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Vancouver

About

  • Vancouver is a seaport city located in Western Canada, in the province of British Columbia.
  • It is the most populated city in Vancouver, with just over 2.5 million residents.
  • Vancouver is one of the most diverse and multicultural cities in Canada, where over half the residents speak a first language other than English.
  • Almost a third of the residents are of Chinese origin, and 48.9% speak neither English or French as their first language.
  • Vancouver is continuously ranked amongst the top five cities in the world for livability and quality of life, for five consecutive years.
  • Vancouver is renowned for hosting several international events, such as the Commonwealth Games in 1954, the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, UN Habitat 1, Expo 86, APEC Canada 1997, and more.
  • Vancouver plans to become the greenest world city by 2020.
  • In 2014, Vancouver became the permanent home to Ted X Conferences.
  • Originally, Vancouver was known as “ Gastown”, based on the original owner of the city, Gassy Jack.
  • Vancouver's natural seaport has made it a vital trade link between East Asia, the Asia-Pacific, Europe, and Eastern Canada.
  • The biggest industry in Vancouver is forestry, followed by tourism, and film. Vancouver is one of the biggest film production centres in North America, due to the large number of major film production studios located throughout the city, receiving the nickname “Hollywood North”.
  • Vancouver is hailed as both a popular tourist attraction, and one of the best places to live with its friendly people, mild climate and scenic views.
  • Although many people associate Canada with cold weather, Vancouver isn't cold; It is wet. Infact, on average it rains 170 days of the year, with 60-100 inches of rainfall.
  • Vancouver is only behind Vienna and Melbourne in the world's most liveable city rankings, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit, due to its safety, healthcare, education, infrastructure, and environment.
  • Vancouver offers some of the greatest scenery, from creeks, to inlets, beaches, waterfalls, snow-capped mountain ranges, forests, parks and gardens.
  • Some of the must-see attractions and sites around Vancouver includes Stanley park, Granville Island, Grouse Mountain, Museum of Anthropology, Kitsilano Beach, Chinatown, English Bay, Capilano Suspension Bridge, Robson Street, Museum of Vancouver, Queen Elizabeth Park, and many more
  • Vancouver is made up of diverse wildlife, from grizzly bears,grey whales, orcas, sea otters, bald eagles, to the marbled murrelet.
  • For those that love skiing, Vacouver provides plenty of opportunities, from Cypress, Moutain, Grouse Mountain, Mount Seymoure, Blackcomb, to Whistler ski resort.

Demography

The current population of Vancouver is 2.5 million and is the most densely populated city in the country with over 5,249 people per square kilometre. Since 1980, the immigration numbers into Vancouver have continued to rise, making it one of the most ethnically diverse world cities.

The ethnic breakdown of the Vancouver population is:

  • 42% White
  • 27.7% Chinese
  • 6% South Asian
  • 6% Filipino
  • 3% Southeast Asian
  • 1.7% Japanese
  • 1.6% Latin American
  • 1.5% Korean
  • 2% Aboriginal
  • 2% other minorities

Geography

  • Vancouver is a coastal seaport located on mainland British Columbia, on the western end of the Burrard Peninsula. Vancouver is bordered by English Bay to the North, the Burrard Inlet and Fraser River to the south, and the Strait of Georgia and Burnaby to the West.
  • Vancouver is a region where snow-capped mountains meet the ocean.
  • The total land area of Vancouver is 114 square kilometres.
  • At 152 metres above sea level, Queen Elizabeth Park is the highest point in Vancouver, and offers sweeping views of the city, park and Northshore mountains.
  • Vancouver has one of North America's biggest urban parks; Stanley Park, covering a total of 404.9 hectares.

Culture

  • Theatre is a very prominent part of the Vancouver culture with popular theatre companies like thr Arts Club Theatre Company, The Bard on the Beach, Touchstone Thatre, Studio 58, The Cultch, Firehall Arts Centre, and Theatre Under the stars among many others.
  • Annual festivals held in the city includes the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, and the Vancouver Fringe festival.
  • The Scotiabank Dance Centre, operates as a performance venue for dancers and choreographers in Vancouver
  • The Vancouver International Film Festival, which runs for two weeks in September, shows 350+ films and is regarded as the largest film festival in North America.
  • The Vancouver Art Gallery has over 10,000 items, and home to prominent artworks by Emily Carr. Other popular galleries include the Contemporary Art Gallery, Morris and Helen Beljin Art Gallery, Vancouver Maritime Museum, MacMillan Space Centre, The Museum of Anthopology, and Science World.
  • The Symphony Orchestra in Vancouver is the professional orchestra in the city, and is home to renowned composes like Rodney Sharman, Jeffrey Ryan, and Jocelyn Morloc.
  • In terms of unique Vancuver cuisine, the city is known for popular foods such as the Japadog, British Columbia signature sushi rolls, Salmon candy, Spot prawns, west coast oysters, poutine, nanaimo bars, Bannock, and smoked BC salmon.
  • If you are a hockey fan and follow the NHL, then you would most certainly have heard of the Vancouver Canucks. Other popular sports in Vancouver is majorleague soccer, skiing, icehockey, lacrosse, and football.

Climate

  • The climate in Vancouver can be described as a moderate Oceanic. It is cool and humid with mild, rain-filled winters, and cool, sunny summers. The west coast of Vancouver is the only part of Canada where the average temperature is at 0 degrees Celsius, even during winter. As it is shielded by the mountains and the Pacific Ocean currents, Vancouver is one of the warmest of all Canadian cities.
  • The average temperatures in summer is between 12 -22 degrees Celsius, Winter is between 1 – 6 degrees Celsius, spring is between 6-17 degrees Celsius, and Autumn is between 3-19 degrees Celsius.
  • The precipitation levels in Vancouver is quite high, receiving approximately 1,200 mm per year. The mountainous areas in the northern suburbs experience about 1,600 mm a year. Precipitation mostly occurs from November to March, with summer months (June- August) being the driest.
  • Snow falls about 9 days of the year in Vancouver, with average of 38.1 cm.
  • Although Vancouver experiences plenty of sunshine during the summer, in Autumn and winter, the city experiences sparse amounts of sunlight.
  • The best time to visit Vancouver is between May to September. July and August are the best months, as it is the warmest and driest months of the year.
  • Winter (December to February): the are quite mild compared to other parts of Canada, with frequent rain, and on occasion, fog. The coldest temperatures during this time are between 6-8 degrees celsius. During winter, residents can enjoy skiing in the several ski resorts around the city, including in Mount Seymour, Grouse Mountain, and the Coast Mountains.
  • Spring (March to May) – althugh Spring initially starts off as cool, it becomes milder, and sunny days become more frequent.
  • Summer (June to August): is cool, and has several consecutive days of sunshine. However there are also occasional periods of rain, with cloudy skies, and cool temperatures.
  • Autumn (September to November): is mild and pleasant in the first few months, but by Novemeber it becomes colder and is accompanied by a lot of rainy days.

University Education

  • Each year, more than 10,000 international students from over 80 different nationalities choose to study in Vancouver, due to it being Canada's third largest city, offering a plethora of post-secondary study options for students.
  • Vancouver is home to several post-secondary education institutions, including five public universities, six private institutions, Community Colleges, Polytechnic University, as well as private and vocational institutions in the Metro Vancouver and surrounding areas; proving career, trade, and university transfer programs.
  • The public universities in Vancouver includes, University of British Columbia; ranked within the 40 best Word Universities, and 20 best public Universities, Simon Fraser University; ranked within the world's top 200 Universities, Capilano University, Emily Carr University of Art and Design, and Kwantlen Polytechnic University.
  • The six private education institutions includes, Trinity Western University, UOPX Canada, University of Canada West, NYIT Canada, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Columbia College, and Sprott Shaw College.
  • Community colleges in Vancouver includes the Langara College, and Douglas College. The British Columbia Institute of Technology is a Polytechnic, and the Vancouver Film School provides one-year courses in video game design and film production.

Some of the top reasons to study in Vancouver as an International student is as follows:

  • International Level Education Standards: Vancouver offers specializations in Bachelor, Master, and PHD programs, in both English and French languages. Education institutions in Vancouver offer courses in Digital Media, Technology, Engineering, Communication, Language, Business, Arts, Medicine, Law, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and more.
  • Diverse Work opportunities: The technology sector in Vancouver provides opportunities for recent graduates for jobs in areas such as Software Development, Biotechnology, Aerospace, and Video Game Development. Jobs in the film industry, television production, and animation studios is also common.
  • An Entertainment Capital: Vancouver offers residents vibrant entertainment options, from a range of theatres, night clubs, art galleries, music festivals, parks, opera, to much more.
  • Great Weather: compared to bigger cities like Montreal and Toronto, Vancouver experiences relatively milder weather, with lower summer temperatures (28-32 degrees Celsius) and moderate winters.
  • Low Living Costs: Compared with several others major cities in Canada, living costs in Vancouver are significantly lower, such as accommodation costs, tuition fees, rent, and public transport.

Key Industries

Key performing industries in the Vancouver economy includes:

  • Being a seaport, Vancouver is one of the largest industrial centres in Canada. It is also home to forest products and mining companies.
  • The Vancouver Port is the largest and most diversified port in Canada, and trades with over 160 different trading economies each year, making more than $172 billion in trade. Trading activities alone contributes $9.7 billion in GDP, and $20.3 billion in economic output. It is also one of North America's busiest, in terms of foreign cargo, exporting more than 64 million metric tons each year.
  • The harbour is the leading dry-cargo port in the Pacific coast, and is known for shipping products, including grain, coal, potash, sulfur, asbestos, metals, wood and wood by-products.
  • Vancouver has a strong focus on lifestyle and health, making it a hub for several lifestyle brands such as Kit and Ace, Herschel Supply Co, Mountain Equipment Co-op, Nature's Path Foods, and Reigning Champ.
  • The city is North America's third biggest film and production centre, hosting over 65 movies and 55 tv series each year, providing 20,000 + jobs.
  • Due to Vancouver's spectacular scenery and landmarks, in recent years it has become a top tourist destination, with over 10.3 million visitors each year. Annually the tourism sector provides over 70,000 jobs, and contributes $4.8 billion to the Vancouver economy.
  • The hosting of the Winter Olympics in 2010, and the 1986 World exposition contributed greatly to the economic development of the city, bringing in millions of visitors. Popular infrastructure such as The SkyTrain public transit system and Canada Place were built as part of the world expo.
  • The dominant resource-based industries in Vancouver are the Forestry, Fishing, and Mining industries.
  • In recent years, Vancouver has become a primary hub for software development, biotechnlogy, aerospace, video game development, animation, television, and film industry.