Vancouver video Vancouver hotel Vancouver pictures Vancouver info Vancouver photos Vancouver pics Vancouver resorts


Vancouver

Vancouver Information

Vancouver, Canada's gateway to the Pacific "and third largest city, is blessed with one of the most beautiful places in the world. Ocean and mountains surround the city and the expanse of tree-Park, within its borders.

Vancouver is also the anchor base for exploring the spectacular scenery of British Columbia, from the islands and fjords of the Pacific coast to the mountains of the interior, as in the southwestern corner of the province, where the Fraser Valley meets the Georgia Strait.

With the beauty of the natural environment and the role of city as a haven for former hippies and counter-culture types, it is not surprising that organizations such as Greenpeace and Adbusters sprang up here. Vancouver is also the commercial and cultural heart of Canada's west coast and a major convention and tourist destination.

Vancouver is often called the "Lotus Land" by other Canadians, as much for its temperate climate and for its reputation for a relaxed and natural way of life back. The city is proud of its casual clothing attitude, and the recreational options (sea kayaking, inline skating and mountain biking to snowboarding, skiing and winter camping) are part of what attracts millions of visitors to the city and the environment.

Downtown Vancouver, with its historic Gastown and trendy Yaletown areas, is located on the Burrard Peninsula, as well as the residential West End and Stanley Park with its dense cover of fir and cedar. The landmark Lions Gate Bridge connects the city with North Vancouver and the North Shore Mountains in Burrard Inlet. The town of the large Chinatown and the multicultural Commercial Drive area lie to the east, while False Creek and the vibrant public spaces on Granville Iceland separate Downtown from the larger part of the city to the south.

Vancouver many ethnic communities enliven the city with everything from excellent restaurants, a diverse program of cultural events. Numerous pathways follow the curves of the coast of Vancouver characteristic of many areas, such as Kitsilano and the West End, where pavement cafés and people watching are traditionally considered good form.

The Lower Mainland was originally home to various peoples "First Nations" (the Coast Salish linguistic group) when George Vancouver explored the area in 1792. In the 1820s, European settlers, a fur and salmon Trading Post in Fort Langley, east of present-day Vancouver.

Gold Rush in 1858 supports the local population, the city itself was a sawmill and the transcontinental railway terminus. The city was known as Granville for a while, but in 1886, was renamed in Vancouver.

For many of Vancouver's history, and also to a large extent today, the city of the economy has to a particular manufacturing industries (eg logging and mining) and transhipment of goods from rail terminus to ocean-going vessels.

Tourism is always a factor, especially after the success of Expo86 with the rising popularity of Alaskan cruises, from the Canada Place Terminal.

The international spotlight is increasingly Shine On Vancouver, along with Whistler, in the run-up to hosting the Olympic Winter Games 2010 and Paralympic Games. New S-Bahn lines and other civic projects to coincide with the event will be an already tourist-friendly city even more to the visitors.

Vancouver has a maritime climate with mild winters and warm summers that the city is green throughout the year. Although the winter rainy season may know, there are often long uninterrupted sunshine in the summer, when visitors come to see the natural beauty of the region. Snowfall is rare in the city, but it is more than adequate for the ski slopes in the mountains in the north.