| 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.
Vancouver is
consistently ranked one of the three most livable cities in the
world. According to a 2007 report by Mercer Human Resource
Consulting for example,
Vancouver tied
with Vienna as having the third highest quality of living in the
world, after Zürich and Geneva. In 2007, according to Forbes,
Vancouver had
the 6th most overpriced real estate market in the world and second
in North America after Los Angeles. In 2007,
Vancouver was
ranked Canada's second most expensive city to live after Toronto and
the 89th most expensive globally, and, in 2006, the 56th most
expensive city in which to live among 143 major cities in the world;
in the same survey, Zurich and Geneva were ranked as the ninth and
seventh most expensive, respectively.In 2007,
Vancouver was
ranked as the 10th cleanest city in the world.
The economy of
Vancouver has
traditionally relied on British Columbia's resource sectors:
forestry, mining, fishing and agriculture. It has diversified over
time, however, and Vancouver today has a vibrant service industry, a
growing tourism industry, and it has become the third-largest film
production centre in North America after Los Angeles and New York
City, earning it the nickname Hollywood North.
Vancouver has
had an expansion in high-tech industries, most notably video game
development. |
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