Vancouver

Vancouver (pronounced: ) is a city in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is part of the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD), which is the largest metropolitan area in western Canada and the third largest in the country. Vancouver is part of the larger geographic region known as the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. A resident of Vancouver is called a "Vancouverite."

The city's population is 583,267 (2005 est.) and 2,208,300 for Greater Vancouver (2005 est.). The metropolitan population is projected to reach 2.6 million by 2020.Urban Statistics - 2020 projection, City Mayors.

The Port of Vancouver is significant on a world scale and Vancouver is the third largest film production centre for US-based productions in North America after Los Angeles and New York,Film & TV, Vancouver Economic Development Commission. giving it the nickname Hollywood North. In 2010 the city will host the XXI Olympic Winter Games in conjunction with nearby Whistler. In 2006 Vancouver was ranked the 56th most expensive city to live among 144 major cities in the world and the second most expensive in Canada (after Toronto). Despite this, Vancouver is consistently ranked in the top five most livable cities in the world.>Vancouver and Melbourne top city league, BBC News, 4 October 2002; >Vancouver is 'best place to live', BBC News, 4 October 2005; Vancouver world's second-best place to live: survey, CBC News, 3 March 2003; Condé Nast Traveler, Readers Choice Awards 2005

Sam Sullivan was elected mayor in November, 2005.

History

Archaeological records indicate that the presence of Aboriginal peoples () in the Vancouver area dates back 4,500-9,000 years.Brian Thom, "Stó:lo Culture - Ideas of Prehistory and Changing Cultural Relationships to the Land and Environment"; Roy Carlson, "Archaeology in Greater Vancouver," Chuck Davis, ed., Greater Vancouver Book: An Urban Encyclopaedia. Surrey, BC: Linkman Press, 1997, 31. The coastline of present day Point Grey was first explored in 1791 by José María Narváez of Spain, followed by George Vancouver, who also explored the inner harbour of Burrard Inlet in 1792 and gave various places British names.W. Kaye Lamb, "Captain George Vancouver," Chuck Davis, ed., Greater Vancouver Book: An Urban Encyclopaedia. Surrey, BC: Linkman Press, 1997, 34-36. ] In 1808, Simon Fraser arrived in what is now Marpole. He was searching for the Columbia River, but soon discovered that he was not in Columbia and was captured by natives. The river he did search was later renamed after him.[1] "History of City of Vancouver" from Caroun.com. The gold rush of 1858-1859 brought 25,000 men, mainly from California, to the Fraser River and what would become Vancouver. During the 1898 Klondike gold rush, Vancouver merchants sold a great deal of equipment to prospectors.

Vancouver is among British Columbia's youngest cities. In 1870, the settlement was officially known as "Granville Townsite." The residents of Granville, however, continued to use its nickname, "Gastown," after John "Gassy Jack" Deighton, who established a Saloon after the Hastings Mill went dry. Fourteen years later, the settlement was officially named after Captain Vancouver, by William Van Horne, who arrived in Port Moody to establish the Canadian Pacific Railroad terminus.A fire broke out on June 13, 1886. The city was quickly rebuilt, using bricks that time. The Vancouver Fire department was established that same year. By the end of 1890, Vancouver's population was over 5000.

Geography

Vancouver is adjacent to the Strait of Georgia, a body of water that is shielded from the Pacific Ocean by Vancouver Island. It is in the Pacific Time Zone (UTC-8) and the Pacific Maritime Ecozone.Pacific Maritime Ecozone, Environment Canada. The city itself forms part of the Burrard Peninsula, lying between Burrard Inlet to the north and the Fraser River to the south. Those unfamiliar with the region may be surprised to learn that Vancouver is not on Vancouver Island. However, both the island and the city (and its U.S. counterpart) are named after Royal Navy Captain George Vancouver.

Vancouver is internationally renowned for its beautiful scenery and has one of North America's largest urban parks, Stanley Park. The North Shore Mountains dominate the city landscape 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 Sunshine Coast to the northwest.

Vancouver has an area of 114.67 km² (44 sq miles), including both flat and hilly ground. The climate is wet and the city is surrounded by water. Early records show that there may have been as many as fifty creeks and streams in the area although only four remain.

Climate

Vancouver's climate is unusually temperate by Canadian standards; its winters are the fourth warmest of Canadian cities monitored by Environment Canada after nearby Victoria, Nanaimo, and Duncan,Weather Winners — Mildest Winters, Environment Canada. all of which are found on Vancouver Island. Vancouver has daily minimum temperatures falling below 0°C (32°F) on an average of 46 days per year and below -10°C (14°F) on only two days per year. The annual precipitation is about 1,219 mm (48 in) Summer months are generally sunny with moderate temperatures but can be very dry, often resulting in yellow grass in parks and lawns. The daily maximum averages 22°C (72°F) in July and August, although sometimes temperatures rise above 26°C (78°F). More than half of all winter days receive measureable precipitation. Snow falls on only 11 of those days on average, with only three days receiving 6 or more centimetres.

Despite 59% of hours in Vancouver having 80-100% cloud cover, Vancouver also averages 288 days per year with measurable sunshine.Canadian Climate Normals 1971-2000, Environment Canada.

Flora

The original vegetation of most of Vancouver and its suburbs was dense temperate rain forest, mostly conifers with scattered pockets of maple and alder, as well as large areas of swampland (even in upland areas due to poor drainage). The conifers were a typical coastal BC mix of Sitka spruce, Western red cedar, Western hemlock, Douglas fir, and yew, and were reckoned to be the greatest concentration of the largest of these trees on the entire British Columbia Coast. Only in Seattle's Elliott Bay did the trees rival those of Burrard Inlet and English Bay in size. The largest trees in Vancouver's old-growth forest were in the area of what is now Gastown, where the first logging occurred, and on the south slopes of False Creek and English Bay, especially around Jericho Beach. Stanley Park is mostly second and third growth and evidence of old-fashioned logging techniques such as springboard notches can still be seen there.

A diverse range of plants and trees were imported from other parts of the continent and from points across the Pacific and can be found growing throughout Vancouver and the Lower Mainland. Various species of palm trees have proven hardy in this climate and are a common sight, as are large numbers of other exotic trees such as the monkey puzzle tree, the Japanese maple, and various flowering exotics such as magnolias, azaleas, and rhododendrons. Many rhododendrons have grown to immense sizes, as have other species imported from harsher climates in Eastern Canada or Europe. The native Douglas maple can also attain a tremendous size. Many streets in the city are lined with flowering varieties of Japanese cherry trees that were donated by Japan in the 1930s. Certain areas of West Vancouver that have the right balance of sunlight and rainfall are home to the arbutus (Arbutus menziesii), which is more associated with the climate of the Gulf Islands, Greater Victoria, and northern Puget Sound.

Air pollution

The air quality in the city has been deteriorating over the last several decades due to an increasing number of cars in the area. Smog can be seen year around. Vancouver is a fast-growing city mainly as a result of a high immigration rate, but the car population is growing at almost twice the speed of the human population Earth Future - Car Sharing in Vanvouver, resulting in increased congestion and pollution. Some actions have be taken by various levels of government to limit the problem, such as improving automobile efficiency, promoting cleaner fuels, and relocating beehive burners. Air quality in the Fraser Valley often suffers as Vancouver's pollution is blown in that direction and "boxed in" by the mountains. Air quality measurements for the Lower Fraser Valley, including Vancouver, are updated and published every hour online by the Greater Vancouver Regional District.Greater Vancouver Area - Air quality measurements, Greater Vancouver Regional District.

Demographics

City planners in the late 1950s and 1960s deliberately encouraged the development of high-rise residential towers in Vancouver's West End of downtown, resulting in a compact urban core amenable to public transit, cycling, and pedestrian traffic. Vancouver's population density on the downtown peninsula is 49 people per acre (2001 census).City facts 2004 (PDF), City of Vancouver. The city continues to pursue policies intended to increase density as an alternative to sprawl, such as Mayor Sullivan's Eco-Density initiative.

Vancouver has been called a "city of neighbourhoods," each with a distinct character and ethnic mix.[http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/erc/pdf/verc_report.pdf Thomas R. Berger, "A City of Neighbourhoods: Report of the 2004 Vancouver Electoral Reform Commission." The Chinese are by far the largest visible ethnic minority group in the city, and Vancouver has one of the most diverse Chinese-speaking communities, with several Chinese languages being represented. Vancouver contains the second largest Chinatown in North America (after San Francisco). There are also many multicultural neighbourhoods, such as the Punjabi Market, Little Italy, Greektown, Japantown, Commercial Drive, and a series of Koreatowns. Bilingual street signs can be seen in various neighbourhoods, including Chinatown and the Punjabi Market.

Many immigrants from Hong Kong made Vancouver their home following the transfer of that former colony's sovereignty from the United Kingdom to China. This continued a tradition of immigration from around the world that had already established Vancouver as the second most multi-ethnic of Canada's cities (after Toronto) before the Hong Kong influx began. Other significant Asian ethnic groups in Vancouver are South Asians (mostly Punjabis, usually referred to as Indo-Canadians), Vietnamese, Filipino, Korean, Cambodian, and Japanese.

Prior to the Hong Kong influx of the 1980s, the largest non-British ethnic group in the city was German, followed by Ukrainian and the Scandinavian ethnicities. Non-visible minorities, such as newly-arrived Eastern Europeans and the new wave of Latin American arrivals, are also a feature of the city's ethnic landscape.

There is also a sizable aboriginal community in Vancouver as well as in the surrounding metropolitan region, with the result that Vancouver constitutes the largest native community in the province.

While not completely free of racial tension, Vancouver has relatively harmonious race relations.Multiculturalism & Diversity. City of Vancouver. One result is a relatively high rate of intermarriage; mixed ethnicity couples are unremarkable in any neighbourhood. Sushi is one of the most popular foods in the city, with more than 300 sushi restaurants in the metropolitan area. Both the annual Dragon Boat Festival and Lunar New Year's Day Parade are well attended by residents of all ethnic backgrounds. Vancouver has one of the largest gay communities in North America. The downtown area around Davie Street is home to most of the city's gay clubs and bars and is known as Davie Village. Every year Vancouver holds one of the country's largest Gay Pride Parades.

Economy

With its location on the Pacific Rim and at the western terminus of Canada's transcontinental highway and rail routes, Vancouver is one of the nation's largest industrial centres.

The Port of Vancouver, Canada's largest and most diversified, does more than $43 billion in trade with over 90 countries annually. Port activities generate $4 billion in gross domestic product and $8.9 billion in economic output.

Vancouver is the headquarters of forest product and mining companies. In recent years, Vancouver has become an increasingly important centre for software development, biotechnology and a vibrant film industry.

The city’s scenic location makes it a major tourist destination. Visitors come for the city’s gardens, Stanley Park, Queen Elizabeth Park, and a combination of mountains, ocean, forest and parklands surrounding the city. The numerous beaches, parks, waterfronts, and mountain backdrop, combined with its cultural and multi-ethnic character, all contribute to its unique appeal and style for tourists. Over a million people annually pass through Vancouver en route to a cruise ship vacation, usually to Alaska.

The city's popularity comes with a price. Vancouver can be an expensive city, with the highest housing prices in Canada. Several 2006 studies rank Vancouver as having the least affordable housing in Canada, one ranking it fifteenth least affordable in the world, marginally more affordable than London.; Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey: 2006, Wendell Cox Consultancy.}}; [http://www.rbc.com/economics/market/pdf/house.pdf RBC Financial Group "Housing Affordability", RBC Financial Group, September 2006. Retrieved 2006-09-27. The city has adopted various strategies to reduce housing costs, including cooperative housing, legalized secondary suites, increased density and smart growth. Nevertheless, as with many other cities in North America, homelessness is a concern, as is the growing gap between rich and poor. The city’s residents are generally affluent, a perception reinforced by the number of luxury vehicles on city streets, the rate at which residential properties sell (median house price $741,000, Greater Vancouver, 3rd Quarter 2006), and, according to the Vancouver Sun, the fact that Vancouverites are three times more likely to dine out than other Canadians. The issue of house prices is most evident because as of July 2006, 30% of all houses in Vancouver are listed at over a million dollars, which makes the city more expensive than in any other major Canadian city, with Toronto in second, with house prices averaging $370,000 in comparison. It should be noted that a number of municipalities in British Columbia within 2-3 hours from Vancouver, such as Whistler, Victoria, Langley, have average house prices ranging from $500,000 to 2.5 million dollars. Canadian Business - House pricing in Whistler

A major and ongoing downtown condominium construction boom began in the late 1990s, financed in large part by a huge flow of capital from Hong Kong immigrants prior to the 1997 hand-over to China. High-rise residential developments from this period now dominate the Yaletown and Coal Harbour districts of the downtown peninsula, and also cluster around some of the SkyTrain stations on the east side of the city.

The 1986 World Exposition was held in Vancouver. This World's Fair was the last to be held in North America and was considered a success.

Governance

Vancouver is governed by the ten-member Vancouver City Council, a nine-member School Board, and a seven-member Parks Board, all elected for three-year terms through an at-large system. Historically, in all levels of government, the more affluent west side of Vancouver has voted along conservative or centre-right lines while the eastern side of the city has voted along left-wing lines. This was reaffirmed with the results of the 2005 provincial election.

Politics

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 2005 Municipal Election elections, City Council swung back to the right after a term dominated by the leftist Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE). Non-Partisan Association (NPA) mayoral candidate Sam Sullivan narrowly defeated Jim Green for the position of mayor and was joined by 5 of his party's members on Council. The centrist Vision Vancouver (VVN) brought 4 members to Council with the final seat going to COPE. The NPA also won 6 of 9 School Board seats and 5 of 7 Parks Board seats, while the remaining Board seats were won by COPE. Former Mayor Larry Campbell chose not to run for re-election and was subsequently appointed to the Senate of Canada. \t

In the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Vancouver has ten constituencies: in the 2005 provincial election, the BC Liberal Party and the BC New Democratic Party each won five seats.

In the Canadian House of Commons, Vancouver has five constituencies. In the 2004 federal elections, the Liberal Party of Canada won four seats and the New Democratic Party one. In the 2006 federal elections, all the same MPs were re-elected. However, on February 6, 2006, David Emerson of Vancouver Kingsway defected to the Conservative Party, giving the Conservatives one seat in Vancouver. As of February 2006, the Liberals hold three seats, and the NDP and the Conservatives hold one each.

The former mayor, Larry Campbell, came to office in 2002 in part because of his willingness to champion alternative interventions for drug issues, such as supervised injection sites. The city has adopted a Four Pillars Drug Strategy,Four Pillars Drug Strategy which combines harm reduction (e.g. needle exchanges, supervised injection sites) with treatment, enforcement, and prevention. The strategy is largely a response to the endemic HIV and hepatitis C among injection drug users in the city's Downtown Eastside neighbourhood. The area is characterized by entrenched poverty and consequently is home to the "low track" street sex trade and a bustling "open air" street drug market, which gave rise to a significant AIDS epidemic in the 1990s. Some community and professional groups — such as From Grief to Action[2] and Keeping the Door Open[3] — are fostering public dialogue in the city about further alternatives to current drug policies.

Law and order

While most of the Lower Mainland is policed by the RCMP's "E" Division, RCMP "E" Division's official website Vancouver has its own city police force (as do New Westminster, West Vancouver, Delta, and Port Moody), with a strength of 1174 sworn members and an operating budget of almost $150,000,000 (in 2005 figures).Beyond the Call: Vancouver Police Department Annual Report, 2005, 3; Vancouver Police Department Operating Results, 2005. Over 16% of the city's budget was spent on police protection in 2005.City of Vancouver, 2005 Annual Report, 31. The Vancouver Police has numerous operational divisions, including a bicycle squad, a marine squad, and a dog squad. It also has a mounted squad, used primarily to patrol Stanley Park and occasionally the Downtown Eastside and West End, as well as for crowd control.Mounted Squad: Patrol District One The police work in conjunction with civilian and volunteer run Community Police Centres.[4] In 2006, the police department established its own Counter Terrorism Unit, which led to speculation of a rift between the Vancouver Police and the RCMP because the latter normally handles national security matters.[5] Vancouver Police Board Meeting Minutes, 14 June 2006; [6] Mike Howell, "VPD's war on terror 'requires a lot of legwork,'" Vancouver Courier, 16 June 2006. In 2005, a new transit police force, the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority Police Service (GVTAPS), was established with full police powers.

Although it is technically illegal, Vancouver police generally do not arrest people for possessing small amounts of marijuana. In 2000 the Vancouver Police Department established a specialized drug squad, "Growbusters," to carry out an aggressive campaign against the city's estimated 4000 hydroponic marijuana growing operations (or grow-ops) in residential areas.[7] Vancouver Police Department's webpage describing its drug units; [8] CBC News, "Growbusters," 26 July 2000. As with other law enforcement campaigns targeting marijuana however, this initiative has been sharply criticized.[9] Mathew Burrows, "Who You Gonna Call?" The Republic, 21 February 2002.

As of 2005, Vancouver (CMA) had the fourth highest crime rate among all Canadian cities.Vancouver crime statistics. Statistics Canada. However, as with other Canadian cities, the over-all crime rate has been falling "dramatically."Chief Constable Jamie Graham, "What a Difference a Year Makes," Beyond the Call: Vancouver Police Department Annual Report, 2005, 1. and Vancouver crime statistics. Statistics Canada. Vancouver's property-crime rate is particularly high, ranking among the highest for major North American cities. But even property crime dropped 10.5% between 2004 and 2005, according the Vancouver Police.Beyond the Call: Vancouver Police Department Annual Report, 2005, 3.

Transportation

City councils, as part of a long term plan, prohibited the construction of freeways in the 1980s. Because of this, Vancouver passed Melbourne as the world's most livable city. The only major freeway within city limits is Highway 1, which passes through the eastern edge of the city.

TransLink, the Greater Vancouver Regional District transportation authority, is responsible for roads and public transportation within region. It provides bus service, B-Line Rapid Bus Service (2 of the 3 B-Lines run in Vancouver with 2 more B-Line's by 2008), a foot passenger and bicycle ferry service (known as SeaBus), a two-line automated metro system called SkyTrain, and the commuter rail West Coast Express. Future projects include the Canada Line, a commuter metro line will connect YVR (Vancouver International Airport) and the neighbooring municipality, Richmond together from Downtown in less than 26 min. (2009).

Inter-city passenger rail service is operated from Pacific Central Station by VIA Rail to points east; Amtrak Cascades to Seattle, Washington; and Rocky Mountaineer rail tour routes. The city is also served by two B.C. Ferries terminals. One is to the northwest at Horseshoe Bay, West Vancouver, and the other is to the south, at Tsawwassen (in Delta).

Vancouver is served by Vancouver International Airport (YVR), located on Sea Island in the City of Richmond, immediately south of Vancouver. Vancouver's airport is Canada's second busiest airport and the second largest gateway on the west coast of North America for international passengers. HeliJet and two float plane companies operate scheduled air service from Vancouver harbour.

Education

Vancouver is served by School District 39 Vancouver, the second largest school district in British Columbia.District Review Report, School District No. 39 Vancouver (PDF) As in other parts of the province, numerous independent schools are also eligible for provincial funding - including religious schools, non-denominational schools, and special-needs schools, nearly all of which also charge tuition. Also, Vancouver includes several elementary and secondary schools that are part of the province-wide CSF (Conseil Scolaire Francophone), the francophone public school district.

Vancouver is served by the Lower Mainland's two major public universities, the University of British Columbia (UBC) and Simon Fraser University (SFU). UBC and SFU have satellite campuses within the city, as does the British Columbia Institute of Technology which provides polytechnic education and grants degreess in several fields. Vancouver Community College and Langara College, along with other colleges in surrounding communities, provide career, trade, and university-transfer programs for Vancouver residents. Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design grants certificates, diplomas, and degrees in art and design.

Architecture

Notable buildings within the city include Christ Church Cathedral, the Hotel Vancouver, the Museum of Anthropology (Arthur Erickson, architect) at the University of British Columbia, and the Vancouver Art Gallery. There are several striking modern buildings in the downtown area, including the Vancouver Law Courts and surrounding plaza known as Robson Square (Arthur Erickson) and the Vancouver Library Square (Moshe Safdie, architect), reminiscent of the Colosseum in Rome. The original BC Hydro headquarters building at Nelson & Burrard Streets is a 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 Expo '86, which includes the Trade and Convention Centre; as well as a Cruise Ship Terminal and the Pan-Pacific Hotel. Two modern skyscrapers that define the skyline looking south are the city hall and the Centennial Pavilion of Vancouver Hospital, both by Townley and Matheson (1936 and 1958 respectively).

A collection of Edwardian buildings in the city's old downtown core were, in their day, the tallest buildings in the British Empire. These were, in succession, the Province Building, the Dominion Building (1907. both at Cambie & Hastings Streets), and the Sun Tower (1911) at Beatty and Pender Streets. The Sun Tower's cupola was finally exceeded as the Empire's tallest by the elaborate Art Deco-flavoured Marine Building in the 1920s. 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. Another famous Edwardian building in the city is the Vancouver Art Gallery building, designed by Francis Mawson Rattenbury who also designed the provincial Legislature and the original and highly decorative Hotel Vancouver (torn down after WWII as a condition of the completion of the new Hotel Vancouver a block away).

Topping the list of tallest buildings in Vancouver as of June 2006 is One Wall Centre at 150 m and 48 storeys, followed closely by the Shaw Tower at 149 m and 41 storeys.

Skyline

The View Protection Guidelines were approved in 1989 and amended in 1990, establishing view corridors in the downtown with height limits to protect views of the North Shore Mountains. These guidelines have succeeded in preserving mountain views, although some find Vancouver's skyline flat and lacking in visual interest. Many agree that there is a need for some taller buildings to reflect Vancouver's contemporary image, but others are concerned about proposals for much higher buildings. Many believe that the natural setting, and in particular, views of the North Shore Mountains, may be hindered as tall buildings grow in number. In response to these concerns, Council commissioned a "Skyline Study" in 1997.

The Skyline Study concluded that Vancouver's skyline would benefit from the addition of a handful of buildings exceeding current height limits, to add visual interest to Vancouver's skyline. This led to the General Policy on Higher Buildings. The study noted that the opportunities for such buildings were restricted due to a limited number of large development sites in the downtown. There were at least five sites identified where buildings exceeding the 450 foot height limit are possible and at least two sites in the northwest corner of the central business district where heights up to 400 feet (exceeding the 300 foot limit) might be considered..City of Vancouver Special Council Meeting Minutes - Downtown Vancouver Skyline Study, 7 and 23 April 1997; City of Vancouver, "General Policy for Higher Buildings," 6 May 1997. Eight years later, five of the seven identified sites for higher buildings have been developed or are in the development application process. The tallest of these new buildings is the Living Shangri-La hotel/residential tower, which when completed in 2007 will stand 197 m tall (61 storeys).http://www.skyscrapernews.com/news.php?ref=708 "Shangri Las Vancouver Classy Skyline Peak," from skyscrapernews.com [online], 31 August 2006.

Arts and culture

Theatre and the arts

Prominent theatre companies in Vancouver include the Arts Club Theatre Company, the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company, and Bard on the Beach. Smaller companies include Touchstone Theatre, Studio 58, Carousel Theatre, and the United Players of Vancouver. Theatre Under the Stars produces shows in the summer at Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park. In addition, Vancouver holds an annual Fringe Festival and International Film Festival.

Vancouver is the home to a number of museums and galleries. The Vancouver Art Gallery has a permanent collection of over 7,900 items and is the home of a significant number of works by Emily Carr. The Vancouver Maritime Museum is a nautical museum with the St. Roch, an historic arctic exploration ship, as its centrepiece. The Museum of Anthropology at UBC is a leading museum of Pacific Northwest Coast First Nations culture and the Vancouver Museum is the largest civic museum in Canada. More interactive museums include Science World and the Storyeum.

In 1986, Greater Vancouver’s cultural community created the Alliance for Arts and Culture to provide a strong voice for the sector and an avenue to work together. This coalition now numbers more than 320 arts groups and individuals. The Alliances mission is to, "strive towards an environment that recognizes, respects, and responds to the contribution our sector makes to society’s well-being."

Music

Vancouver is a major regional centre for the development of Canadian music. The city's musical contributions include performers of classical, folk and popular music.

The city played an important role in the development of punk rock, perhaps most famously including the band D.O.A, Nomeansno, and the industrial group Skinny Puppy. Other Vancouver bands who achieved stardom in London during the punk era were The Pointed Sticks, I, Braineater, U-J3RK5 (pronounced "you jerk": the five is silent), the Young Canadians (originally the K-Tels) and The Modernettes. Vancouver was also where the punk movie "Terminal City Ricochet" was filmed; the movie's name comes from a hockey team called the Terminal City Ricochets.

Mainstream pop music has featured bands and performers such as Prism, Trooper, Chilliwack, Econoline Crush, and Bryan Adams. Some music stars whose names were made "at large" have chosen Vancouver as their residence: Joni Mitchell, Sarah McLachlan,Jerry Doucette, Randy Bachman, Koko Taylor, Jim Byrnes and more.

Larger performances are usually held at venues such as GM Place, BC Place Stadium or the Pacific Coliseum, while smaller acts are held at places such as the Plaza of Nations, the Commodore Ballroom, the Orpheum Theatre and the Vogue Theatre.

Vancouver also hosts two significant annual music festivals. The International Folk Music Festival and the International Jazz Festival showcases music in their respective genres from around the world.

Vancouver is home to two professional orchestras: the CBC Radio Orchestra and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. It is also home to a major opera company, the Vancouver Opera, and numerous regional opera companies throughout the metropolitan area.

Vancouver's large Chinese population has a significant music scene, which 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.

Sports and recreation

The mild climate of the city and close proximity to ocean, mountains, rivers and lakes make the area a popular destination for outdoor recreation. Indeed, Vancouver has a low adult obesity rate of 12% compared to the Canadian average, 23%;Health Reports: Regional differences in obesity, Statistics Canada, 22 August 2006. but 51% of Vancouverites are overweight, making it the fourth thinnest city in Canada after Toronto, Montreal, and Halifax.

Vancouver has over 2,700 acres (11 km²) of parks, with Stanley Park being the largest. The municipality also has several large beaches, many flowing into each other, with the largest groups extending from the coast of Stanley Park before reaching False Creek, and on the other side of English Bay, starting in the Kitsilano neighbourhood all the way to the University Endowment Lands, which are separate from Vancouver. The 18 kilometres (11 miles) of beaches that surround Vancouver include English Bay (First Beach), Jericho, Kitsilano Beach, Locarno, Second Beach (Stanley Park), Spanish Bank East, Spanish Bank Extension, Spanish Bank West, Sunset, and Third Beach (Stanley Park). The coastline provides for many types of water sport, and the city is a popular destination for boating enthusiasts.

The nearby North Shore mountains are home to three ski hills - Cypress Bowl, Grouse Mountain, and Mount Seymour - each within 20 to 30 minutes of downtown Vancouver. Mountain bikers have created world-renowned trails across the North Shore. Three rivers - Capilano River, Lynn Creek, Seymour River - each within 20 minutes of downtown provide opportunities to white water enthusiasts during periods of rain and spring melt.

Nightlife in Vancouver had, for years, been seen as restricted in comparison to other cities, with early closing times for bars and night clubs, and a reluctance by authorities to allow for further development. However, in the past few years, Vancouver has experimented with later closing hours and relaxed regulations, and an effort has been made to develop the Downtown core even further as an entertainment district, especially on and around Granville Street.

Vancouver will be the host city for the 2010 Winter Olympics, and the 2009 World Police and Fire Games. Swangard Stadium, just across the city line in Burnaby, will host some games for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Professional sports teams

Club	Sport	League	Venue
Vancouver Canucks	Ice hockey	National Hockey League	General Motors Place
British Columbia Lions	Football	Canadian Football League	BC Place Stadium
Vancouver Canadians	Baseball (Single A Short Season)	Northwest League	Nat Bailey Stadium
Vancouver Giants	Ice hockey (Junior)	Western Hockey League	Pacific Coliseum
Vancouver Whitecaps	Soccer	United Soccer Leagues (men's) W-League (women's)	Swangard Stadium

Former Vancouver sports teams

Club	Sport	League	Venue	Status
Vancouver Grizzlies (1995—2001)	Basketball	National Basketball Association	General Motors Place	Memphis Grizzlies
Vancouver Millionaires (1911—26)	Ice hockey	Pacific Coast Hockey Association	Denman Arena	Defunct
Vancouver Ravens (2001—04)	Lacrosse	National Lacrosse League	General Motors Place	Defunct
Vancouver Voodoo (1993—96)	Roller hockey	Roller Hockey International	PNE Agrodome	Defunct

Media

Vancouver's two major English-language newspapers are The Vancouver Sun and The Province, both published by the Pacific Newspaper Group Inc. Other mainstream newspapers include the free 24 Hours, Metro, and the Vancouver Courier. Independent newspapers include The Georgia Straight and the West Ender. Television stations include CBC, Citytv, CTV, Channel M, and Global TV. Radio stations with news departments include CBC Radio One, CKNW, and CKWX.

Sister cities

The City of Vancouver was one of the first cities in Canada to enter into an international twinning arrangement. The City of Vancouver has created special arrangements for cultural, social and economic benefits with the following cities:

Odessa, Ukraine (1944) Yokohama, Japan (1965) Edinburgh, Scotland (1978)

Guangzhou, People's Republic of China (1985) Los Angeles, United States (1986)

Surrounding municipalities

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

• List of famous people in Vancouver
• Hongcouver (one of many nicknames for the city)

References

• Macdonald, B. 1992. Vancouver: a visual history. Vancouver: TALONBOOKS.
• Matthews, Maj. J.S. 'Skit'. Early Vancouver, Vancouver Archives (1937)
• Morley, Alan. Vancouver: From Milltown to Metropolis, Vancouver: MITCHELL PRESS (1961)