30 Interesting Facts About Vancouver

Facts About Vancouver

Facts About Vancouver

  • Vancouver’s cruise ship terminal is the 4th largest in the world.
  • Vancouver is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia.
  • The cosmetic treatment Botox was invented in Vancouver.
  • Vancouver has the highest population density in Canada, with over 5,400 people per square kilometre.
  • Vancouver is consistently named as one of the top five worldwide cities for livability and quality of life, and the Economist Intelligence Unit acknowledged it as the first city ranked among the top ten of the world’s most well-living cities for ten consecutive years.
  • The world’s largest tin soldier is located in the city of New Westminster, in the Vancouver Metropolitan area.
  • Vancouver was originally named Gastown and began as a settlement that grew around the site of a makeshift tavern on the western edges of Hastings Mill that was built on July 1, 1867, and owned by proprietor Gassy Jack.
  • The Port of Vancouver is the largest port in Canada and the third-largest in North America.
  • The city takes its name from George Vancouver, who explored the inner harbour of Burrard Inlet in 1792 and gave various places British names. The family name “Vancouver” itself originates from the Dutch “van Coevorden”, denoting somebody from the city of Coevorden, Netherlands.
  • Vancouver is also called “Hollywood of the North”. In North America, the city comes second after Los Angeles in TV production and third in feature film production, after Los Angeles and New York.
  • Vancouver hosted the 5th British Empire and Commonwealth Games.
  • Archaeological records indicate that Aboriginal people were already living in the “Vancouver” area from 8,000 to 10,000 years ago.
  • The City of Vancouver was incorporated on April 6, 1886, the same year that the first transcontinental train arrived.
  • The area was not settled by Europeans until 1862.
  • In 2011, Vancouver celebrates its 125th birthday with a year-long party of events and performances taking place throughout the city.
  • 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 km2, including both flat and hilly ground and is in the Pacific Time Zone (UTC−8) and the Pacific Maritime Ecozone.
  • BC Place, the soccer stadium, has the largest retractable roof in the world with 7500 sq.
  • The Estimated Population of Vancouver is 675,218.
  • Vancouver was one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities in Canada; 52% of its residents have a first language other than English. Vancouver is classed as a Beta global city.
  • In 1826 an apple tree was planted at Fort Vancouver and this tree is considered the oldest apple bearing tree in the North West Region.
  • Greenpeace started in Vancouver.
  • The Lionsgate Bridge was originally built by the Guinness Family to access their development, the British Properties.
  • Vancouver is home to Canada’s longest pool. Kits Pool is the city’s only saltwater pool and is located in the Kitsilano neighbourhood. The lanes stretch 137 meters, which is almost 3 times as long as an Olympic pool.
  • The highest point in Vancouver is 152 meters (501 feet) above sea level and the lowest point is the sea level.
  • Vancouver has one of the largest urban parks in North America, Stanley Park, which covers 404.9 ha.
  • The highest temperature ever recorded at the airport was 34.4 °C set on July 30, 2009, and the highest temperature ever recorded within the city of Vancouver was 35.0 °C occurring first on July 31, 1965, again on August 8, 1981, and finally on May 29, 1983.
  • the City of Vancouver was one of the first cities in Canada to enter into an international sister cities arrangement. Vancouver is twinned with Odessa, Ukraine; Yokohama, Japan; Edinburgh, Scotland; Guangzhou, China & Los Angeles, United States of America. 
  • Vancouver has played host to the 2010 Winter Olympics and the Expo’86 World Fair.
  • The coldest temperature ever recorded in the city was −17.8 °C on January 14, 1950, and again on December 29, 1968.
Facts About Vancouver
Facts About Vancouver