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Vancouver redirects here. Not to be confused with the smaller Vancouver, Washington, USA, suburb of Portland, Oregon. For more uses see Vancouver (disambiguation)
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The Native peoples of the Northwest Coast achieved a very high a level of cultural complexity for a food gathering base. As Bruce Macdonald notes in Vancouver: a visual history: "Their economic system encouraged hard work, the accumulation of wealth and status and the redistribution of wealth..." Winter villages, in what is now known as Vancouver, were comprised of large plankhouses made of cedar. Gatherings called potlatches were common in the summer and winter months when the spirit powers were active. These ceremonies were an important part of the social and spiritual life of the people.
Spanish Captain Jose Maria Narvaez was the first European to explore the Strait of Georgia in 1791. In the following year, 1792, the British naval Captain George Vancouver (1757-1798) from King's Lynn in Norfolk joined the Spanish expedition based at Nootka Sound on Vancouver Island's west coast and further explored the Strait of Georgia, as well as Puget Sound.
Lumbering was the early industry along Burrard Inlet, now the site of Vancouver's port. The first sawmill began operating in 1863 at Moodyville (in 1915, renamed "North Vancouver"). The first export of lumber took place in 1865; this lumber was shipped to Australia. By 1865 the first sawmill, Stamp's Mill, started in what was to become the City of Vancouver.
In 1870, the colonial government of British Columbia surveyed the community officially known as Granville. It was sited immediately west of Stamp's Mill and commonly known as Gastown, a name that survives today.
In 1885 Granville was selected by the Canadian Pacific Railway to be the western terminus of the transcontinental railway commissioned by the government of Canada under the leadership of Prime Minister Sir John A. MacDonald. (This led to Vancouver's infrequently used nickname, Terminal City). The CPR selected the new name "Vancouver", in part because the existence of Vancouver Island nearby would help identify the location to easterners. On April 6, 1886, the city was incorporated under that name; the first regular transcontinental train from Montreal arrived at a temporary terminus at Port Moody in July 1886, and service to Vancouver itself began in May 1887.
With the arrival of the railway, Vancouver began to grow rapidly due to access to Canadian markets. Additionally, as part of the agreement to join the Confederation, British Columbia's debt of approximately $1,000,000 was paid in full by the Canadian government, creating additional business opportunities.
Vancouver can be an expensive city, as housing prices are among the highest in Canada. Various strategies aim to lessen housing costs. These include cooperative housing, suites, increased density and smart growth. Nevertheless, as with many other cities on the west coast of North America, homelessness is a concern, as is the growing gulf between rich and poor. A major problem neighbourhood in Vancouver is the Downtown Eastside, with its poor and displaced populations, high substance abuse and crime.
Vancouver has many progressive elements, including a bustling music and art scene and innovative approaches to drug-related harm. The Four Pillars Drug Strategy combines harm reduction (needle exchanges, safe injection sites) with prevention, treatment and enforcement. Marijuana laws are generally unenforced within the city region allowing several "marijuana cafes" to open, earning it the name the Amsterdam of the North.
"Hollywood North," as the city has been called, typically hosts 10% of Hollywood's movies. Many American television series are filmed exclusively in Vancouver.
Tourism is a vital industry in Vancouver. Whistler, BC, 126 kilometres north of Vancouver, has often been designated as having the best skiing mountains in North America. Grouse Mountain, Mount Seymour and Cypress Mountain, each with a variety of summer and winter sports, are within thirty minutes drive of downtown Vancouver. The city's beaches, parks, waterfront and mountain backdrop, combined with its cultural and multi-ethnic character, all contribute to its unique appeal.
In an International Olympic Committee meeting in Prague, Czech Republic, in July 2003, Vancouver received (along with Whistler) the right to host the 2010 Winter Olympics. Vancouver was also the site of the 1986 World Exposition.
There is an extensive network of bike paths that provide east/west and north/south routes from one end of the city to the other. Each of the major bike paths has signal control to permit cyclists easy crossing of major arteries.
Municipal bylaws and geography have protected Vancouver from the spread of urban freeways, and the only freeway within city limits is Highway 1, which passes through the eastern edge of the city.
Vancouver is served by Vancouver International Airport, located on Sea Island in Richmond. The airport is one of the busiest on the West Coast. A heliport and seaplane dock on Burrard Inlet link downtown directly to Victoria. Vancouver is also served by two B.C. Ferry terminals, one to the northwest near the village of Horseshoe Bay, and one to the south, at Tsawwassen, linking the city to Vancouver Island and other nearby islands.
Neighbourhoods of interest within the city include:
List of Mayors of Vancouver
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, housing, transportation and regional parks.
| North: West Vancouver | North Vancouver |
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| West: Strait of Georgia | Vancouver | East: Burnaby |
| South: Richmond |
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