Vancouver Area Info.

History

Archaeological evidence shows that coastal Indians had settled the Vancouver area by 500 B.C. British naval captain George Vancouver explored the area in 1792. Vancouver was founded as a sawmill settlement called Granville in the 1870s. The city was incorporated in 1886 and renamed after Captain Vancouver.

Climate

Vancouver is located in the southwest corner of Canada in the province of British Columbia, at about 49° Latitude and 123° Longitude, next to the Pacific Ocean. Click to view map.

Vancouver is surrounded by water on three sides and overlooked by the Coast Range - mountains that rise abruptly to more than 1,500 m. Its climate is one of the mildest in Canada. Temperatures average 3°C in January and 18°C in July. Vancouver’s average annual precipitation is 1,219 mm. Most rainfall occurs in winter.

Population

With a population of about 600,000 (BC Stats globe estimate), Vancouver lies in a region of more than 2 million people. Vancouver is the largest city in the province of British Columbia and the third largest in Canada. It covers an area of 114 sq km.

Economy

As the main western terminus of Canada’s transcontinental highway and rail routes, Vancouver is the primary city of western Canada, as well as one of the nation’s largest industrial centers.

The Port of Vancouver globe is Canada’s largest and most diversified port, trading more than $43 billion in goods with more than 90 trading economies annually. Port activities generate 62,200 jobs. The Port of Vancouver is North America’s gateway for Asia-Pacific trade.

Vancouver’s Central Area has 60 per cent of the region’s office space and is home to headquarters of forest products and mining companies as well as branches of national and international banks, accounting and law firms. In recent years, Vancouver has expanded as a centre for software development and biotechnology, while film studios and the streets provide a backdrop for the developing film industry. Two of the Port of Vancouver’s container docks are located in the city. The Fraser River has barge and log traffic serving forestry and other water related industries. Around 1,800 acres of industrial land provide an important range of support services, manufacturing and wholesale premises for businesses throughout the city and region.

Vancouver is a major tourist destination. In addition to the city’s scenic location, visitors enjoy beautiful gardens and world-famous Stanley Park,globe one of more than 180 city parks, and a combination of natural forest and parklands near the city center.

Vancouver International Airport globe (YVR) is Canada’s second busiest airport and the second largest international passenger gateway on the west coast of North America.

Information from City of Vancouver