Vancouver and the BC Lower Mainland

Vancouver, British Columbia is a bustling city located along the western coastline. Vancouver is named for a British explorer who stumbled upon the area around 1790. The word Vancouver began from the Dutch van Coevorden meaning of Coevorden referring to a resident of Coevordena city in the Netherlands.



Just after the development of sawmills in 1867, Vancouver began to develop in industry. The city was built around the locale known as Gastown. The city was officially incorporated in 1886 and began to increase rapidly with the transcontinental railway being built to link with the seaport. Essential trading took place as a result of the seaport, providing links to London, the Orient and Eastern Canada. At present Vancouver's seaport is the largest and busiest port in Canada.

Vancouver is known for its urban, ethnic and contemporary culture. Nicknamed Hollywood North, the city also presents a strong and popular film industry. Vancouver is also no stranger to playing host to international events such as the Commonwealth Games (1954), the World Exposition (1986) and most recently the Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games (2010).

Geography
The city is located directly on the Fraser River and the Burrard Peninsula. Rolling hillsides and flat ground make up the city area of 114 square km or 44 square miles. Vancouver and Bowen Island can be seen on clear days west of the city together with the Northshore Mountains. Mount Baker, a snow-capped volcano, found in Washington State can be seen on clear days to the southeast. Vancouver is adjacent to the Strait of Georgia and also the Pacific Ocean. Another dominant geographic city feature is Stanley Park. The park spans 404.9 hectares (1001 acres) providing a breathtaking woodland in the city. Stanley Park is one of the largest urban parks in North America. The park features dining facilities, attractions, trails, the Seawall and beautiful 150 year old forested space.

The moderate environment of the city allows for many rain forest type species to flourish. Cedars, alders, maples, Douglas firs and various exotic species of trees can be spotted throughout the city and especially in Stanley Park.

Climate
Vancouver's environment is Oceanic and temperate. The average high temperatures during the summer are 72?F. The city usually receives little moisture during July and August, experiencing drought-like conditions. On July 30, 2009, Vancouver documented its highest temperature at 34.4 C. During the winter months the weather is wet with average rainfall of 1,199 millimetres (47.2 in) annually of rainfall and an average snow of 48.2 centimetres (19.0 in) that typically does not remain intact. Typically, Vancouver just experiences a few days a year where temperatures reach below freezing and rarely reach lower than -10 C (14.0 F).


Demographic Info
Many people categories are represented in the city of Vancouver. Areas of the city such as Little Italy, Greektown, and Chinatown make up a city of neighbourhoods. In the town center core, Vancouver also has a large gay community represented in Canada's largest gay pride parade yearly. It was not long ago reported in the census (2006) that more than half the population does not cite English as their first language. The city has a healthy Chinese representation with one third of Chinese origin. People of British, Irish and German descent are nonetheless some of the largest groups; however, Asian immigrants from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Philippines and other countries in that area have increased rapidly in the last few decades.