Beautiful Vancouver!
Located on Canada's west coast, nestled between rugged Coast Mountain Range and the Pacific Ocean, Vancouver offers an exciting blend of cosmopolitan amenities, natural beauty and cultural attractions.
As the largest city in the province of British Columbia, the Metro Vancouver region is home to more than two million people in 21 municipalities, making it the third largest metropolitan area in Canada.
Vancouver is consistently rated among the most beautiful cities in the world, and has recently been appointed co-host of the 2010 Winter Olympics. With a spectacular natural setting, bordered by mountains, ocean and Stanley Park – 100 acres of majestic cedar, hemlock and fir trees – Vancouver is clean, green, safe, and friendly. It also boasts one of the mildest climates in Canada. This is one of the only cities in the world where you can ski, golf and kayak all in the same day.
A food-lovers dream with more restaurants, a wider selection of ethnic cuisine, and better prices than any comparably sized city in the world, Vancouver also offers world class shopping, attractions, arts and entertainment.
History of Vancouver
The region has been inhabited for thousands of years by Aboriginal peoples, including the Bella Coola, Haida, Kwakiutl, Nootka, Salish and Tsimshian.
The west coast was first explored by Europeans in the 1770s and 1780s. Captain George Vancouver, an English explorer, sailed into Burrard Inlet in 1792 while searching for the legendary Northwest Passage. Fur traders followed, and in 1858 prospectors came in search of gold on the tributaries of the Fraser River. Rapid settlement ensued and the City of Vancouver was incorporated in 1886.
Local Attractions
Read, below, about these local attractions:
Stanley Park
Granville Island
Historic Chinatown
Gastown
Museum of Anthropology
Vancouver Art Gallery
Robson Street
Yaletown
Stanley Park
Take a stroll through Vancouver's beautiful Stanley Park, the largest city park in Canada, located on the northwest tip of downtown Vancouver. Stanley Park offers hundreds of acres of lush green forest, pristine lakes and grassy meadows. Described by one local writer as a "thousand-acre therapeutic couch", it began as a military reserve established in the mid-1800s to guard the entrance to Vancouver Harbor.
Today, take a walk around the Sea Wall, or visit the Vancouver Aquarium. Stanley Park also offers some of the best beaches in the Vancouver area, perfect for lounging in the sand, or taking a cold dip in the Pacific Ocean.
At nine o'clock every evening, if you stop and listen, you may be able to hear the Nine O' Clock Gun being fired in Stanley Park. This gun, a loud old English sea cannon, was placed in the park just over 100 years ago. Originally, it was fired off to remind local fisherman of fishing time limits. Now, it's used as a time signal and has become a Vancouver tradition.
For more information, visit www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/parks/parks/stanley
Granville Island
Granville Island is the place to spend a leisurely afternoon. Part farmers market, part artist studio and part magnet for the creative and flamboyant ‚ it's one of the busiest spots in Vancouver.
Stroll through the narrow streets and explore art-in-the-making, or relax on a patio and enjoy any variety of great food. Run through the cool spray at the children's Water Park, or take in a lively theatrical show. Breathe in the aroma of fresh food, shop 'til you drop, or just sit back and enjoy the view.
Experience the intertwined wonders of culture, food, history and fun, all smack dab in the middle of the city. This is Granville Island.
For more information, visit
www.granville-island.net
Historic Chinatown
Vancouver's Historic Chinatown tops the list as one of North America's cleanest modern day Chinatowns. Universally appealing to visitors, artists and people of all nationalities, where one can sample world-renowned Chinese delicacies and savor the rich ethnicity of a culture that has surpassed generations. Chinatown fascinates with its' striking collection of designated heritage buildings and tales that unfold the drama and link to the life of early Chinese pioneers.
While there, check out the world's thinnest office building on the corner of Pender and Carrall streets. Built in 1913 and currently occupied by a regular operating business, the Sam Kee Building is only 1.8 meters (six feet) wide. Needless to say, they can't have too many employees working at the same time!
For more information, visit
www.vancouver-chinatown.com
Gastown
The Gastown area of Vancouver was named for a talkative Yorkshire-born saloon owner, John Deighton, nicknamed Gassy Jack. Gassy Jack showed up in 1867 with a barrel of whisky on the south shore of Burrard Inlet, and told the mill workers there they could have all the whisky they could drink if they helped him build his saloon‚ which they did. It only took 24 hours.
During the Great Fire of 1886, almost all of the buildings in Gastown were destroyed, except the Regina Hotel. Gastown was rebuilt, and declared a heritage zone in 1971. Today's Gastown offers historic buildings, shopping, coffee bars, and eclectic dining. You can also hear the Gastown Steam Clock whistle every hour on the hour. It is the only one of its kind in the world.
For more information, visit
www.virtualvancouver.com/gastown.html
Museum of Anthropology
Located on the campus of the University of British Columbia and housed in a spectacular building overlooking mountains and sea, the Museum enjoys an international reputation for excellence in research, teaching, collections management, exhibitions, and programming.
The Museum of Anthropology houses ethnographic materials and the UBC Laboratory of Archaeology's archaeological materials. There are some 30,000 ethnographic objects and 200,000 archaeological objects in these collections. The ethnographic objects derive from many parts of the world, including the South Pacific, Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. Permanent exhibits emphasize the First Nations of coastal B.C., from whom almost half of the collections originate.
For more information, visit
www.moa.ubc.ca
Vancouver Art Gallery
The Vancouver Art Gallery, the largest art gallery in western Canada, presents national and international exhibitions of works by a range of artists, groundbreaking contemporary visionaries to historical masters. Founded in 1931, the Gallery has more than 7,900 works in its collection, valued at over $100 million.
The Gallery is internationally known for one of its most important holdings: more than 200 major works by the British Columbia artist Emily Carr, the world’s most significant collection of Carr’s work.
For more information, visit www.vanartgallery.bc.ca
Robson Street
This unique street was named after John Robson, Premier of British Columbia from 1889-1892. Its commercial traditions date from 1895 when train tracks were laid along it, and a wide variety of small shops sprang up to serve Vancouver's rapidly growing population.
In the post World War II era, Robson Street evolved into 'Robsonstrasse', a reflection of the European shopkeepers who operated the many small delicatessens, patisseries, and chic boutiques that populated the street.
In modern times, as its popularity has soared, the character of Robson Street has continued to evolve. 'Robsonstrasse' has passed into history, but the eclectic mix of shops and restaurants has become even stronger and more appealing. Today, one finds along Robson fine dining, premier fashion stores and services, and an opportunity to 'people watch' as the world shops the street.
For more information, visit
www.robsonstreet.ca
Yaletown
Vancouver's Yaletown has a rich history‚ first as CPR rail yards and repair facilities in the 19th century, then as Vancouver's warehouse district in the early 20th century. Today, Yaletown is developing into a trendy, fashionable area to shop, dine or explore.
The four blocks that make up Yaletown are home to a myriad of services, including architectural, accounting, and consulting firms, law offices, high tech companies, galleries, hair salons, home furnishing stores, cafés, fashionable boutiques and high end restaurants. Yaletown is a rich neighborhood coming into its own in the 21st century.
For more information, visit www.yaletowninfo.com
