do not arrest people for possessing small amounts of [[cannabis (drug)|marijuana]].<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2001/03/42655| title = Getting Dot-Bombed in Vancouver| author= Cohen, Jackie| work = Wired |date =2001-03-31| accessdate=2010-01-31}}</ref> In 2000 the Vancouver Police Department established a specialized drug squad, "Growbusters," to carry out an aggressive campaign against the city's estimated 4,000 [[hydroponics|hydroponic]] marijuana growing operations (or grow-ops) in residential areas.<ref>{{cite news | title = Growbusters | publisher = CBC News| date =2000-07-26 | url = http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2000/07/26/bc_growbusters000725.html | accessdate =2007-01-17}}</ref> As with other law enforcement campaigns targeting marijuana this initiative has been sharply criticized.<ref>{{cite web | last = Burrows| first = Mathew | title = Who You Gonna Call?| work = The Republic| date = 2002-02-21| url = http://www.republic-news.org/archive/32-repub/repub_32_grow.html| archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20080509030322/http://www.republic-news.org/archive/32-repub/repub_32_grow.html| archivedate = 2008-05-09| accessdate =2010-01-31}}</ref>

As of 2008, Vancouver had the seventh highest [[crime in Canada|crime rate]], dropping 3 spots since 2005, among Canada's 27 census metropolitan areas.<ref name="STCD">{{cite web| title = Police-reported crime statistics| publisher = Statistics Canada| url = http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/090721/dq090721a-eng.htm|date=2009-07-21|accessdate=2009-12-01}}</ref> However, as with other Canadian cities, the over-all crime rate has been falling "dramatically."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/090421/dq090421b-eng.htm|title=Police-reported Crime Severity Index|publisher=Statistics Canada|date=2009-04-21|accessdate=2009-12-01}}</ref> Vancouver's [[property crime]] rate is particularly high, ranking among the highest for major North American cities.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2006/01/12/bc_crime20060112.html|date=2006-09-01|title=Vancouver property crime down in 2005| publisher= CBC News| accessdate=2009-06-12}}</ref> But even property crime dropped 10.5% between 2004 and 2005, according to the Vancouver Police.<ref name="BTC" /> Metro Vancouver has the highest rate of gun-related violent crime of any major metropolitan region in Canada, according to a 2006 Statistics Canada study. There were 45.3 violent offences involving guns for every 100,000 people in Metro Vancouver, slightly higher than [[Toronto]] at 40.4 but far above the national average of 27.5.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?k=19079&id=4b651ab1-e729-44a9-86d3-79a1ddc84689 |title=Gun crime in Metro Vancouver highest per capita in Canada |publisher=Canada.com |date=2008-02-20 |accessdate=2009-04-26}}</ref> A series of gang-related incidents in early 2009 escalated into what police have dubbed a [[2009 Vancouver gang war|gang war]]. Vancouver plays host to special events such as the [[Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation]] conference, the Clinton-Yeltsin Summit or the [[Symphony of Fire]] fireworks show that require significant policing. The [[1994 Stanley Cup riot]] overwhelmed police and injured as many as 200 people.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9904E0D6163DF935A25755C0A962958260 | title = 200 Injured In Vancouver |date= 1994-06-16 | work = New York Times | accessdate=2008-07-14 }}</ref>

===Military===
Vancouver is the location of the [[Canadian Forces]] [[Land Forces Western Area]] headquarters of the [[39 Canadian Brigade Group]], at Jericho.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.army.gc.ca/lfwa/what_is_lfwa.asp |title=Land Force Western Area| publisher=National Defence Canada|date=2008-08-12 |accessdate =2009-07-17}}</ref> Local primary reserve units include [[The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada]] and [[The British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught's Own)]], based at the [[Seaforth Armoury]] and the [[Beatty Street Drill Hall]], respectively, and the [[15th Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.army.gc.ca/lfwa/units_city.asp |title=Land Force Western Area Units| publisher=National Defence Canada |date=2009-09-30 |accessdate =2009-07-17}}</ref> The Naval Reserve Unit [[HMCS Discovery]] is based on [[Deadman's Island (Vancouver)|Deadman's Island]] in [[Stanley Park]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.navy.forces.gc.ca/navres/1/1-n_eng.asp?category=106 |title=The Naval Reserve: Nearest Units| publisher=National Defence Canada |date=2010-01-29 |accessdate =2009-07-17}}</ref> [[RCAF Station Jericho Beach]], the first air base in Canada, was taken over by the [[Canadian Forces Land Force Command|Canadian Army]] in 1947 when sea planes were replaced by long-range aircraft. Most of the base facilities were transferred to the City of Vancouver in 1969 and the area renamed "Jericho Park".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bcyuk.legion.ca/node/745 |title=Jericho Beach Flying Boat Station| publisher=Royal Canadian Legion, BC/Yukon Command |accessdate =2009-07-17}}</ref>

==Education==
The [[School District 39 Vancouver|Vancouver School Board]] enrolls more than 110,000 students over its [[elementary school|elementary]], [[secondary school|secondary]], and [[higher education|post secondary]] institutions, making it the second-largest [[school district]] in the province.<ref name="VSB1">{{cite web|url=http://www.vsb.bc.ca/about-vsb|title=About Us|publisher=Vancouver School Board|year=2009|accessdate=2009-12-04}}</ref><ref name="VSB2">{{cite web|url=http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/reports/pdfs/student_stats/039.pdf|title=District Review Report, School District No. 39 Vancouver|format=PDF|publisher=British Columbia Education|year=2009|accessdate=2009-12-04}}</ref> The district administers about 74 elementary schools, 17 elementary annexes, 18 secondary schools, 7 [[adult education]] centres, 2 Vancouver Learn Network schools, all which include 18 [[French immersion]], a [[Standard Mandarin|Mandarin]] bilingual, a [[Byng Arts Mini School|fine arts school]], gifted, and [[Montessori method|Montessori]].<ref name="VSB1" /> More than 46 [[Independent school#Canada|independent schools]] of a wide variety are also eligible for partial provincial funding and educate approximately 10% of students in the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fisabc.ca/About-FISA/History|title=FISA History|publisher=Federation of Independent School Associations|year=2009|accessdate=2009-12-04}}</ref>

There are five public universities in the Greater Vancouver area, the largest being the [[University of British Columbia]] (UBC) and [[Simon Fraser University]] (SFU), with a combined enrollment of more than 80,000 [[undergraduates]], [[graduates]], and professional students in 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ubc.ca/about/|title=About UBC|publisher=[[University of British Columbia]]|year=2009|accessdate=2009-12-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sfu.ca/about/|title=About SFU|publisher=[[Simon Fraser University]]|year=2009|accessdate=2009-12-04}}</ref> In 2006, UBC was ranked 27th best university in the world by ''[[Newsweek]]'' magazine, and SFU ranked as the best comprehensive university in Canada by [[Maclean’s University Rankings]] in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ubc.ca/about/global.html|title=UBC: Our Place AMong the World's Best|publisher=UBC|year=2006|accessdate=2009-12-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sfu.ca/sfunews/news/story_12300840.shtml|title=We’re No. 1 in Canadian rankings|publisher=SFU|date=2008-11-13|accessdate=2009-12-04}}</ref> The other public universities are [[Capilano University]], the [[Emily Carr University of Art and Design]], and [[Kwantlen Polytechnic University]]. Four private institutions, [[University Canada West]], [[Trinity Western University]], NYIT Canada, and [[Fairleigh Dickinson University]], also operate in the region.

[[Vancouver Community College]], [[Douglas College]] and [[Langara College]] are publicly funded college-level institutions, while the [[British Columbia Institute of Technology]] provides [[institute of technology#Canada|polytechnic]] education. These are augmented by private institutions and other colleges in the surrounding areas of Metro Vancouver that provide career, trade, and university-transfer programs, while the [[Vancouver Film School]] provides one-year programs in film production and video game design.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ecuad.ca/about|title=Emily Carr University of Art + Design|publisher=[[Emily Carr University of Art and Design]]|year=2009|accessdate=2009-12-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vfs.com/thisisvfs.php|title=Message from the President of Vancouver Film School, James Griffin|publisher=[[Vancouver Film School]]|year=2009|accessdate=2009-12-04}}</ref>

[[International students]] and [[English as a foreign or second language|ESL]] students have been significant in the enrollment of these public and private institutions. The Vancouver School Board reported for its 2008/2009 year that 53% of its students spoke a language other than English at home.<ref name="VSB2" />

==Arts and culture==
===Film and theatre===
[[File:Vogue-thtr.jpg|thumb|The [[Vogue Theatre]] on [[Granville Street]]|alt=]]
Prominent theatre companies in Vancouver include the [[Arts Club Theatre Company]] and Vancouver TheatreSports League on [[Granville Island]], the [[Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company]], and [[Bard on the Beach]]. Smaller companies include [[Touchstone Theatre]], [[Studio 58]], the Firehall Arts Centre, Carousel Theatre, and the United Players of Vancouver. [[Theatre Under the Stars (Vancouver)|Theatre Under the Stars]] produces shows in the summer at [[Malkin Bowl]] in [[Stanley Park]]. In addition, Vancouver holds an annual [[Vancouver Fringe Festival|Fringe Festival]] and each year in January, the [[PuSh International Performing Arts Festival]] is held.

The [[Vancouver International Film Festival]], which runs for two weeks each September, shows over 350 films and is one of the larger film festivals in North America. The [[Vancouver International Film Centre]] venue, the Vancity Theatre, runs independent non-commercial films throughout the rest of the year, as do the [[Pacific Cinémathèque]], the Festival Cinemas theatres, and the Hollywood and Rio theatres.

===Libraries===
Libraries in Vancouver include the [[Vancouver Public Library]] with its main branch at Library Square, designed by [[Moshe Safdie]]. The central branch contains 1.5 million volumes. Altogether there are twenty-two branches containing 2.25 million volumes.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.vpl.ca/about/cat/C788/ | title=Vancouver Public Library Frequently Asked Questions|publisher=Vancouver Public Library|accessdate 2010-07-07}}</ref>

===Museums===

[[File:Vancouver Art Gallery Robson Square from third floor.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Vancouver Art Gallery]], formerly the Provincial Courthouse.]]
The [[Vancouver Art Gallery]] has a permanent collection of nearly 10,000 items and is the home of a significant number of works by [[Emily Carr]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/visit_the_gallery/visit_the_gallery.html| title=Welcome from Kathleen Bartels, Director of the Vancouver Art Gallery| publisher=Vancouver Art Gallery|accessdate=2007-11-01}}</ref> However, little or none of the permanent collection is ever on view.

In the [[Kitsilano]] district are the [[Vancouver Maritime Museum]], and the [[H. R. MacMillan Space Centre]]. The [[Museum of Anthropology at UBC]] is a leading museum of [[Pacific Northwest|Pacific Northwest Coast]] [[First Nations]] culture, and the [[Vancouver Museum]] is the largest civic museum in Canada. A more interactive museum is [[Science World at Telus World of Science|Science World]]. The city also features a diverse collection of Public Art.

===Visual art===
{{See also|Public art in Vancouver}}
The [[Vancouver School]] of [[conceptual art|conceptual]]<ref name="sfgate.com">{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/01/09/DDV3U9I6U.DTL|title=Photography with an eye for social relevance|publisher=San Francisco Chronicle|author=Kenneth Baker|date=9 January 2009|accessdate=2009-12-02}}</ref> photography (often referred to as photoconceptualism)<ref name="Mail 2007">Sarah Milroy "Is Arden our next greatest photographer?" ''Globe and Mail'' (Oct. 27, 2007): R1.</ref> is a term applied to a grouping of artists from Vancouver who achieved international recognition starting in the 1980s.<ref name="sfgate.com"/> No formal "[[art movement|school]]" exists and the grouping remains both informal and often controversial<ref name="Lens 2007">Marsha Lederman "Behind the Lens: The Vancouver School Debate" ''Globe and Mail'' (Oct. 20, 2007): R13.</ref> even among the artists themselves, who often resist the term.<ref name="Lens 2007"/> Artists associated with the term include [[Jeff Wall]], [[Ian Wallace (artist)|Ian Wallace]], [[Ken Lum]], [[Roy Arden]],<ref name="Mail 2007"/> [[Stan Douglas]] and [[Rodney Graham]].<ref>[http://www.e-flux.com/shows/view/2452 Intertidal: Vancouver Art & Artists / E-Flux]</ref>

===Music===
{{See also|Music of Vancouver}}
Musical contributions from Vancouver include performers of classical, folk and popular music.<!--Listing of noted classical composers and performers resident/emergent is needed--> The [[Vancouver Symphony Orchestra]] is the professional orchestra based in the city. The [[Vancouver Opera]] is a major opera company in the city.
The city is home to a number of [[Canadian composers]] including [[Rodney Sharman]], [[Jeffrey Ryan]], and [[Alexina Louie]].

The city produced a number of notable [[punk rock]] bands, including the pioneering [[hardcore punk|hardcore]] band [[D.O.A. (band)|D.O.A.]]. Other early Vancouver punk bands included the [[Subhumans (Canadian band)|Subhumans]], the [[Young Canadians]], the [[Pointed Sticks]], Active Dog, The Modernettes, [[UJ3RK5]], and I, Braineater.<ref>{{cite news | last = Buium| first = Greg| title = Sound and Fury: Reliving Vancouver’s punk explosion| publisher = CBC News| date = 2005-04-15| url = http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/soundandfury.html| accessdate =2007-01-23}}</ref>
When [[alternative rock]] became popular in the 1990s, several Vancouver groups rose to prominence, including [[54-40]], [[Odds (band)|Odds]], [[Moist (Canadian band)|Moist]], the [[Matthew Good Band]] and [[Econoline Crush]]. Recent successful Vancouver bands include [[Gob (band)|Gob]] and [[Stabilo (band)|Stabilo]]. Today, Vancouver is home to a number of popular independent bands such as [[The New Pornographers]], [[Destroyer (band)|Destroyer]], [[Tegan and Sara]], and independent labels including [[Nettwerk]] and [[Mint Records|Mint]]. Vancouver also produced influential metal band [[Strapping Young Lad]] and pioneering [[electro-industrial]] bands [[Skinny Puppy]] and [[Front Line Assembly]]; the latter's [[Bill Leeb]] is better known for founding ambient pop super-group [[Delerium]]. Other popular musical artists who made their mark from Vancouver include [[Bryan Adams]], [[Sarah McLachlan]], [[Heart (band)|Heart]], [[Prism (band)|Prism]], [[Trooper (band)|Trooper]], [[Chilliwack (band)|Chilliwack]], [[Payola$]], [[Images in Vogue]], [[Michael Bublé]], [[Marianas Trench]] and [[Spirit of the West]].<ref>{{cite web| last = Gooch| first = Bryan N. S.| title = Vancouver, BC: 1945–91| work = The Canadian Encyclopedia| publisher = Historica| url = http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=U1SEC842192| accessdate =2006-11-23 }}</ref>

Larger musical performances are usually held at venues such as [[Rogers Arena]], [[Queen Elizabeth Theatre]], [[BC Place Stadium]] or the [[Pacific Coliseum]], while smaller acts are held at places such as the [[Commodore Ballroom]], the [[Orpheum, Vancouver|Orpheum Theatre]] and the [[Vogue Theatre]]. The [[Vancouver Folk Music Festival]] and the [[Vancouver International Jazz Festival]] showcase music in their respective genres from around the world.
Vancouver's Chinese population has produced several [[Cantopop]] stars. Similarly, various Indo-Canadian artists and actors have a profile in [[Bollywood]] or other aspects of [[India]]'s entertainment industry.

===Nightlife===
[[File:Olymp 31.jpg|thumb|right| The [[Granville Entertainment District]] downtown can attract large crowds to the street's many bars and nightclubs.]]
Vancouver has a vibrant nightlife scene, whether it be food and dining, or bars and nightclubs. The [[Granville Entertainment District]] has the city's highest concentration of bars and nightclubs with closing times of 3am, in addition to various after-hours clubs open til late morning on weekends. The street can attract large crowds on weekends and is closed to traffic on such nights. [[Gastown]] is also a popular area for nightlife with many upscale restaurants and nightclubs, as well as the [[Davie Village]] which is centre to the city's gay and lesbian [[LGBT]] community.

==Quality and cost of living==
Vancouver has been ranked one of the most livable cities in the world for more than a decade.<ref name="TEL" /> As of 2010, Vancouver has been ranked as having the 4th highest quality of living of any city on Earth.<ref>{{cite news|title=Quality of Living worldwide city rankings 2010 – Mercer survey| work=Mercer|date=2010-05-26|url=http://www.mercer.com/press-releases/quality-of-living-report-2010#City_Ranking_Tables}}</ref> In contrast, according to Forbes, Vancouver had the 6th most overpriced real estate market in the world and was second-highest in [[North America]] after [[Los Angeles]] in 2007.<ref>{{cite news|date=2007-08-24|title=World's Most Overpriced Real Estate Markets|publisher=[[Forbes.com]]|first=Matt|last=Woolsey|url=http://www.forbes.com/2007/08/24/housing-overpriced-world-forbeslife-cx_mw_0824realestate.html|accessdate=2009-11-29}}</ref> Along with Toronto, Vancouver has also been ranked among Canada's most expensive cities in which to live.<ref>{{cite news|first=Tann|last=vom Hove|title=City Mayors: World's most expensive cities (EIU)| work=City Mayors Economics|date=2008-06-17|url=http://www.citymayors.com/economics/expensive_cities_eiu.html|accessdate=2010-03-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Eric|last=Beauchesne|title=Toronto pegged as priciest place to live in Canada| work=The Vancouver Sun|date=2006-06-24|url=http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=245b1dc8-1b43-46cb-bd84-6e78ab8a5afb&k=54140|accessdate=2009-11-29}}</ref> [[Forbes]] has also ranked Vancouver as the tenth cleanest city in the world.<ref>{{cite news|date=2007-04-16|title=Which Are The World's Cleanest Cities?|publisher=[[Forbes.com]]|first=Robert|last=Malone|url=http://www.forbes.com/2007/04/16/worlds-cleanest-cities-biz-logistics-cx_rm_0416cleanest_slide_13.html | accessdate=2009-12-05}}</ref>

Vancouver has an adult [[obesity]] rate of 12% compared to the [[obesity in Canada|Canadian average]] of 23%. 51.8% of Vancouverites are [[overweight]], making it the fourth thinnest city in Canada after [[Toronto]], [[Montreal]], and [[Halifax Regional Municipality|Halifax]].<ref>{{cite web| title = Regional differences in obesity| work = Health Reports| publisher = Statistics Canada| date = 2006-08-22| url =http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/060822/dq060822b-eng.htm| accessdate =2009-12-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Sharon|last=Kirkey|title=Suburban Sprawl|publisher=CanWest News Service|date=2006-08-23|url=http://www.canada.com/topics/bodyandhealth/story.html?id=eee5654b-03e0-4dc3-8e3c-c116ee68a15c&k=82271&p=2|accessdate=2009-12-05}}</ref>

==Media==
{{Main|Media in Vancouver}}

Vancouver is a major film and television production centre. Nicknamed [[Hollywood North]], the city has been used as a film making location for nearly a century, beginning with the [[Edison Studios|Edison Manufacturing Company]].<ref>Ken MacIntyre. ''Reel Vancouver.'' Vancouver: Whitecap Books, 1996. p. 133.</ref> In 2008, the BC Film Commission reported more than 260 productions were filmed in Vancouver making it the third-largest film centre in [[North America]], after [[Los Angeles]] and [[New York City]], and second to Los Angeles in television production in the world.<ref>{{cite web|title=British Columbia Film Commission Production Statistics 2008|url=http://www.bcfilmcommission.com/smallbox4/file.php?sb49b56f0452715|publisher=BC Film Commission|year=2008|format=PDF|accessdate=2009-12-05}}{{dead link|date=July 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Vancouver Film Industry|url=http://www.vancouver.com/movies/hollywood_north/vancouver_film_industry_overview/index.htm|publisher=Canada.com|accessdate=2009-12-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vancouver.hm/facts.html|title=Some 'useless' facts about Vancouver|publisher=Vancouver dot Travel|accessdate=2009-12-05}}</ref>

A wide mix of local, national, and international newspapers are distributed in the city. The two major [[English language|English-language]] daily newspapers are ''[[The Vancouver Sun]]'' and ''[[The Province]]''. Also, two national newspapers distributed in the city are ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', which began publication of a "national edition" in B.C. in 1983 and recently expanded to include a three-page B.C. news section, and the ''[[National Post]]'' which centres around national news. Other local newspapers include ''[[24H (newspaper)|24H]]'' (a local free daily), the Vancouver franchise of the national free daily ''[[Metro International|Metro]]'', the twice-a-week ''[[Vancouver Courier]]'', and the independent newspaper ''[[The Georgia Straight]]''. Three [[Chinese language]] daily newspapers, ''[[Ming Pao]]'', ''[[Sing Tao Daily (Canada)|Sing Tao]]'' and ''[[World Journal]]'' cater to the city's large Cantonese and Mandarin speaking population. A number of other local and international papers serve other multicultural groups in the Lower Mainland.

Some of the local television stations include [[CBUT|CBC]], [[CKVU-TV|Citytv]], [[CIVT-TV|CTV]] and [[CHAN-TV|Global BC]]. [[CHNM-TV|OMNI British Columbia]] produce daily newscasts in [[Yue Chinese|Cantonese]], [[Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin]], [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] and [[Korean language|Korean]], and weekly newscasts in [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]], as well as programs aimed at other cultural groups. [[Fairchild Group]] also has two television stations: [[Fairchild TV]] and [[Talentvision]], serving Cantonese and Mandarin speaking audiences respectively.

Radio stations with news departments include [[CBU (AM)|CBC Radio One]], [[CKNW]] and [[CKWX|News 1130]]. The [[Franco-Columbian]] community is served by [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|Radio-Canada]] outlets [[CBUFT]] channel 26 ([[Télévision de Radio-Canada]]), [[CBUF-FM]] 97.7 ([[Première Chaîne]]) and [[CBUX-FM]] 90.9 ([[Espace musique]]).

Media dominance is a frequently discussed issue in Vancouver as newspapers, ''The Vancouver Sun'', ''The Province'', the ''Vancouver Courier'' and other local newspapers such as the ''Surrey Now'', the ''Burnaby Now'' and the ''Richmond News'', are all owned by [[Postmedia Network]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.straight.com/article-261366/canwest-seeks-bankruptcy-protection-broadcasting-assets-and-national-post|title=Canwest seeks bankruptcy protection for broadcasting assets and National Post| work =[[The Georgia Straight]] | author=Smith, Charlie| date=2009-10-06 |accessdate=2009-12-05}}</ref> The concentration of single owned corporate media has spurred alternatives, making Vancouver a centre for independent online media including ''[[The Tyee]]'' and [[NowPublic]].,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thetyee.ca/News/2005/03/16/CanWest_Metro_Daily_Dominance/|title=CanWest Metro Move Preserves Daily Dominance| work=[[The Tyee]]|author= Shannon Rupp|date=2005-03-16|accessdate=2009-12-01}}</ref> as well as [[hyperlocal]] online media, like ''Vancouver Is Awesome'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.straight.com/article-259704/media|title=Editor's Picks: Media|date=September 24, 2009|publisher=[[Georgia Straight]]|accessdate=7 February 2011}}</ref> which provide coverage of community events and local arts and culture.

==Transportation==
[[File:Skytrain system map.jpg|thumb|left|[[SkyTrain (Vancouver)|SkyTrain]] rapid transit system map]]
[[File:Translinksign.jpg|thumb|left|[[SkyTrain (Vancouver)|SkyTrain]] rapid transit system signage]]
{{Main|Transportation in Vancouver}} {{See also|List of roads in Vancouver}}
Vancouver's [[tram|streetcar]] system began on 28 June 1890 and ran from the (first) [[Granville Street Bridge]] to Westminster Avenue (now [[Main Street (Vancouver)|Main Street]] and [[Kingsway (Vancouver)|Kingsway]]). Less than a year later, the Westminster and Vancouver Tramway Company began operating Canada's first interurban line between the two cities and beyond to [[Chilliwack, British Columbia|Chilliwack]], with another line, the Lulu Island Railroad, from the Granville Street Bridge to [[Steveston, British Columbia|Steveston]] via [[Kerrisdale]], which encouraged residential neighbourhoods outside the central core to develop.<ref>{{cite web | last = Davis| first = Chuck| url = http://www.vancouverhistory.ca/chronology2.html| title = 1885–1891 | work= The History of Metropolitan Vancouver| accessdate =2006-11-23}}</ref> The [[British Columbia Electric Railway]] became the company that operated the urban and interurban rail system, until 1958 when its last vestiges were dismantled in favour of "trackless" trolley and gasoline/diesel [[bus]]es.<ref>{{cite web | last = Davis| first = Chuck| url = http://www.vancouverhistory.ca/chronology1958.htm| title = 1958 | work =The History of Metropolitan Vancouver| accessdate =2006-11-14}}</ref> Vancouver currently has the second-largest trolley bus fleet in North America after San Francisco.

[[File:Skytrain1248.jpg|thumb|right|Vancouver's [[SkyTrain (Vancouver)|SkyTrain]] in the Grandview Cut, with downtown Vancouver in the background. The dome-like structure is [[BC Place Stadium]]|alt=A two car train follows rail tracks under and bridge. In the background can be seen a domed sports stadium and high-rise buildings.]]
Successive city councils in the 1970s and 1980s prohibited the construction of [[freeway]]s as part of a long term plan.<ref>{{cite news|last=Millar|first=Royce|title=No freeways puts Vancouver on top|date=2006-09-11|work=The Age|url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2006/09/10/1157826813807.html|accessdate=2006-11-14|location=Melbourne}}</ref> As a result, the only major freeway within city limits is [[British Columbia Highway 1|Highway 1]], which passes through the north-eastern corner of the city. While the number of cars in Vancouver proper has been steadily rising with population growth, the rate of car ownership and the average distance driven by daily commuters have fallen since the early 1990s.<ref name="VanMag" /><ref>{{cite web|title =Traffic entering Vancouver, 1986 to 2005| publisher = City of Vancouver| url = http://www.vancouver.ca/commsvcs/cityplans/transportation/traffic.htm| archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20071011110739/http://www.vancouver.ca/commsvcs/cityplans/transportation/traffic.htm| archivedate = 2007-10-11| accessdate =2007-05-30}}</ref> Vancouver is the only major Canadian city with these trends. Despite the fact that the journey time per vehicle has increased by one-third and growing traffic mass, there are 7% fewer cars making trips into the downtown core.<ref name="VanMag">"Driving Lessons." ''Vancouver Magazine.'' (June 2007).</ref> Residents have been more inclined to live in areas closer to their interests, or use more energy-efficient means of travel, such as mass transit and cycling. This is, in part, the result of a push by city planners for a solution to traffic problems and pro-environment campaigns. [[Transportation Demand Management|Transportation demand management]] policies have imposed restrictions on drivers making it more difficult and expensive to commute while introducing more benefits for non-drivers.<ref name="VanMag" />

[[TransLink (British Columbia)|TransLink]] is responsible for roads and public transportation within [[Metro Vancouver]]. It provides a bus service, including the [[B-Line (Vancouver)|B-Line]] rapid bus service, a foot passenger and bicycle ferry service (known as [[SeaBus]]), an automated rapid transit service called [[SkyTrain (Vancouver)|SkyTrain]], and [[West Coast Express]] commuter rail. Vancouver's SkyTrain system is currently running on three lines, the [[Millennium Line]], the [[Expo Line]] and the [[Canada Line]].<ref name = Translink10>{{cite web| month = July | year = 2008 | url =http://www.translink.ca/~/media/Documents/Plans%20and%20Projects/10%20Year%20Plan/2009%2010%20Year%20Transportation%20and%20Financial%20Plan.ashx| title = 2009 10-Year Transportation & Financial Plan | format = PDF| publisher = TransLink | accessdate =2009-07-04}}</ref>

Changes are being made to the regional transportation network as part of Translink's 10-Year Transportation Plan. The recently completed [[Canada Line]], opened on 17 August 2009, connects [[Vancouver International Airport]] and the neighbouring city of [[Richmond, British Columbia|Richmond]] with the existing SkyTrain system. The [[Evergreen Line (Vancouver)|Evergreen Line]] is planned to link the cities of [[Coquitlam]] and [[Port Moody]] with the SkyTrain system by 2014. There are also plans to extend the SkyTrain [[Millennium Line]] west to [[University of British Columbia|UBC]] as a subway under [[Broadway (Vancouver)|Broadway]] and capacity upgrades and an extension to the [[Expo Line]]. Several road projects will be completed within the next few years, including a replacement for the [[Port Mann Bridge]], as part of the Provincial Government's [[Gateway Program]].<ref name = Translink10/>

Other modes of transport add to the diversity of options available in Vancouver. Inter-city passenger rail service is operated from [[Pacific Central Station]] by [[Via Rail]] to points east; [[Amtrak Cascades]] to [[Seattle]]; and [[Rocky Mountaineer]] rail tour routes. Small passenger ferries operating in False Creek provide commuter service to Granville Island, Downtown Vancouver and Kitsilano. Vancouver has a city-wide network of bicycle lanes and routes, which supports an active population of cyclists year-round. Cycling has become Vancouver's fastest growing mode of transportation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://vancouver.ca/engsvcs/transport/cycling/stats.htm|title=Cycling statistics|publisher=City of Vancouver|year=2009|accessdate=2009-12-01}}</ref>

Vancouver is served by [[Vancouver International Airport]] (YVR), located on [[Sea Island, British Columbia|Sea Island]] in the City of Richmond, immediately south of Vancouver. Vancouver's airport is Canada's second-busiest airport,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yvr.ca/en/about/facts-stats.aspx|title=Facts & Stats|publisher=[[Vancouver International Airport]]|accessdate=2009-12-01}}</ref> and the second-largest gateway on the west coast of North America for international passengers.<ref>[http://investincanada.gc.ca/eng/publications/british-columbia-profile.aspx British Columbia: Business and Investment Environment]. Government of Canada. Retrieved on: 2009-08-02.</ref> [[HeliJet]] and [[float plane]] companies operate scheduled air service from Vancouver harbour and YVR south terminal. The city is also served by two [[BC Ferries|BC Ferry]] terminals. One is to the northwest at [[Horseshoe Bay, West Vancouver, British Columbia|Horseshoe Bay]] (in [[West Vancouver]]), and the other is to the south, at [[Tsawwassen, British Columbia|Tsawwassen]] (in [[Delta, British Columbia|Delta]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bcferries.com/|title=BC Ferries|publisher=British Columbia Ferry Services Inc.|year=2009|accessdate=2009-11-30}}</ref>

==Sports and recreation==
{{Main|Sports in Vancouver}}
[[File:BCplace stadium.jpg|thumb|[[BC Place Stadium]], home of the BC Lions, the site of the Opening and Closing ceremonies of the [[2010 Winter Olympics]] and the [[Vancouver Whitecaps FC (MLS)|Vancouver Whitecaps FC]] starting in 2011. Currently, the stadium is undergoing renovations to install a new retractable roof to be completed by mid-to-late 2011. The dome on the lower right is [[Rogers Arena]].|alt=Cars pass by on an elevated highway in the foreground. In the midground is a large, oval-shaped building with a white, domed roof. ]]

The mild climate of the city and close proximity to ocean, mountains, rivers and lakes make the area a popular destination for outdoor recreation. Vancouver has over 1,298&nbsp;hectares (3,200&nbsp;acres) of parks, of which, Stanley Park, at 404&nbsp;hectares (1,000&nbsp;acres), is the largest.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://vancouver.ca/parks/info/aboutus/index.htm|title=About the Park Board|publisher=Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation|accessdate=2009-12-05}}</ref> The city has several large beaches, many adjacent to one another, extending from the shoreline of Stanley Park around False Creek to the south side of English Bay, from Kitsilano to the [[University Endowment Lands]], (which also has beaches that are not part of the city proper). The 18&nbsp;kilometres (11&nbsp;miles) of beaches include Second and Third Beaches in Stanley Park, English Bay (First Beach), Sunset, [[Kitsilano Beach]], Jericho, Locarno, [[Spanish Banks]], Spanish Banks Extension and Spanish Banks West. There is also a freshwater beach at [[Trout Lake (Vancouver)|Trout Lake]]. The coastline provides for many types of water sport, and the city is a popular destination for boating enthusiasts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://vancouver.ca/parks/rec/beaches/index.htm|title=Recreation: Beaches|publisher=Vancouver Park Board|year=2009|accessdate=2009-12-05}}</ref>

Within a 20-to-30-minute drive from downtown Vancouver are the [[North Shore Mountains]], with three ski areas: [[Cypress Mountain]], [[Grouse Mountain]], and [[Mount Seymour]]. [[Mountain biking|Mountain bikers]] have created world-renowned trails across the North Shore. The [[Capilano River]], Lynn Creek and Seymour River, also on the North Shore, provide opportunities to [[whitewater]] enthusiasts during periods of rain and spring melt, though the canyons of those rivers are more utilized for hiking and swimming than whitewater.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metrovancouver.org/SERVICES/PARKS_LSCR/REGIONALPARKS/Pages/CapilanoRiver.aspx|title=Capilano River|publisher=Metro Vancouver|year=2009|accessdate=2009-12-05}}</ref>

Running races include the [[Vancouver Sun Run]] (a 10&nbsp;km (6.2&nbsp;mi) race) every April; the [[Vancouver Marathon]], held every May; and the Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon held every June. The [[Grouse Grind]] is a 2.9-kilometre (1.8&nbsp;mi) climb up [[Grouse Mountain]] open throughout the summer and fall months, including the annual Grouse Grind Mountain Run. Hiking trails include the [[Baden-Powell Trail]], an arduous 42-kilometre (26&nbsp;mi) long hike from [[West Vancouver]]'s [[Horseshoe Bay, West Vancouver, British Columbia|Horseshoe Bay]] to [[Deep Cove, North Vancouver|Deep Cove]] in the [[District of North Vancouver]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.car-free.ca/bc-car-free/hiking/baden-powell-centennial-trail.html|title=Baden-Powell Centennial Trail|author=Brian Grover|publisher=BC Car-Free|year=2009|accessdate=2009-12-05}}</ref>

In 2009, Vancouver hosted the [[World Police and Fire Games]]. [[Swangard Stadium]], in nearby [[Burnaby]], hosted games for the [[2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup]].<ref name="V2010" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.canadasoccer.com/news/viewArtical.asp?Press_ID=2610|title=Canada’s World Cup team opens camp in Vancouver|publisher=[[Canadian Soccer Association]]|date=17 January 2007|accessdate=2009-12-05}}</ref>

Vancouver was the host city for the [[2010 Winter Olympics|2010 Winter Olympic]] and the [[2010 Winter Paralympics|Paralympic]] Games. On June 12, 2010, it played host to [[UFC 115]] which was the fourth [[UFC]] event to be held in Canada (the other 3 were held in [[Montreal]]).

In 2011, Vancouver will be hosting the [[Grey Cup]], the [[Canadian Football League]] (CFL) championship game which is awarded every year to a different city which has a CFL team. The [[BC Titans]] of the [[International Basketball League]] played their inaugural season in 2009, with home games at the [[Langley Event Centre]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bctitans.ca/index.php/about/presidents-message|title=Welcome from the President |last=Mara|first=Jonathan|publisher=Vancouver Titans|accessdate=2009-12-05}}</ref> Vancouver is a centre for the fast-growing sport of [[Ultimate (sport)|Ultimate]]. During the summer of 2008 Vancouver hosted the World Ultimate Championships.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/arts/story.html?id=0a120960-f84f-4be8-a965-320e1ae147d1 |title= World Ultimate Championships come to Vancouver |accessdate= 2009-12-05 |author= Lee, Jenny |date= 2008-07-30 | work= Vancouver Sun |quote= }}</ref>

[[File:General Motors Place.jpg|thumb|right|[[Rogers Arena]], home of the [[Vancouver Canucks]]|alt=Slightly elevated view of an active ice rink. Players on one team wear mostly red and white uniforms, while the others are outfitted predominately in blue.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|+<!-- initially sorted by date established -->
|-
! scope="col" | Club
! scope="col" | League
! scope="col" | Sport
! scope="col" | Venue
! scope="col" | Established
! scope="col" | Championships
|-
| [[Vancouver Canucks]]
| [[National Hockey League|NHL]]
| [[Ice hockey]]
| [[Rogers Arena]]
| 1970
| 0
|-
| [[BC Lions]]
| [[Canadian Football League|CFL]]
| [[Canadian football|Football]]
| [[Empire Field]] (temporary facility due to the renovations at [[BC Place Stadium]])
| 1954
| 5
|-
| [[Vancouver Canadians]]
| [[Northwest League|NWL]]
| [[Baseball]] ([[Minor league baseball#Class A-Short Season|Single A Short Season]])
| [[Nat Bailey Stadium|Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium]]
| 2000
| 0
|-
| [[Vancouver Whitecaps FC]]<br/>[[Vancouver Whitecaps Women]]
| [[Major League Soccer|MLS]]<br />[[W-League]]
| [[Football (soccer)|Soccer]]
| [[Empire Field]]/[[BC Place Stadium]]<br/>[[Swangard Stadium]]
| 2011<br />2003
| 0<br />2
|-
| [[Vancouver Giants]]
| [[Western Hockey League|WHL]]
| [[Ice hockey]]
| [[Pacific Coliseum]]
| 2001
| 1
|-
| [[BC Titans]]
| [[International Basketball League|IBL]]
| [[Basketball]]
| [[Langley Event Centre]]
| 2009
| 0
|}

==Sister Cities==
The City of Vancouver was one of the first cities in Canada to enter into an international [[sister cities]] arrangement.<ref>{{cite journal| author = Smith, Patrick J. and Kennedy Stewart| year = 2003| url = http://www.queensu.ca/iigr/conf/Arch/03/03-2/Kennedy_and_Stewart.pdf|format = PDF|title = Beavers and Cats Revisited: Creatures and Tenants versus Municipal Charter(s) and Home Rule|publisher = Queen's University, Institute of Intergovernmental Relations| accessdate = 2009-12-01}}</ref> Special arrangements for cultural, social and economic benefits have been created with these sister cities.<ref name="aboutvancouver"/><ref name="Vancouver">{{cite web|url=http://vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/cclerk/20080311/documents/a14.pdf|format=PDF|title=Vancouver Twinning Relationships|publisher=City of Vancouver|accessdate=2009-12-05}}</ref>

{{Div col|2}}

* {{Flagicon|Ukraine}} [[Odessa]], [[Ukraine]] (1944)
* {{Flagicon|Ecuador}} [[Quito]], [[Ecuador]] (1956)
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Yokohama]], [[Japan]] (1965)<ref name="Yokohama">{{cite web|url=http://www.welcome.city.yokohama.jp/eng/tourism/mame/a3000.html|title=Eight Cities/Six Ports: Yokohama's Sister Cities/Sister Ports|publisher=[http://www.welcome.city.yokohama.jp/eng/ycvb/index.html Yokohama Convention & Visitiors Bureau]|accessdate=2009-12-05}}</ref>
* {{Flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[Edinburgh]], [[United Kingdom]] (1978)
* {{Flagicon|People's Republic of China}} [[Guangzhou]], [[China]] (1985)
* {{Flagicon|United States}} [[Los Angeles]], [[United States]] (1986)
* {{Flagicon|Ecuador}} [[Latacunga]], [[Ecuador]] (2005)
* {{Flagicon|South Korea}} [[Seoul]], [[South Korea]] (2007)
* {{Flagicon|Brazil}} [[Rio de Janeiro]], [[Brazil]] (2010)
* {{Flagicon|People's Republic of China}} [[Dalian]], [[China]]

{{Div col end}}

There are 21 municipalities in the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD). While each of these has a separate municipal government, the GVRD oversees common services within the metropolitan area such as water, sewage, transportation, and regional parks.

==See also==
{{Portal|Vancouver}}
{{Commons category|Vancouver}}
* [[Downtown Vancouver]]
* [[Downtown Eastside]]
* [[East Vancouver]]
* [[Lower Mainland]]
* [[Metro Vancouver]]
* [[Garibaldi Lake volcanic field]]
* [[Mount Cayley volcanic field]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Further reading ==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last =Lance |first =Berelowitz |year =2005 |title =Dream City: Vancouver and the Global Imagination |url = http://books.google.ca/books?id=57KZJ-aKlScC&lpg=PP1&dq=Vancouver&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=true|publisher=Douglas & McIntyre |isbn=1553651707 }}
* {{cite book |last =Constance|first = Brissenden |year =2006 |title =Vancouver: A Pictorial Celebration Including Vancouver Island, Victoria, and Whistler |url =http://books.google.ca/books?id=RueT_ObLDlUC&lpg=PP1&dq=Vancouver&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=true |publisher=Penn Publishing Ltd |isbn=1402723865 }}
* {{cite book |last = Jollota |first =Pat |year =2007 |title =Downtown Vancouver|url =http://books.google.ca/books?id=oZqR-XpI9esC&lpg=PP1&dq=Vancouver&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=true |publisher= Arcadia|isbn= 0738529591 }}
* {{cite book |last1 = Vogel |first1 =Aynsley |first2= Dana |last2=Wyse |year =2009 |title =Vancouver : a history in photographs |url =http://books.google.ca/books?id=O1PUPDLl8z0C&lpg=PP1&dq=Vancouver&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=true |publisher=Heritage House Pub. Co |isbn=9781894974882 }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|Vancouver}}
* [http://www.vancouver.ca/ Official website] – City of Vancouver
* [http://www.tourismvancouver.com/ Travel and Tourism Information] – Tourism Vancouver
* {{Cite bcgnis|id=24320 |title=Vancouver}}
* {{wikitravel|Vancouver}}
* {{dmoz|/Regional/North_America/Canada/British_Columbia/Localities/V/Vancouver/}}
* [http://www.olympic.org/vancouver-2010-winter-olympics/ Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics] – Tourism Vancouver
{{Coord|49.25|-123.1|region:CA-BC_type:city(610000)|display=title}}
{{Clear}}
{{Geographic Location (8-way)
| Northwest = [[West Vancouver]] |
| North = [[North Vancouver, British Columbia (district municipality)|District of North Vancouver]]<br />[[North Vancouver, British Columbia (city)|City of North Vancouver]] |
| Northeast = [[North Vancouver, British Columbia (district municipality)|District of North Vancouver]] |
| West = [[University Endowment Lands]] |
| Centre = Vancouver |
| East = [[Burnaby]]<br />[[New Westminster]]|
| Southwest = ''[[Strait of Georgia]]'' |
| South = [[Richmond, British Columbia|Richmond]]<br />[[Delta, British Columbia|Delta]]
| Southeast = [[Surrey, British Columbia|Surrey]]}}
<!--- {{Census metropolitan areas in Canada by size}} --->
{{Navboxes|list ={{Vancouver landmarks}}
{{Metro Vancouver}}
{{VancouverNeighbourhoods}}
{{Subdivisions of British Columbia|city=yes}}
{{Olympic Winter Games Host Cities}}
{{Paralympic Winter Games Host Cities}}
{{Commonwealth Games Host Cities}}
{{Census metropolitan areas in Canada by size}}}}

[[Category:Vancouver| ]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in Canada]]
[[Category:Host cities of the Winter Olympic Games]]
[[Category:Host cities of the Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Port settlements in Canada]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1867]]
[[Category:Populated places on the Fraser River]]

{{Link FA|de}}
{{Link FA|hr}}
{{Link FA|sh}}
{{Link FA|sk}}
{{Link FA|sr}}
{{Link GA|cs}}

[[af:Vancouver]]
[[ar:فانكوفر]]
[[an:Vancouver]]
[[az:Vankuver]]
[[bn:ভ্যানকুভার]]
[[zh-min-nan:Vancouver]]
[[be:Горад Ванкувер]]
[[be-x-old:Ванкувэр]]
[[bo:ཝན་ཁུ་ཝེར།]]
[[bs:Vancouver]]
[[br:Vancouver]]
[[bg:Ванкувър]]
[[ca:Vancouver]]
[[cs:Vancouver]]
[[co:Vancouver]]
[[cy:Vancouver]]
[[da:Vancouver]]
[[pdc:Vancouver]]
[[de:Vancouver]]
[[et:Vancouver]]
[[el:Βανκούβερ]]
[[es:Vancouver]]
[[eo:Vankuvero (Brita Kolumbio)]]
[[eu:Vancouver]]
[[fa:ونکوور]]
[[fo:Vancouver]]
[[fr:Vancouver]]
[[fy:Fankoever]]
[[ga:Vancouver]]
[[gd:Vancouver]]
[[gl:Vancouver]]
[[ko:밴쿠버]]
[[hy:Վանկուվեր]]
[[hr:Vancouver]]
[[io:Vancouver]]
[[id:Vancouver]]
[[ia:Vancouver]]
[[ie:Vancouver]]
[[os:Ванкувер]]
[[is:Vancouver]]
[[it:Vancouver]]
[[he:ונקובר]]
[[kl:Vancouver]]
[[ka:ვანკუვერი]]
[[kw:Vancouver]]
[[sw:Vancouver]]
[[koi:Ванкувер]]
[[ku:Venkûver]]
[[la:Vancuverium (Columbia Britannica)]]
[[lv:Vankūvera]]
[[lb:Vancouver]]
[[lt:Vankuveris]]
[[lmo:Vancouver]]
[[hu:Vancouver]]
[[mg:Vancouver]]
[[mr:व्हँकूव्हर]]
[[arz:فانكوفر]]
[[ms:Vancouver]]
[[mn:Ванкувер]]
[[my:ဗန်ကူးဗားမြို့]]
[[nah:Vancouver]]
[[nl:Vancouver]]
[[ja:バンクーバー (ブリティッシュコロンビア州)]]
[[no:Vancouver]]
[[nn:Vancouver]]
[[oc:Vancouver]]
[[pnb:وینکوور]]
[[pl:Vancouver]]
[[pt:Vancouver]]
[[ro:Vancouver]]
[[ru:Ванкувер]]
[[sah:Ванкувер]]
[[sc:Vancouver]]
[[sco:Vancouver]]
[[sq:Vancouver]]
[[scn:Vancouver]]
[[simple:Vancouver]]
[[sk:Vancouver]]
[[sl:Vancouver]]
[[szl:Vancouver]]
[[sr:Ванкувер]]
[[sh:Vancouver]]
[[fi:Vancouver]]
[[sv:Vancouver]]
[[tl:Vancouver]]
[[ta:வான்கூவர்]]
[[th:แวนคูเวอร์]]
[[tr:Vancouver]]
[[uk:Ванкувер]]
[[ug:Wankuwér]]
[[vec:Vancouver]]
[[vi:Vancouver]]
[[vo:Vancouver]]
[[war:Vancouver]]
[[yo:Vancouver]]
[[zh-yue:溫哥華]]
[[zh:溫哥華]]

Revision as of 07:41, 22 April 2011

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