| The population of the city of
Vancouver is
611,869 and the population of Metro
Vancouver is
2,249,725 (2007 estimate). This makes it the largest
metropolitan area in Western Canada and the third largest in the
country.
Vancouver is
ethnically diverse, with 52% of city residents[4][5] and 43% of
Metro residents having a first language other than English.
Population density is fourth highest for a major city on the
continent after New York City, San Francisco, and Mexico City.
Vancouver was
first settled in the 1860s as a result of immigration caused by the
Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, particularly from the United States,
although many immigrants did not remain after the rush. The city
developed rapidly from a small lumber mill town into a metropolitan
center following the arrival of the transcontinental railway in
1887. The Port of
Vancouver became
internationally significant after the completion of the Panama
Canal, which reduced freight rates in the 1920s and made it viable
to ship export-bound prairie grain west through Vancouver.[8] It has
since become the busiest seaport in Canada, and exports more cargo
than any other port in North America.
|
