Aviatrix Stunt Pilot Dorothy Hester Basil Airport Cover 1934 Signed Vancouver

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Seller: memorabilia111 ✉️ (808) 100%, Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan, US, Ships to: US & many other countries, Item: 176270372943 AVIATRIX STUNT PILOT DOROTHY HESTER BASIL AIRPORT COVER 1934 SIGNED VANCOUVER. 1934 AVIATRIX DOROTHY HESTER SIGNED BASIL'S AIRPORT DEDICATION COVER VANCOUVER, WASHINGTON WITH STAMP AND BLUE INK SIGNATURE OF DOROTHY HESTER DEDICATION "BASIL'S AIRPORT" A HAZEL DELL, ON PACIFIC HIGHWAY VANCOUVER, WN., APRIL 15, '34 BAIL DHANENS, OWNER - MGR. Dorothy Hester Hofer Stenzel was an American aviator and stunt pilot. She had a groundbreaking stunt aerobatics career, often performing as "Princess-Kick-a-Hole-in-the-Sky", and later opened her own flight school in Cornelius, Oregon.  
Dorothy learned to fly at the Rankin School of Flying in Portland, and was taught aerobatics by Tex Rankin. At age nineteen, she was given a new Great Lakes trainer by the factory to demonstrate nationally on tour. She set records for women of 62 consecutive outside loops judged perfect, and for men and women, of 56 inverted snap rolls. That record was still standing at the date of her inclusion in the Oregon Aviation Hall of Fame. “Dot” operated a flight school in Cornelius, Oregon. PORTLAND - Dorothy Hester Stenzel, a pioneer aviator known as ``Princess Kick a Hole in the Sky'' during her barnstorming days of the late 1920s and early 1930s, has died of lung cancer. Mrs. Stenzel, 80, died Feb. 25 in Bend, Ore. She was born Sept. 14, 1910, in Milwaukie, Ore. At 17, she took her first ride in an airplane and became fascinated with flying. She made her first parachute jump at a convention of the American Legion in Medford. J.G. ``Tex'' Rankin, a Portland stunt pilot, offered her a job making jumps at his weekly air show on Swan Island. She soon had earned enough to learn to fly. She mastered stunts in an OX-5 Waco 10 plane and became a prime attraction at Rankin's air shows, dazzling spectators with loops and snap rolls. She went barnstorming across the country with Rankin in 1931, giving exhibitions in 38 states during a three-month period in 1931, and set several world records. One of them - performing 56 inverted snap rolls - remains unbroken, a record for both men and women. A women's record of 62 perfect outside loops remained in place for nearly 60 years until 1989. She was made a life member of the Women's International Aeronautical Association in 1930, and was presented an airplane by the Great Lakes Aircraft Corp. in 1931. She opened her own flying school at the Rankin Airport in 1932, but grounded herself two years later to marry Robert D. Hofer. In 1980, she was inducted into the OX-5 Aviation Pioneers Hall of Fame, and was honored with a joint resolution by the 1985 Oregon Legislature ``for her courage, her determination and her achievements in aviation.'' The Seattle Museum of Flight named her to its Pathfinder Hall of Fame in 1989. Reminiscing in 1981, she said flying was less complicated in her day: ``You could go at any time you wanted, fly at any altitude and in any weather. They didn't have these charts (pilots) fly by now.'' Mrs. Stenzel divided her time between homes in Portland; Palm Desert, Calif.; and the Washington coast. Survivors include her second husband, Franklin H. Stenzel of Portland, daughters Sabine Ladd and Dorothy Vandehey, both of Fossil, Ore., and five grandchildren. A memorial service is pending. That Hazel Dell once almost was named Basilville is a tribute to a Belgian boy who arrived in this country broke and rose to become the most influential person in the community just north of Vancouver.Basil Dhanens landed in New York City June 10, 1913, a frightened 9-year-old orphan boy who could not speak a word of English. He traveled across country alone and arrived at Portland’s Union Station six days later with ” a dollar and a half, six inches of hard sausage, a piece of black bread and a bar of hard chocolate in my pocket.”The boy stayed with relatives in Portland, then moved with them to a Vancouver farm where he milked cows in the morning and spent afternoons trying to find a job. His first work was picking up nuts, bolts and washers at the SP&S railroad maintenance shop on 39th Street.He graduated to a lathe and learned the machinist’s trade. On April 1, 1923, Dhanens started one of Hazel Dell’s first businesses in a simple wooden building on the northeast corner of Pacific Highway (now Hazel Dell Avenue) and Poor Farm Road (now 78th Street). He called it Basil’s Garage.By the late 1920s, Dhanens had moved his shop to the southeast corner of what is now the intersection of 78th Street and Highway 99. He sold and serviced Ford automobiles and farm equipment. In an attached machine shop, he built his own biplane, which he flew in the early 1930s, taking off and landing on a strip adjacent to his business.Over the years, Dhanens built a regional reputation as an amateur weatherman with his own weather station, which featured a 50-foot tower. He went on the radio at noon each day with five minutes of weather information.Dhanens also drilled a 170-foot well on his property and ran a one-man water department, supplying water to nearby homes and across Highway 99 to the Totem Pole restaurant and service station. He operated the water department until the late 1950s, when the Clark County PUD took it over.Dhanens had such a great effect on the growth of Hazel Dell that local businessmen at one time wanted to change the name to Basilville. However, Dhanens declined the honor, with thanks.Dhanens died in 1972 at age 77. Hazel Dell is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Clark County, Washington, United States, located north and west of Vancouver. As of the 2010 census the population was 19,435.[1] Previous censuses divided the community into two areas, Hazel Dell North and Hazel Dell South. Contents 1 Geography 2 Municipal services 3 Parks 4 Schools 5 Toponymy and history 5.1 Hazel Dell Parade of Bands 5.2 Hazel Dell citizens 6 References Geography The area runs parallel to and is bisected by Interstate 5, with access from exits 4 and 5. The community is bounded by the Vancouver city limits on the south in the vicinity of Burnt Bridge Creek, Lake Shore to the west, Salmon Creek to the north, I-205/Barberton to the northeast, and Walnut Grove to the east. Vancouver Lake is a short distance to the west of the area, and the community of Minnehaha is to the southeast. According to the United States Census Bureau, the Hazel Dell CDP has a total area of 4.9 square miles (12.6 km2), of which 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2), or 0.27%, is water.[1] Much of Hazel Dell is occupied by businesses and working class homes, in well established neighborhoods. The main business portion follows NE Highway 99, just east of I-5, generally, from 63rd to 99th Street, with businesses east and west of Highway 99 on NE 78th and 99th streets. There are a few businesses and shopping centers on NE Hazel Dell Avenue, just west of I-5, scattered from 63rd to 99th Street. Hazel Dell's business and services include several retail, restaurant, and grocery chains, convenience stores, used car dealerships, auto parts stores, pawn shops, taverns, lounges and pubs, and motels, as well as many other franchise eateries, several banks and realty, medical and dental offices. Municipal services Law enforcement for the community of Hazel Dell is provided by the Clark County Sheriff's Office, and the local crime rate is typical for a neighborhood of its size and population density.[3] Fire Station 61 on Hazel Dell Avenue operates as part of Clark County Fire District 6 and provides fire-fighting services to Hazel Dell and neighboring communities.[4] Hazel Dell has its own sewer district as well. Parks Construction of Kate and Clarence LaLonde Neighborhood Park was to begin in early July 2010.[5] Hazel Dell Community Park is located at 2300 NE 68th Street. Developed in 2007, the Tenny Creek Neighborhood Park is located along NE 88th Street. Stockford Village Park 10504 NE 9th Ave Jorgenson Park NW 3rd Ave. / NW 70th St. Salmon Creek Park/ Klineline Pond 1112 NE 117th St. Schools Hazel Dell Elementary School is a kindergarten through 5th grade elementary school located at NE Hazel Dell avenue and Anderson road within the residential area of south Hazel Dell[6] and is part of the Vancouver School District. The school is home to the "Panthers". The current principal is Mychael Irwin.[7] Sacajawea Elementary School is a kindergarten through 5th grade elementary school located within a residential area of northwest Hazel Dell, and is part of the Vancouver School District. The school is home to the "Skyhawks".[8] Sarah J. Anderson Elementary School is a kindergarten through 5th grade elementary school located within a residential area of northeast Hazel Dell and is part of the Vancouver School District. The school is home to the "Pioneers".[9] The current principal is Katie Arkoosh.[10] Toponymy and history Oregon Country pioneers Reese and Sarah J. Anderson were Hazel Dell's first settlers. Sarah named the area after a stand of filberts on their land near what is today 78th Street and Highway 99. She also donated the land for the first school in Hazel Dell. The name "Bear Gulch" was briefly considered by the early Hazel Dell residents.[11] Hazel Dell and Minnehaha were two of the first suburban areas to be developed after World War II and were followed by Lake Shore, Felida, and Salmon Creek. Much of the housing boom in this area has subsided due to the increase of homes being built to the east of Vancouver, between Interstate 205 and Camas and Washington State Route 500/Fourth Plain Boulevard and the Columbia River. Until the early 1970s, it was not uncommon to see horses and dairy cattle at several points along Interstate 5 and Highway 99 where there are now shopping centers. Children during that time often made money for school clothes and summer activities by picking strawberries, raspberries, beans and other vegetables at several farms in the area. After new child labor laws went into effect restricting children under 12 from working, most farm owners turned to "direct to customer" U-pick. There are now only a few small acreage farms left in Hazel Dell and no dairies at all. Hazel Dell Parade of Bands Every third Saturday in May since 1964, Hazel Dell has hosted the "Parade of Bands". The parade route follows Hwy 99 North to 78th Street, west to Hazel Dell Avenue, south to 63rd Street and back to Highway 99. The parade was first organized and sponsored by Harvey Johnson and family who owned the now demolished Steakburger Drive-in restaurant on Highway 99.[12] Hazel Dell citizens Local business leaders once considered changing the name to "Basilville" in honor of enterprising merchant Basil Dhanens. With thanks, Dhanens declined the offer. He died in 1972.[13] Dorothy Hester Hofer Stenzel (September 14, 1910–February 25, 1991) was an American aviator and stunt pilot. She had a groundbreaking stunt aerobatics career, often performing as "Princess-Kick-a-Hole-in-the-Sky", and later opened her own flight school in Cornelius, Oregon.[1][2] Contents 1 Childhood 2 Pilot Training 3 Stunt Pilot Career 3.1 Early Performances 3.2 1930: Northwest Tour and First Outside Loop 3.3 1931: Outside Loop Record 3.4 1932: Flight Instructor 4 Marriage to Robert Hofer 5 Gravity Testing 6 Joann Osterud 7 Later Life 8 Recognition 9 References Childhood Stenzel was born in Milwaukie, Oregon, in 1910.[3] She attended Ardenwald Elementary School, St. Agatha School, and Milwaukie High School.[4] As a child, she remembered chasing after a hot-air balloon in an attempt to get a ride.[4] She was the second-youngest of five sisters.[5] Pilot Training A week before Stenzel turned seventeen,[5] she learned that she could get a plane ride near the Swan Island Municipal Airport in Portland.[4] She took a street car into Portland, then walked to a small airport "just south of Swan Island".[4] As she neared the airport, she began to run, afraid that "they were either going to crack up or run out of gas before I could get there."[6] She loved her plane ride, and remarked to the pilot, "If I was a boy, I'd certainly learn to fly!"[6] The pilot encouraged her to sign up for lessons, but the cost was prohibitively high.[6] To start flying lessons, which cost 25 dollars an hour (equivalent to $361 today.[7]), she would first have to pass a 250-dollar flight school ground course.[6] Stenzel learned that she could make 100 dollars by making a parachute jump, and asked Tex Rankin, head of the Rankin Flying School, if he would take her up.[8] After he declined, she found another pilot to carry her at an airshow in Medford, Oregon.[6] She was initially too frightened to jump and clung tightly to the wing of the plane.[6] After circling the jump site four times, Stenzel fell at last.[4] She believed the pilot had hit her hands with a fire extinguisher to get her loose.[6] Though she had been terrified before the jump, Stenzel recalled decades later that she had loved drifting down to earth.[4] However, when the incident was just two years behind her, she said that "I'll never do another one unless I have to."[9] When Rankin heard the story, he offered Stenzel four more parachuting jobs, which gave her enough money to enroll in the ground course.[6] However, when she graduated from the class, she discovered Rankin's mixed opinion of female aviators.[6] "He mentioned all the things the boys could do," she said, "and then he looked at me sitting in the front row and said, 'Oh, and the girls can work in the office.'"[6] Stenzel challenged him to ride alongside her and, in her words, "pick holes in my flying."[6] Rankin was impressed by her performance and began teaching her stunts.[6] She took lessons on weekends[10] and after working eight-hour shifts as inspector[8] at a wool mill.[11] According to Rankin, Stenzel spent her little remaining time "learning everything she could about airplanes, reading books, working on airplanes and motors".[11] One of her fellow students was Robert Dent Hofer, whom she later married.[12] Stunt Pilot Career Early Performances Stenzel became a popular feature in Rankin's weekly air shows.[6] Despite her newfound celebrity, she was shy in front of large crowds, and tried to avoid them.[6] "I'd get way down low and work in about their knees, [ending] up behind the crowd," she remembered.[6] Despite Stenzel's discomfort with crowds, she performed in front of 25,000 people at the 1930 Portland Rose Festival.[13] Stenzel was one of three female pilots in the show: the others were Mary Riddle and Edith Foltz.[13] During the same show, Tex Rankin unsuccessfully tried to fly an upside-down figure eight[13], a feat which Stenzel would achieve later that year.[14] 1930: Northwest Tour and First Outside Loop On June 22, 1930, Stenzel became the first woman to complete an upside-down outside spin.[15] After two failures, she took a two-hour break, then returned to the air and finished the stunt correctly.[15] One week later, on June 29, Stenzel became the first woman to complete an outside loop.[10] At sunset, with 3,000 spectators watching her, she flew to an elevation of 6,000 feet. After three failed attempts, she made five successful outside loops.[10] On her third, she dove "upside down for 3,000 feet" at nearly 200 miles per hour.[10] After Stenzel's fourth loop, Rankin claimed that "if she tries to better that one, she will have to do some flying."[10] Right after this declaration, Stenzel did yet another outside loop.[10] On July 29, Stenzel joined a fleet of fifty airplanes and embarked on a tour of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.[16] Edith Foltz seems to have been the only other female pilot on the tour.[11] Over less than two weeks, Stenzel performed stunts in twenty-two cities,[17] flying a yellow and red Great Lakes biplane with a 90 horsepower motor.[11] Her sister, Helen Hester[18], traveled with her[11]. In Springfield, Oregon, she performed outside loops, barrel rolls, "elephant rolls", and "almost every other kind of an aerial manuever" in front of 6,000 onlookers.[19] The Eugene Register claimed that after this performance, local security "had great difficulty in keeping the spectators from crowding forward and fully crushing her and her small machine."[11] The tour concluded on August 7.[16] After returning to Portland, Stenzel broke another record on September 21, when she became the first woman to complete an upside-down spiral and an upside-down figure eight.[14] On her first two attempts at the figure eight, her motor stalled before she could complete her second loop.[14] The third try, however, was a success.[14] Over the course of 1930, Stenzel performed in front of half a million people.[17] On November 29, the Women's International Association of Aeronautics awarded her a bracelet bearing their emblem.[17] The bracelet was given to her by Grace Hay Drummond-Hay, the first woman to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a zeppelin.[16] Stenzel belonged to Portland's chapter of the National Women's Aeronautic Association, which was led by Edna Christofferson and included noted pilot Edith Foltz. 1931: Outside Loop Record Stenzel practiced her flying daily over the winter,[20] and in February, traveled to California.[21] On February 22, she set the new women's record for outside loops, completing five in a row over the Grand Central Airport in Glendale.[21] On the same trip, Rankin completed 72 consecutive outside loops in 88 minutes.[22] In March, Stenzel set a new record, increasing to 23 consecutive outside loops at a benefit show for the Red Cross.[23] By May, Stenzel had developed several new maneuvers, including the "Hester roll", created by accident.[24] The Oregonian's aviation editor, Webster A. Jones, described it: "She places the plane in a vertical bank to the left, reverses suddenly into position, completes half of a snap roll to the right, and flies away upside down. In the air it looks like a question mark."[24] By this time, Stenzel could also complete "an outside loop, upside down spin, upside down figure eight, vertical rolls, double barrel rolls, slow aileron rolls, perpendicular whip stalls, 1 1/2 snap rolls, a 1 1/2 snap roll upside down, an upside down barrel roll, and several others."[24] In total, she could do 31 different stunts.[24] In May, Stenzel performed in the first annual Omaha Air Show in Nebraska.[25] She set yet another record by flying 69 consecutive outside loops, 62 of which were deemed perfectly rounded by observers from the National Aeronautic Association (NAA).[26] This record would remain unbroken by any woman for 57 years.[27] She had wanted to break Rankin's 72-loop record, but ran out of fuel before she could reach it.[20] Stenzel was laughing when she landed[28] and refused the ambulance that had been called for her.[20] Instead, she walked away for a 90-minute nap, then returned to perform more stunts.[20] Stenzel made 56 inverted snap rolls in a row[6], setting a new world record for both men and women.[29] Noted aviator Al Williams said of her performance: "There's a mere slip of a girl doing stunts that chiefs of the army and navy air units of the nation said could not be done a year ago and the maneuvers the greatest fliers in the world would not have attempted three years ago- and she is not doing it in a $30,000 military plane with a powerful motor, but she is doing it in a light, cheap airplane with a four-cylinder engine at only 90 horsepower."[30] Stenzel and Rankin flew to Cleveland, Ohio to receive a plane from the Great Lakes Aircraft Company.[12] It was presented to her by Robert Hofer[12] and the B.F. Goodrich Company.[6] The plane was designed specifically for Stenzel and meant to be flown upside down "with the same ease as in a normal position of flight."[31] Described as "trim, light-brown and crimson with crimson wings", it had a 90 horsepower motor and weighed less than 1,000 pounds.[32] After the ceremony, Rankin, Stenzel, and Hofer flew back west together.[12] Upon her return, she attended a reception in her honor, which was organized by the National Women's Aeronautic Association and drew 1,000 guests.[18] Stenzel was a key performer in the 1931 Portland Rose Festival[33] on June 12.[30] Before an audience of over 20,000 people, she did eleven stunts, including six never before completed by a female pilot.[33] After her performance in the Omaha Air Show, Stenzel was invited to the National Air Races in Cleveland, Ohio.[34] She was the first woman to perform stunts at a national air show[35] and the only pilot, male or female, to perform every day of the show.[36] During each performance, she flew for 15[31] to 30 minutes.[37] Also taking part in the races was Robert Hofer, Stenzel's former classmate.[36] Stenzel's act was sponsored by the B.F. Goodrich Company.[38] The races began on August 29th.[39] Stenzel hoped to break the men's record of 125 consecutive outside loops on Labor Day,[39] but was unsuccessful.[27] The Tennessean described a positive reaction to her flights: "She had the women at the races ga-ga every afternoon. She was the only woman stunt artist on the bill, and after watching men pilots go nuts with airplanes in the clouds for a couple of hours the women in the stands nearly applauded their heads off when Dorothy would put on her show."[37] In an interview after she landed, Stenzel explained her passion for flying. "Why do I love it- this risking my life? Because up there it's so free. Just think, in the sky nobody can tell you what to do. With a good plane there isn't anything you can't do."[38] 1932: Flight Instructor Stenzel received her transport pilot's license in 1932.[40] In April, Stenzel flew in the New Orleans Carnival of the Air.[41] Later that month, she performed in an air show to raise money for the Goodfellow employment bureau in Shreveport, Louisiana.[42] Stenzel became a flight instructor for the Union Avenue Flying Service, a flying school "and air taxi service" organized by Tex Rankin and his brothers Dudley and Richard.[40] Just one month after the flying service was announced in The Oregonian[40], Dudley Rankin died from injuries sustained while working on his plane.[43] On October 10, Rankin Field was dedicated in his honor: Stenzel and Tex Rankin both performed stunts at the ceremony.[44] Also in 1932, Stenzel founded her own flight school, which she operated for the next two years. Marriage to Robert Hofer Stenzel married Robert Dent Hofer on June 30, 1934.[12] The couple had two daughters, Sabine and Dorothy.[3] Stenzel quit flight instruction and stunt flying when she married. In 1981, she recalled that "I had watched other women try to carry on a business and be married, too, and decided that I wasn't smart enough to be a good wife and keep up that kind of flying."[6] The couple frequently traveled by plane,[45] and had their own airstrip outside their home in Banks, Oregon.[46] Gravity Testing Stenzel was the first woman to undergo the U.S. Navy's gravity test for pilots.[6] Although 6 G's of force was considered "rough", Stenzel was able to endure 8.6 G's.[6] Joann Osterud In 1984, Stenzel was guest of honor at the Creswell Air Fair in Creswell, Oregon.[47] There, she saw stunt pilot Joann Osterud fly, and asked her when she was going to try breaking Stenzel's outside loop record.[29] On July 13, 1989, Osterud completed 206 consecutive loops[29] at the North Bend, Oregon, Air Show,[27] also beating the men's record of 180 loops.[29] Stenzel came to the show to watch.[29] She said that "I've had my day, and I think it's time for someone to have theirs."[48] Later Life Stenzel flew less often in her later years, lamenting the stricter regulations on air travel and "preferring to spend time with her five grandchildren".[6] She remarried to Franklin H. Stenzel,[3] and spent her retirement in a house near Banks, Oregon.[6] She died of lung cancer on February 25, 1991, in a hospital in Bend, Oregon.[49] Recognition There is an archival collection about Stenzel at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington. The Oregon legislature passed a resolution in 1985 commending her "for her courage, her determination and her achievements in aviation."[50] Vancouver (/vænˈkuːvər/ (listen) van-KOO-vər) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. The Greater Vancouver area had a population of 2.6 million in 2021, making it the third-largest metropolitan area in Canada. Vancouver has the highest population density in Canada, with over 5,400 people per square kilometre.[7][8] Vancouver is one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities in Canada: 52 percent of its residents are not native English speakers,[9][10] 48.9 percent are native speakers of neither English nor French, and 50.6 percent of residents belong to visible minority groups.[11] Vancouver is one of the most livable cities in Canada and in the world.[12][13][14] In terms of housing affordability, Vancouver is also one of the most expensive cities in Canada and in the world.[15] Vancouver plans to become the greenest city in the world. Vancouverism is the city's urban planning design philosophy. Indigenous settlement of Vancouver began more than 10,000 years ago, and the city is on the traditional and unceded territories of the Squamish, Musqueam, and Tsleil-Waututh (Burrard) peoples. The beginnings of the modern city, which was originally named Gastown, grew around the site of a makeshift tavern on the western edges of Hastings Mill that was built on July 1, 1867, and owned by proprietor Gassy Jack. The original site is marked by the Gastown steam clock. Gastown then formally registered as a townsite dubbed Granville, Burrard Inlet. The city was renamed "Vancouver" in 1886, through a deal with the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). The Canadian Pacific transcontinental railway was extended to the city by 1887. The city's large natural seaport on the Pacific Ocean became a vital link in the trade between Asia-Pacific, East Asia, Europe, and Eastern Canada.[16][17] Vancouver has hosted many international conferences and events, including the 1954 Commonwealth Games, UN Habitat I, Expo 86, APEC Canada 1997, the World Police and Fire Games in 1989 and 2009; several matches of 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup including the finals at BC Place in Downtown Vancouver,[18] and the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics which were held in Vancouver and Whistler, a resort community 125 km (78 mi) north of the city.[19] In 1969, Greenpeace was founded in Vancouver. The city became the permanent home to TED conferences in 2014. As of 2016, Port Metro Vancouver is the fourth-largest port by tonnage in the Americas,[20] the busiest and largest in Canada, and the most diversified port in North America.[21][22] While forestry remains its largest industry, Vancouver is well known as an urban centre surrounded by nature, making tourism its second-largest industry.[23] Major film production studios in Vancouver and nearby Burnaby have turned Greater Vancouver and nearby areas into one of the largest film production centres in North America,[24][25] earning it the nickname "Hollywood North".[26][27][28] Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 2.1 Before 1850 2.2 Early growth 2.3 Incorporation 2.4 Twentieth century 3 Geography 3.1 Ecology 3.2 Climate 4 Cityscape 4.1 Urban planning 4.2 Architecture 5 Demographics 5.1 Homelessness 6 Economy 7 Government 7.1 Regional government 7.2 Provincial and federal representation 7.3 Policing and crime 7.4 Military 8 Education 9 Arts and culture 9.1 Theatre, dance, film and television 9.1.1 Theatre 9.1.2 Dance 9.1.3 Film 9.1.3.1 Films set in Vancouver 9.1.4 Television shows produced in Vancouver 9.2 Libraries and museums 9.3 Visual art 9.4 Music and nightlife 10 Media 11 Transportation 12 Sports and recreation 12.1 Current professional teams 13 Sustainability 14 Twin towns – sister cities 15 Notable people 16 See also 17 Notes 18 References 19 Further reading 20 External links Etymology The city takes its name from George Vancouver, who explored the inner harbour of Burrard Inlet in 1792 and gave various places British names.[29] The family name "Vancouver" itself originates from the Dutch "van Coevorden", denoting somebody from the city of Coevorden, Netherlands. The explorer's ancestors came to England "from Coevorden", which is the origin of the name that eventually became "Vancouver".[30][31] The indigenous Squamish people who reside in a region that encompasses southwestern British Columbia including this city gave the name K'emk'emeláy̓ which means "place of many maple trees"; this was originally the name of a village inhabited by said people where a sawmill was established by one Captain Edward Stamp as part of the foundations to the British settlement later becoming part of Vancouver.[32] History Main article: History of Vancouver See also: Timeline of Vancouver history Before 1850 Archaeological records indicate that Aboriginal people were already living in the Vancouver area from 8,000 to 10,000 years ago.[33][34] The city is located in the traditional and presently unceded territories of the Squamish, Musqueam, and Tsleil-Waututh (Burrard) peoples of the Coast Salish group.[35][36][37] They had villages in various parts of present-day Vancouver, such as Stanley Park, False Creek, Kitsilano, Point Grey and near the mouth of the Fraser River.[34] The region where Vancouver is currently located was referred to in contemporary Halkomelem as Lhq’á:lets,[38][39] meaning "wide at the bottom/end". Europeans became acquainted with the area of the future Vancouver when José María Narváez of Spain explored the coast of present-day Point Grey and parts of Burrard Inlet in 1791—although one author contends that Francis Drake may have visited the area in 1579.[40] The explorer and North West Company trader Simon Fraser and his crew became the first-known Europeans to set foot on the site of the present-day city. In 1808, they travelled from the east down the Fraser River, perhaps as far as Point Grey.[41] Early growth View of Gastown from Carrall and Water Street in 1886. Gastown was a settlement that quickly became a centre for trade and commerce on Burrard Inlet. The Fraser Gold Rush of 1858 brought over 25,000 men, mainly from California, to nearby New Westminster (founded February 14, 1859) on the Fraser River, on their way to the Fraser Canyon, bypassing what would become Vancouver.[42][43][44] Vancouver is among British Columbia's youngest cities;[45] the first European settlement in what is now Vancouver was not until 1862 at McCleery's Farm on the Fraser River, just east of the ancient village of Musqueam in what is now Marpole. A sawmill established at Moodyville (now the City of North Vancouver) in 1863, began the city's long relationship with logging. It was quickly followed by mills owned by Captain Edward Stamp on the south shore of the inlet. Stamp, who had begun logging in the Port Alberni area, first attempted to run a mill at Brockton Point, but difficult currents and reefs forced the relocation of the operation in 1867 to a point near the foot of Dunlevy Street. This mill, known as the Hastings Mill, became the nucleus around which Vancouver formed. The mill's central role in the city waned after the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) in the 1880s. It nevertheless remained important to the local economy until it closed in the 1920s.[46] The settlement, which came to be called Gastown, grew quickly around the original makeshift tavern established by "Gassy" Jack Deighton in 1867 on the edge of the Hastings Mill property.[45][47] In 1870, the colonial government surveyed the settlement and laid out a townsite, renamed "Granville" in honour of the then-British Secretary of State for the Colonies, Lord Granville. This site, with its natural harbour, was selected in 1884[48] as the terminus for the Canadian Pacific Railway, to the disappointment of Port Moody, New Westminster and Victoria, all of which had vied to be the railhead. A railway was among the inducements for British Columbia to join the Confederation in 1871 but the Pacific Scandal and arguments over the use of Chinese labour delayed construction until the 1880s.[49] Incorporation The first Vancouver City Council meeting following the Great Vancouver Fire in 1886 The City of Vancouver was incorporated on April 6, 1886, the same year that the first transcontinental train arrived. CPR president William Van Horne arrived in Port Moody to establish the CPR terminus recommended by Henry John Cambie, and gave the city its name in honour of George Vancouver.[45] The Great Vancouver Fire on June 13, 1886, razed the entire city. The Vancouver Fire Department was established that year and the city quickly rebuilt.[46] Vancouver's population grew from a settlement of 1,000 people in 1881 to over 20,000 by the turn of the century and 100,000 by 1911.[50] Vancouver merchants outfitted prospectors bound for the Klondike Gold Rush in 1898.[42] One of those merchants, Charles Woodward, had opened the first Woodward's store at Abbott and Cordova Streets in 1892 and, along with Spencer's and the Hudson's Bay department stores, formed the core of the city's retail sector for decades.[51] The economy of early Vancouver was dominated by large companies such as the CPR, which fuelled economic activity and led to the rapid development of the new city;[52] in fact, the CPR was the main real estate owner and housing developer in the city. While some manufacturing did develop, including the establishment of the British Columbia Sugar Refinery by Benjamin Tingley Rogers in 1890,[53] natural resources became the basis for Vancouver's economy. The resource sector was initially based on logging and later on exports moving through the seaport, where commercial traffic constituted the largest economic sector in Vancouver by the 1930s.[54] Twentieth century Plainclothes RCMP officers attack Relief Camp Workers' Union protesters in 1938. Several protests over unemployment occurred in the city during the Great Depression. Downtown celebrations at the end of World War II The dominance of the economy by big business was accompanied by an often militant labour movement. The first major sympathy strike was in 1903 when railway employees struck against the CPR for union recognition. Labour leader Frank Rogers was killed by CPR police while picketing at the docks, becoming the movement's first martyr in British Columbia.[55] The rise of industrial tensions throughout the province led to Canada's first general strike in 1918, at the Cumberland coal mines on Vancouver Island.[56] Following a lull in the 1920s, the strike wave peaked in 1935 when unemployed men flooded the city to protest conditions in the relief camps run by the military in remote areas throughout the province.[57][58] After two tense months of daily and disruptive protesting, the relief camp strikers decided to take their grievances to the federal government and embarked on the On-to-Ottawa Trek,[58] but their protest was put down by force. The workers were arrested near Mission and interned in work camps for the duration of the Depression.[59] Other social movements, such as the first-wave feminist, moral reform, and temperance movements were also instrumental in Vancouver's development. Mary Ellen Smith, a Vancouver suffragist and prohibitionist, became the first woman elected to a provincial legislature in Canada in 1918.[60] Alcohol prohibition began in the First World War and lasted until 1921, when the provincial government established control over alcohol sales, a practice still in place today.[61] Canada's first drug law came about following an inquiry conducted by the federal minister of Labour and future prime minister, William Lyon Mackenzie King. King was sent to investigate damages claims resulting from a riot when the Asiatic Exclusion League led a rampage through Chinatown and Japantown. Two of the claimants were opium manufacturers, and after further investigation, King found that white women were reportedly frequenting opium dens as well as Chinese men. A federal law banning the manufacture, sale, and importation of opium for non-medicinal purposes was soon passed based on these revelations.[62] These riots, and the formation of the Asiatic Exclusion League, also act as signs of a growing fear and mistrust towards the Japanese living in Vancouver and throughout BC. These fears were exacerbated by the attack on Pearl Harbor leading to the eventual internment or deportation of all Japanese-Canadians living in the city and the province.[63] After the war, these Japanese-Canadian men and women were not allowed to return to cities like Vancouver causing areas, like the aforementioned Japantown, to cease to be ethnically Japanese areas as the communities never revived.[64] Amalgamation with Point Grey and South Vancouver gave the city its final boundaries not long before it became the third-largest metropolis in the country. As of January 1, 1929, the population of the enlarged Vancouver was 228,193.[65] Geography Further information: List of bodies of water in Vancouver and Lower Mainland Ecoregion Satellite image of Metro Vancouver (2018) Located on the Burrard Peninsula, Vancouver lies between Burrard Inlet to the north and the Fraser River to the south. The Strait of Georgia, to the west, is shielded from the Pacific Ocean by Vancouver Island. The city has an area of 114 km2 (44 sq mi), including both flat and hilly ground and is in the Pacific Time Zone (UTC−8) and the Pacific Maritime Ecozone.[66] Until the city's naming in 1885, "Vancouver" referred to Vancouver Island and it remains a common misconception that the city is located on the island.[67][68] The island and the city are both named after Royal Navy Captain George Vancouver (as is the city of Vancouver, Washington, in the United States). Vancouver has one of the largest urban parks in North America, Stanley Park, which covers 404.9 ha (1,001 acres).[69] The North Shore Mountains dominate the cityscape, and on a clear day, scenic vistas include the snow-capped volcano Mount Baker in the state of Washington to the southeast, Vancouver Island across the Strait of Georgia to the west and southwest, and Bowen Island to the northwest.[70] Ecology The vegetation in the Vancouver area was originally temperate rainforest, consisting of conifers with scattered pockets of maple and alder and large areas of swampland (even in upland areas, due to poor drainage).[71] The conifers were a typical coastal British Columbia mix of Douglas fir, western red cedar and western hemlock.[72] The area is thought to have had the largest trees of these species on the British Columbia Coast. Only in Elliott Bay, Seattle, did the size of trees rival those of Burrard Inlet and English Bay. The largest trees in Vancouver's old-growth forest were in the Gastown area, where the first logging occurred and on the southern slopes of False Creek and English Bay, especially around Jericho Beach. The forest in Stanley Park was logged between the 1860s and 1880s and evidence of old-fashioned logging techniques such as springboard notches can still be seen there.[73] Many plants and trees growing throughout Vancouver and the Lower Mainland were imported from other parts of the continent and from points across the Pacific. Examples include the monkey puzzle tree, the Japanese maple and various flowering exotics, such as magnolias, azaleas and rhododendrons. Some species imported from harsher climates in Eastern Canada or Europe have grown to immense sizes. The native Douglas maple can also attain a tremendous size. Many of the city's streets are lined with flowering varieties of Japanese cherry trees donated from the 1930s onward by the government of Japan. These flower for several weeks in early spring each year, an occasion celebrated by the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival. Other streets are lined with flowering chestnut, horse chestnut and other decorative shade trees.[74] Climate Main article: Climate of Vancouver Vancouver Climate chart (explanation) J F M A M J J A S O N D   168  71   105  82   114  103   89  136   65  179   54  2012   36  2214   37  2214   51  1911   121  147   189  94   162  61 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm Imperial conversion Vancouver is one of Canada's warmest cities in the winter. Vancouver's climate is temperate by Canadian standards and is classified as oceanic or marine west coast, (Köppen climate classification Cfb) that borders on a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Csb). While during summer months the inland temperatures are significantly higher, Vancouver has the coolest summer average high of all major Canadian metropolitan areas. The summer months are typically dry, with an average of only one in five days during July and August receiving precipitation. In contrast, the majority of days from November through March record some type of precipitation.[75] Vancouver is also one of the wettest Canadian cities. However, precipitation varies throughout the metropolitan area. Annual precipitation as measured at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond averages 1,189 mm (46.8 in), compared with 1,588 mm (62.5 in) in the downtown area and 2,044 mm (80.5 in) in North Vancouver.[76][77] The daily maximum averages 22 °C (72 °F) in July and August, with highs rarely reaching 30 °C (86 °F).[78] The highest temperature ever recorded at the airport was 34.4 °C (93.9 °F) set on July 30, 2009,[79] and the highest temperature ever recorded within the city of Vancouver was 35.0 °C (95.0 °F) occurring first on July 31, 1965,[80] again on August 8, 1981,[81] and also on May 29, 1983.[82] The coldest temperature ever recorded in the city was −17.8 °C (0.0 °F) on January 14, 1950[83] and again on December 29, 1968.[84] On average, snow falls on nine days per year, with three days receiving 5 cm (2.0 in) or more. Average yearly snowfall is 38.1 cm (15.0 in) but typically does not remain on the ground for long.[78] Winters in Greater Vancouver are the fourth-mildest of Canadian cities after nearby Victoria, Nanaimo and Duncan, all on Vancouver Island.[85] Vancouver's growing season averages 237 days, from March 18 until November 10.[78] Vancouver's 1981–2010 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone ranges from 8A to 9A depending on elevation and proximity to water.[86] Climate data for Richmond (Vancouver International Airport) Climate ID: 1108447; coordinates 49°11′42″N 123°10′55″W; elevation: 4.3 m (14 ft); 1981-2010 normals, extremes 1898–present[a] Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high humidex 17.2 18.0 20.3 23.9 33.7 38.4 38.3 35.9 33.0 27.2 21.1 16.1 38.4 Record high °C (°F) 15.3 (59.5) 18.4 (65.1) 20.0 (68.0) 26.1 (79.0) 30.4 (86.7) 33.3 (91.9) 34.4 (93.9) 33.3 (91.9) 30.0 (86.0) 25.0 (77.0) 23.3 (73.9) 15.0 (59.0) 34.4 (93.9) Average high °C (°F) 6.9 (44.4) 8.2 (46.8) 10.3 (50.5) 13.2 (55.8) 16.7 (62.1) 19.6 (67.3) 22.2 (72.0) 22.2 (72.0) 18.9 (66.0) 13.5 (56.3) 9.2 (48.6) 6.3 (43.3) 13.9 (57.0) Daily mean °C (°F) 4.1 (39.4) 4.9 (40.8) 6.9 (44.4) 9.4 (48.9) 12.8 (55.0) 15.7 (60.3) 18.0 (64.4) 18.0 (64.4) 14.9 (58.8) 10.3 (50.5) 6.3 (43.3) 3.6 (38.5) 10.4 (50.7) Average low °C (°F) 1.4 (34.5) 1.6 (34.9) 3.4 (38.1) 5.6 (42.1) 8.8 (47.8) 11.7 (53.1) 13.7 (56.7) 13.8 (56.8) 10.8 (51.4) 7.0 (44.6) 3.5 (38.3) 0.8 (33.4) 6.8 (44.2) Record low °C (°F) −17.8 (0.0) −16.1 (3.0) −9.4 (15.1) −3.3 (26.1) 0.6 (33.1) 3.9 (39.0) 6.1 (43.0) 3.9 (39.0) −1.1 (30.0) −6.1 (21.0) −14.3 (6.3) −17.8 (0.0) −17.8 (0.0) Record low wind chill −22.6 −21.2 −14.5 −5.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 −11.4 −21.3 −27.8 −27.8 Average precipitation mm (inches) 168.4 (6.63) 104.6 (4.12) 113.9 (4.48) 88.5 (3.48) 65.0 (2.56) 53.8 (2.12) 35.6 (1.40) 36.7 (1.44) 50.9 (2.00) 120.8 (4.76) 188.9 (7.44) 161.9 (6.37) 1,189 (46.81) Average rainfall mm (inches) 157.5 (6.20) 98.9 (3.89) 111.8 (4.40) 88.1 (3.47) 65.0 (2.56) 53.8 (2.12) 35.6 (1.40) 36.7 (1.44) 50.9 (2.00) 120.7 (4.75) 185.8 (7.31) 148.3 (5.84) 1,153.1 (45.38) Average snowfall cm (inches) 11.1 (4.4) 6.3 (2.5) 2.3 (0.9) 0.3 (0.1) 0.0 (0.0) 0.0 (0.0) 0.0 (0.0) 0.0 (0.0) 0.0 (0.0) 0.1 (0.0) 3.2 (1.3) 14.8 (5.8) 38.1 (15.0) Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 19.5 15.4 17.7 14.8 13.2 11.5 6.3 6.7 8.3 15.4 20.4 19.7 168.9 Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) 18.4 14.7 17.5 14.8 13.2 11.5 6.3 6.8 8.3 15.4 19.9 18.4 165.2 Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) 2.6 1.4 0.9 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.03 0.8 2.8 8.73 Average relative humidity (%) 81.2 74.5 70.1 65.4 63.5 62.2 61.4 61.8 67.2 75.6 79.5 80.9 70.3 Mean monthly sunshine hours 60.2 91.0 134.8 185.0 222.5 226.9 289.8 277.1 212.8 120.7 60.4 56.5 1,937.5 Percent possible sunshine 22.3 31.8 36.6 45.0 46.9 46.8 59.3 62.1 56.1 36.0 21.9 22.0 40.6 Average ultraviolet index 1 1 3 4 6 6 7 6 4 2 1 1 4 Source 1: Environment and Climate Change Canada[89][90][91][92][93][94][95][96][97][98][99][100][101] Source 2: Weather Atlas(UV)[102] Cityscape Urban planning Aerial view of Downtown Vancouver. Urban development in Vancouver is characterized by a large residential population living in the city centre with mixed-use developments. Main article: Vancouverism As of 2011, Vancouver is the most densely populated city in Canada.[103] Urban planning in Vancouver is characterized by high-rise residential and mixed-use development in urban centres, as an alternative to sprawl.[104] As part of the larger Metro Vancouver region, it is influenced by the policy direction of livability as illustrated in Metro Vancouver's Regional Growth Strategy. Vancouver has been ranked one of the most livable cities in the world for more than a decade.[14] As of 2019, Vancouver has been ranked as having the third-highest quality of living of any city on Earth.[14] In contrast, according to Forbes, Vancouver had the fourth-most expensive real estate market in the world in 2019.[105] Vancouver has also been ranked among Canada's most expensive cities to live in. Sales in February 2016 were 56.3 percent higher than the 10-year average for the month.[106][107][108] Forbes also ranked Vancouver as the tenth-cleanest city in the world in 2007.[109] Vancouver's characteristic approach to urban planning originated in the late 1950s, when city planners began to encourage the building of high-rise residential towers in Vancouver's West End,[110] subject to strict requirements for setbacks and open space to protect sight lines and preserve green space. The success of these dense but liveable neighbourhoods led to the redevelopment of urban industrial sites, such as North False Creek and Coal Harbour, beginning in the mid-1980s. The result is a compact urban core that has gained international recognition for its "high amenity and 'livable' development".[111] In 2006, the city launched a planning initiative entitled EcoDensity, with the stated goal of exploring ways in which "density, design, and land use can contribute to environmental sustainability, affordability, and livability".[112] Vancouver skyline from Stanley Park Architecture Main article: Architecture of Vancouver Robson Square is a civic centre and public square designed by local architect Arthur Erickson. Waterfront station, Vancouver The Vancouver Art Gallery is housed downtown in the neoclassical former courthouse built in 1906. The courthouse building was designed by Francis Rattenbury, who also designed the British Columbia Parliament Buildings and the Empress Hotel in Victoria, and the lavishly decorated second Hotel Vancouver.[113] The 556-room Hotel Vancouver, opened in 1939 and the third by that name, is across the street with its copper roof. The Gothic-style Christ Church Cathedral, across from the hotel, opened in 1894 and was declared a heritage building in 1976. There are several modern buildings in the downtown area, including the Harbour Centre, the Vancouver Law Courts and surrounding plaza known as Robson Square (designed by Arthur Erickson) and the Vancouver Library Square (designed by Moshe Safdie and DA Architects), reminiscent of the Colosseum in Rome, and the recently completed Woodward's building Redevelopment (designed by Henriquez Partners Architects). The original BC Hydro headquarters building (designed by Ron Thom and Ned Pratt) at Nelson and Burrard Streets is a modernist high-rise, now converted into the Electra condominia.[114] Also notable is the "concrete waffle" of the MacMillan Bloedel building on the north-east corner of the Georgia and Thurlow intersection. Completed in 2008, Living Shangri-La is the tallest building in Vancouver. A prominent addition to the city's landscape is the giant tent-frame Canada Place (designed by Zeidler Roberts Partnership Partnership, MCMP & DA Architects), the former Canada Pavilion from the 1986 World Exposition, which includes part of the Convention Centre, the Pan-Pacific Hotel, and a cruise ship terminal. Two modern buildings that define the southern skyline away from the downtown area are City Hall and the Centennial Pavilion of Vancouver General Hospital, both designed by Townley and Matheson in 1936 and 1958, respectively.[115][116] A collection of Edwardian buildings in the city's old downtown core were, in their day, the tallest commercial buildings in the British Empire. These were, in succession, the Carter-Cotton Building (former home of The Vancouver Province newspaper), the Dominion Building (1907) and the Sun Tower (1911), the former two at Cambie and Hastings Streets and the latter at Beatty and Pender Streets. The Sun Tower's cupola was finally exceeded as the Empire's tallest commercial building by the elaborate Art Deco Marine Building in the 1920s.[117] The Marine Building is known for its elaborate ceramic tile facings and brass-gilt doors and elevators, which make it a favourite location for movie shoots.[118] Topping the list of tallest buildings in Vancouver is Living Shangri-La at 201 m (659 ft)[119] and 62 storeys. The second-tallest building in Vancouver is the Trump International Hotel and Tower at 188 m (617 ft), followed by the Private Residences at Hotel Georgia, at 156 m (512 ft). The fourth-tallest is One Wall Centre at 150 m (490 ft)[120] and 48 storeys, followed closely by the Shaw Tower at 149 m (489 ft).[120] Demographics Further information: Demographics of Metro Vancouver Vancouver[121] Year Pop. ±% 1891 13,709 —     1901 26,133 +90.6% 1911 100,401 +284.2% 1921 117,217 +16.7% 1931 246,593 +110.4% 1941 275,353 +11.7% 1951 344,833 +25.2% 1956 365,844 +6.1% 1961 384,522 +5.1% 1966 410,375 +6.7% 1971 426,256 +3.9% 1976 410,188 −3.8% 1981 414,281 +1.0% 1986 431,147 +4.1% 1991 471,644 +9.4% 1996 514,008 +9.0% 2001 545,671 +6.2% 2006 578,041 +5.9% 2011 603,502 +4.4% 2016 631,486 +4.6% 2021 662,248 +4.9% Vancouver's Chinatown is Canada's largest Chinatown. The city holds one of the largest concentrations of ethnic Chinese residents in North America. In the 2021 Canadian census conducted by Statistics Canada, Vancouver had a population of 662,248 living in 305,336 of its 328,347 total private dwellings, a change of 4.9% from its 2016 population of 631,486. With a land area of 115.18 km2 (44.47 sq mi), it had a population density of 5,749.7/km2 (14,891.6/sq mi) in 2021.[122] At the census metropolitan area (CMA) level in the 2021 census, the Vancouver CMA had a population of 2,642,825 living in 1,043,319 of its 1,104,532 total private dwellings, a change of 7.3% from its 2016 population of 2,463,431. With a land area of 2,878.93 km2 (1,111.56 sq mi), it had a population density of 918.0/km2 (2,377.6/sq mi) in 2021.[123] The 2016 census recorded more than 631,000 people in the city, making it the eighth-largest among Canadian cities. More specifically, Vancouver is the fourth-largest in Western Canada after Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg.[124] The metropolitan area referred to as Greater Vancouver, with more than 2.4 million residents, is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the country[124] and the most populous in Western Canada. The larger Lower Mainland-Southwest economic region (which includes also the Squamish-Lillooet, Fraser Valley, and Sunshine Coast Regional District) has a population of over 2.93 million.[125] With 5,249 people per square km (13,590 per sq mi), the City of Vancouver is the most densely populated of Canadian municipalities having more than 5,000 residents.[103] Approximately 74 percent of the people living in Metro Vancouver live outside the city. Vancouver has been called a "city of neighbourhoods". Each neighbourhood in Vancouver has a distinct character and ethnic mix.[126] People of English, Scottish, and Irish origins were historically the largest ethnic groups in the city,[127] and elements of British society and culture are still visible in some areas, particularly South Granville and Kerrisdale. Germans are the next-largest European ethnic group in Vancouver and were a leading force in the city's society and economy until the rise of anti-German sentiment with the outbreak of World War I in 1914.[17] Today the Chinese are the largest visible ethnic group in the city, with a diverse Chinese-speaking community, and several dialects, including Cantonese and Mandarin.[46][128] Neighbourhoods with distinct ethnic commercial areas include Chinatown, Punjabi Market, Little Italy, Greektown, and (formerly) Japantown. Since the 1980s, immigration increased substantially, making the city more ethnically and linguistically diverse; 53 percent of Vancouver's residents do not speak English as their first language.[129] Almost 30 percent of the city's inhabitants are of Chinese heritage.[130] In the 1980s, an influx of immigrants from Hong Kong in anticipation of the transfer of sovereignty from the United Kingdom to China, combined with an increase in immigrants from mainland China and previous immigrants from Taiwan, established in Vancouver one of the highest concentrations of ethnic Chinese residents in North America.[131] This arrival of Asian immigrants continued a tradition of immigration from around the world that had established Vancouver as the second-most popular destination for immigrants in Canada after Toronto.[132] Other significant Asian ethnic groups in Vancouver include South Asians (6.0%), Filipinos (5.9%), Japanese (1.7%), Korean (1.5%), West Asians (1.4%), as well as sizeable communities of Vietnamese, Indonesians, and Cambodians.[133] Despite increases in Latin American immigration to Vancouver in the 1980s and 1990s, recent immigration has been comparatively low, and African immigration has been similarly stagnant (3.6% and 3.3% of total immigrant population, respectively).[134] The black population of Vancouver is small in comparison to other Canadian major cities, making up 0.9 percent of the city. Hogan's Alley, a small area adjacent to Chinatown, just off Main Street at Prior, was once home to a significant black community. The neighbourhood of Strathcona was the core of the city's Jewish community.[135][136] In 1981, less than 7 percent of the population belonged to a visible minority group.[137] By 2016, this proportion had grown to 52 percent.[133] Prior to the Hong Kong diaspora of the 1990s, the largest non-British ethnic groups in the city were Irish and German, followed by Scandinavian, Italian, Ukrainian and Chinese. From the mid-1950s until the 1980s, many Portuguese immigrants came to Vancouver and the city had the third-largest Portuguese population in Canada in 2001.[138] Eastern Europeans, including Russians, Czechs, Poles, Romanians and Hungarians began immigrating after the Soviet takeover of Eastern Europe after World War II.[17] Greek immigration increased in the late 1960s and early '70s, with most settling in the Kitsilano area. Vancouver also has a significant aboriginal community of about 11,000 people.[139] Vancouver has a large LGBT community,[140] with a recognized gay enclave focused in the West End neighbourhood of the downtown core, particularly along Davie Street, officially designated as Davie Village,[141] though the gay community is omnipresent throughout West End and Yaletown areas. Vancouver is host to one of the country's largest annual pride parades.[142] Pie chart of the ethnic breakdown of Vancouver from the 2016 census   European (47.2%)   Chinese (26.5%)   South Asian (6%)   Filipino (5.8%)   Southeast Asian (2.7%)   Aboriginal (2.1%)   Latin American (1.7%)   Japanese (1.6%)   Korean (1.5%)   West Asian (1.4%)   Black (1%)   Arab (0.5%)   Multiple visible minorities (1.8%)   Visible minority not included elsewhere (0.2%) Canada 2016 Census Population % of Total Population Visible minority group Source:[143] Chinese 167,180 27% South Asian 37,130 6% Filipino 36,460 5.9% Southeast Asian 17,120 2.8% Latin American 10,935 1.8% Japanese 10,315 1.7% Korean 9,360 1.5% West Asian 8,630 1.4% Black 6,345 1% Arab 2,965 0.5% Other visible minority 1,500 0.2% Mixed visible minority 11,070 1.8% Total visible minority population 319,010 51.6% Aboriginal group Source:[144] First Nations 8,930 1.4% Métis 4,405 0.7% Inuit 105 0% Total Aboriginal population 13,440 2.2% European Source:[145] 297,700 48.2% Total population 630,150 100% Homelessness Main article: Homelessness in Vancouver Homelessness is a significant and persistent issue in Vancouver. A 2019 count found that at least 2,223 people in the city were experiencing homelessness, the highest number recorded since counts began in 2005. Of those surveyed, 28 percent reported having no physical shelter. Indigenous people accounted for 39 percent of all respondents. Three-fifths of respondents reported at least two health concerns, and 67 percent reported an addiction to at least one substance.[146] Economy Main article: Economy of Vancouver With its location on the Pacific Rim and at the western terminus of Canada's transcontinental highway and rail routes, Vancouver is one of the nation's largest industrial centres.[70] Port Metro Vancouver, Canada's largest and most diversified port, does more than $172 billion in trade with over 160 different trading economies annually. Port activities generate $9.7 billion in gross domestic product and $20.3 billion in economic output.[147] Vancouver is also the headquarters of forest product and mining companies. In recent years, Vancouver has become a centre for software development, biotechnology, aerospace, video game development, animation studios and television production and film industry.[148] Vancouver hosts approximately 65 movies and 55 TV series annually and is the 3rd largest film & TV production centre in North America, supporting 20,000 jobs.[149] The city's strong focus on lifestyle and health culture also makes it a hub for many lifestyle brands with Lululemon, Arc'teryx, Kit and Ace, Mountain Equipment Co-op, Herschel Supply Co., Aritzia, Reigning Champ, and Nature's Path Foods all founded and headquartered in Vancouver. Vancouver was also the birthplace of 1-800-GOT-JUNK? and Western Canada's largest online-only publication, Daily Hive.[150] The Port of Vancouver is the largest port in Canada, and the third-largest port in the Americas (by tonnage). Vancouver's scenic location makes it a major tourist destination. Over 10.3 million people visited Vancouver in 2017. Annually, tourism contributes approximately $4.8 billion to the Metro Vancouver economy and supports over 70,000 jobs.[151] Many visit to see the city's gardens, Stanley Park, Queen Elizabeth Park, VanDusen Botanical Garden and the mountains, ocean, forest and parklands which surround the city. Each year over a million people pass through Vancouver on cruise ship vacations, often bound for Alaska.[148] Vancouver is the most stressed city in the spectrum of affordability of housing in Canada.[152] In 2012, Vancouver was ranked by Demographia as the second-most unaffordable city in the world, rated as even more severely unaffordable in 2012 than in 2011.[153][154][155][156] The city has adopted various strategies to reduce housing costs, including cooperative housing, legalized secondary suites, increased density and smart growth. As of April 2010, the average two-level home in Vancouver sold for a record high of $987,500, compared with the Canadian average of $365,141.[157] A factor explaining the high property prices may be policies by the Canadian government which permit snow washing, which allows foreigners to buy property in Canada while shielding their identities from tax authorities, making real estate transactions an effective way to conduct money laundering.[158] Since the 1990s, development of high-rise condominia in the downtown peninsula has been financed, in part, by an inflow of capital from Hong Kong immigrants due to the former colony's 1997 handover to China.[159] Such development has clustered in the Yaletown and Coal Harbour districts and around many of the SkyTrain stations to the east of the downtown.[148] The city's selection to co-host the 2010 Winter Olympics was also a major influence on economic development. Concern was expressed that Vancouver's increasing homelessness problem would be exacerbated by the Olympics because owners of single room occupancy hotels, which house many of the city's lowest income residents, converted their properties to attract higher income residents and tourists.[160] Another significant international event held in Vancouver, the 1986 World Exposition, received over 20 million visitors and added $3.7 billion to the Canadian economy.[161] Some still-standing Vancouver landmarks, including the SkyTrain public transit system and Canada Place, were built as part of the exposition.[161] Government Main article: Government and politics of Vancouver The 23 official neighbourhoods of Vancouver Vancouver, unlike other British Columbia municipalities, is incorporated under the Vancouver Charter.[162] The legislation, passed in 1953, supersedes the Vancouver Incorporation Act, 1921 and grants the city more and different powers than other communities possess under BC's Municipalities Act. The civic government was dominated by the centre-right Non-Partisan Association (NPA) since World War II, albeit with some significant centre-left interludes until 2008.[46] The NPA fractured over the issue of drug policy in 2002, facilitating a landslide victory for the Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE) on a harm reduction platform. Subsequently, North America's only legal safe injection site was opened for the significant number of intravenous heroin users in the city.[163] Vancouver is governed by the eleven-member Vancouver City Council, a nine-member School Board, and a seven-member Park Board, all of whom serve four-year terms. Unusually for a city of Vancouver's size, all municipal elections are on an at-large basis. Historically, in all levels of government, the more affluent west side of Vancouver has voted along conservative or liberal lines while the eastern side of the city has voted along left-wing lines.[164] This was reaffirmed with the results of the 2005 provincial election and the 2006 federal election. Opened in 1936, Vancouver City Hall is home to Vancouver City Council. Though polarized, a political consensus has emerged in Vancouver around a number of issues. Protection of urban parks, a focus on the development of rapid transit as opposed to a freeway system, a harm-reduction approach to illegal drug use, and a general concern about community-based development are examples of policies that have come to have broad support across the political spectrum in Vancouver.[165] In the 2008 Municipal Election campaign, NPA incumbent mayor Sam Sullivan was ousted as mayoral candidate by the party in a close vote, which instated Peter Ladner as the new mayoral candidate for the NPA. Gregor Robertson, a former MLA for Vancouver-Fairview and head of Happy Planet, was the mayoral candidate for Vision Vancouver, the other main contender. Vision Vancouver candidate Gregor Robertson defeated Ladner by a considerable margin, nearing 20,000 votes. The balance of power was significantly shifted to Vision Vancouver, which held seven of the 10 spots for councillor. Of the remaining three, COPE received two and the NPA one. For park commissioner, four spots went to Vision Vancouver, one to the Green Party, one to COPE, and one to NPA. For school trustee, there were four Vision Vancouver seats, three COPE seats, and two NPA seats.[166] In the 2018 Vancouver municipal election, independent Kennedy Stewart was elected mayor of Vancouver.[167] Vancouver's budget consists of a capital and an operating component. The 2017 operating budget was $1.323 billion, while the 2018 operating budget is $1.407 billion (a year over year increase of 6.4%). The capital budget for 2018 is unchanged from 2017 and stands at $426.4 million.[168] Budget increases are largely funded through increases in property taxes and community amenity contributions imposed in exchange for increases in allowable density as part of the construction permitting process. Utility fees and other user fees have also been increased, but represent a comparatively small portion of Vancouver's overall budget. Regional government Vancouver Metropolitan Area in 2018 Vancouver is a member municipality of Metro Vancouver, a regional government. In total there are 22 municipalities, one electoral area and one treaty First Nation comprising Metro Vancouver,[169] the regional government whose seat is in Burnaby. While each member of Metro Vancouver has its own separate local governing body, Metro Vancouver oversees common services and planning functions within the area such as providing drinking water; operating sewage and solid waste handling; maintaining regional parks; overseeing air quality, greenhouse gases and ecological health; and providing a strategy for regional growth and land use. Provincial and federal representation In the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Vancouver is represented by 11 members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs). As of April 2022, there are two seats held by the BC Liberal Party, nine by the BC New Democratic Party, and one seat, Vancouver-Quilchena, that is vacant.[170] A by-election is being held on April 30, 2022, to fill this seat.[171] In the House of Commons of Canada, Vancouver is represented by six members of Parliament. In the 2021 federal election, the Liberals retained three seats (Vancouver Quadra, Vancouver Centre, and Vancouver South) and gained one (Vancouver Granville), while the NDP held on to the two seats (Vancouver East and Vancouver Kingsway) they held at dissolution. The Conservatives were shut out of the city's ridings. Two current Cabinet ministers hail from the city – Vancouver South MP Harjit Sajjan is Minister of International Development, and Vancouver Quadra MP Joyce Murray is Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard. Policing and crime Mounted officers of the Vancouver Police Department in Stanley Park Vancouver operates the Vancouver Police Department, with 1,327 sworn members and an operating budget of $316.5 million in 2018.[172][173] Over 19 percent of the city's budget was spent on police protection in 2018.[173] The Vancouver Police Department's operational divisions include a bicycle squad, a marine squad, and a dog squad. It also has a mounted squad, used primarily to patrol Stanley Park, as well as for crowd control.[174] The police work in conjunction with civilian and volunteer-run Community Police Centres.[175] In 2006, the police department established its own counterterrorism unit. In 2005, a new transit police force, the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority Police Service (now the Metro Vancouver Transit Police), was established with full police powers. Before the legalization of marijuana, Vancouver police generally did not arrest people for possessing small amounts of marijuana.[176] In 2000 the Vancouver Police Department established a specialized drug squad, "Growbusters", to carry out an aggressive campaign against the city's estimated 4,000 hydroponic marijuana growing operations (or grow-ops) in residential areas.[177] As with other law enforcement campaigns targeting marijuana this initiative has been sharply criticized.[178] Hypodermic needles scattered amidst trash on Station Street near Pacific Central Station As of 2018, Vancouver had the ninth-highest crime rate, dropping 5 spots since 2005, among Canada's 35 census metropolitan areas.[179] However, as with other Canadian cities, the overall crime rate has been falling "dramatically".[180] The rate of firearm related violence dropped from 45.3 per 100,000 in 2006, the highest of any major metropolitan region in Canada at that time, to 16.2 in 2017.[181][182] A series of gang-related incidents in early 2009 escalated into what police have dubbed a gang war. Vancouver plays host to special events such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference, the Clinton-Yeltsin Summit, or the Symphony of Fire fireworks show that require significant policing. The 1994 Stanley Cup riot overwhelmed police and injured as many as 200 people.[183] A second riot took place following the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals.[184] To reduce the public health risk from discarded hypodermic needles which are commonly found on the streets of downtown and the adjacent Downtown Eastside, the city runs a continuous collection effort, recovering approximately 1000 needles per day from public spaces.[185][186] According to Vancouver Coastal Health, the regional health authority and a distributor of clean needles to intravenous drug users, there has never been a documented case of disease transmission from an accidental needlestick.[187] Military Jericho Beach in Vancouver is the location of the headquarters of 39 Canadian Brigade Group of the Canadian Army.[188] Local primary reserve units include The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada and The British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught's Own), based at the Seaforth Armoury and the Beatty Street Drill Hall, respectively, and the 15th Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery.[189] The Naval Reserve Unit HMCS Discovery is based on Deadman's Island in Stanley Park.[190] RCAF Station Jericho Beach, the first air base in Western Canada, was taken over by the Canadian Army in 1947 when sea planes were replaced by long-range aircraft. Most of the base facilities were transferred to the City of Vancouver in 1969 and the area renamed "Jericho Park".[191] Education Headquarters of the Vancouver School Board. The English-language school district serves Vancouver and the University Endowment Lands. Main mall of the University of British Columbia (UBC). UBC is one of five public universities located in Vancouver. The Vancouver School Board enrolls more than 110,000 students in its elementary, secondary, and post-secondary institutions, making it the second-largest school district in the province.[192][193] The district administers about 76 elementary schools, 17 elementary annexes, 18 secondary schools, 7 adult education centres, 2 Vancouver Learning Network schools,[194] which include 18 French immersion schools, a Mandarin bilingual school, and fine arts (Byng Arts Mini School), gifted, and Montessori schools.[192] The Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique operates three Francophone schools in that city: the primary schools école Rose-des-vents and école Anne-Hébert as well as the école secondaire Jules-Verne.[195] More than 46 independent schools of a wide variety are also eligible for partial provincial funding and educate approximately 10 percent of pupils in the city.[196] There are five public universities in the Greater Vancouver area, the largest and most prestigious being the University of British Columbia (UBC) and Simon Fraser University (SFU), with a combined enrolment of more than 90,000 undergraduates, graduates, and professional students in 2008.[197][198] UBC often ranks among the top 50 best universities in the world and is ranked among the 20 best public universities in Canada.[199][200] SFU consistently ranks as the top comprehensive university in Canada and is among the 300 best universities in the world.[201][202] UBC's main campus is located on the tip of Burrard Peninsula, just west of the University Endowment Lands with the city-proper adjacent to the east. SFU's main campus is in Burnaby. Both also maintain campuses in Downtown Vancouver and Surrey. The other public universities in the metropolitan area around Vancouver are Capilano University in North Vancouver, Emily Carr University of Art and Design, and Kwantlen Polytechnic University whose four campuses are all outside the city proper. Six private institutions also operate in the region: Trinity Western University in Langley, UOPX Canada in Burnaby, and University Canada West, NYIT Canada, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Columbia College, and Sprott Shaw College, all in Vancouver. Vancouver Community College and Langara College are publicly funded college-level institutions in Vancouver, as is Douglas College with three campuses outside the city. The British Columbia Institute of Technology in Burnaby provides polytechnic education. These are augmented by private and vocational institutions and other colleges in the surrounding areas of Metro Vancouver that provide career, trade, technical, and university-transfer programs, while the Vancouver Film School provides one-year programs in film production and video game design.[203][204] International students and English as a second language (ESL) students have been significant in the enrolment of these public and private institutions. For the 2008–2009 school year, 53 percent of Vancouver School Board's students spoke a language other than English at home.[193] Arts and culture Opened in 2005, VIFF Centre houses production rooms and offices for the Vancouver International Film Festival. Theatre, dance, film and television Theatre Prominent theatre companies in Vancouver include the Arts Club Theatre Company on Granville Island, and Bard on the Beach. Smaller companies include Touchstone Theatre, and Studio 58. The Cultch, The Firehall Arts Centre, United Players, Pacific and Metro Theatres, all run continuous theatre seasons. Theatre Under the Stars produces shows in the summer at Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park. Annual festivals that are held in Vancouver include the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival in January and the Vancouver Fringe Festival in September. The Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company operated for fifty years, ending in March 2012.[205] Dance The Scotiabank Dance Centre, a converted bank building on the corner of Davie and Granville, functions as a gathering place and performance venue for Vancouver-based dancers and choreographers. Dances for a Small Stage is a semi-annual dance festival. Film The Vancouver International Film Festival, which runs for two weeks each September, shows over 350 films and is one of the larger film festivals in North America. The VIFF Centre venue, the Vancity Theatre, runs independent non-commercial films throughout the rest of the year, as do the Pacific Cinémathèque, and the Rio theatres. Films set in Vancouver See also: Category:Films set in Vancouver Vancouver has become a major film location,[206] known as Hollywood North, as it has stood in for several U.S. cities. However, it has started to appear as itself in several feature films. Among films set in the city and its surroundings are the 1994 US thriller Intersection, starring Richard Gere and Sharon Stone; the 2007 Canadian ghost thriller They Wait, starring Terry Chen and Jaime King; and the acclaimed Canadian 'mockumentary' Hard Core Logo, and was named the second-best Canadian film of the last 15 years, in a 2001 poll of 200 industry voters, performed by Playback. Genie Award-winning filmmaker Mina Shum has filmed and set several of her internationally released features in Vancouver, including the Sundance-screened Long Life, Happiness & Prosperity (2002). Television shows produced in Vancouver Many past and current TV shows have been filmed and set in Vancouver. The first Canadian prime time national series to be produced out of Vancouver was Cold Squad[207][208] and its storyline was also physically set in the city. Other series set in or around the city of Vancouver include Continuum, Da Vinci's Inquest, Danger Bay, Edgemont, Godiva's, Intelligence, Motive, Northwood, Primeval: New World, Robson Arms, The Romeo Section, Shattered, The Switch, and These Arms of Mine. Television shows produced[209] (but not set) in Vancouver (that have been produced by American and Canadian studios alike) include 21 Jump Street, The 100, The 4400, Airwolf, Almost Human, Arrow, Backstrom, Caprica, Cedar Cove, Chesapeake Shores, The Commish, Dark Angel, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, The Flash, The Good Doctor, Haters Back Off, Hellcats, Intelligence, iZombie, The Killing, The L Word, Life Unexpected, The Man in the High Castle, Once Upon a Time, Psych, Reaper, Riverdale, Rogue, Smallville, Stargate SG-1, Supergirl, Supernatural, The Tomorrow People, The Magicians, Tru Calling, Van Helsing, Witches of East End, and The X-Files. Libraries and museums See also: List of museums in British Columbia Science World is an interactive science centre. The building was originally constructed for Expo 86. Libraries in Vancouver include the Vancouver Public Library with its main branch at Library Square, designed by Moshe Safdie. The central branch contains 1.5 million volumes. Altogether there are twenty-two branches containing 2.25 million volumes.[210] The Vancouver Tool Library is Canada's original tool lending library. The Vancouver Art Gallery has a permanent collection of nearly 10,000 items and is the home of a significant number of works by Emily Carr.[211] However, little or none of the permanent collection is ever on view. Downtown is also home to the Contemporary Art Gallery (Vancouver), which showcases temporary exhibitions by up-and-coming Vancouver artists. The Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery with a small collection of contemporary works is part of the University of British Columbia. In the Kitsilano district are the Vancouver Maritime Museum, the H. R. MacMillan Space Centre, and the Vancouver Museum, the largest civic museum in Canada. The Museum of Anthropology at UBC is a leading museum of Pacific Northwest Coast First Nations culture. A more interactive museum is Science World at the head of False Creek. The city also features a diverse collection of Public Art. Visual art See also: Public art in Vancouver The Inukshuk at English Bay. The inukshuk is one of several pieces of public art on display in Vancouver. The Vancouver School of conceptual[212] photography (often referred to as photoconceptualism)[213] is a term applied to a grouping of artists from Vancouver who achieved international recognition starting in the 1980s.[212] No formal "school" exists and the grouping remains both informal and often controversial[214] even among the artists themselves, who often resist the term.[214] Artists associated with the term include Jeff Wall, Ian Wallace, Ken Lum, Roy Arden,[213] Stan Douglas and Rodney Graham.[215] Vancouver has a history of Aboriginal art. Examples of this can be seen at the Museum of Anthropology at UBC.[216] Music and nightlife See also: Music of Vancouver Musical contributions from Vancouver include performers of classical, folk and popular music. The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra is the professional orchestra based in the city. The Vancouver Opera is a major opera company in the city, and City Opera of Vancouver is the city's professional chamber opera company. The city is home to a number of Canadian composers including Rodney Sharman, Jeffrey Ryan, and Jocelyn Morlock. The Granville Entertainment District downtown can attract large crowds to the street's many bars and nightclubs. The city produced a number of notable punk rock bands, including D.O.A. Other early Vancouver punk bands included the Subhumans, the Young Canadians, the Pointed Sticks, and U-J3RK5.[217] When alternative rock became popular in the 1990s, several Vancouver groups rose to prominence, including 54-40, Odds, Moist, the Matthew Good Band, Sons of Freedom and Econoline Crush. Recent successful Vancouver bands include Gob, Marianas Trench, Theory of a Deadman and Stabilo. Today, Vancouver is home to a number of popular independent bands such as The New Pornographers, Japandroids, Destroyer, In Medias Res, Tegan and Sara, and independent labels including Nettwerk and Mint. Vancouver also produced influential metal band Strapping Young Lad and pioneering electro-industrial bands Skinny Puppy, Numb and Front Line Assembly; the latter's Bill Leeb is better known for founding ambient pop super-group Delerium. Other popular musical artists who made their mark from Vancouver include Carly Rae Jepsen, Bryan Adams, Sarah McLachlan, Heart, Prism, Trooper, Chilliwack, Payolas, Moev, Images in Vogue, Michael Bublé, Stef Lang and Spirit of the West.[218] Larger musical performances are usually held at venues such as Rogers Arena, Queen Elizabeth Theatre, BC Place Stadium or the Pacific Coliseum, while smaller acts are held at places such as the Commodore Ballroom, the Orpheum Theatre and the Vogue Theatre. The Vancouver Folk Music Festival and the Vancouver International Jazz Festival showcase music in their respective genres from around the world. Vancouver's Hong Kong Chinese population has produced several Cantopop stars across the Hong Kong entertainment industry. Similarly, various Indo-Canadian artists and actors have a profile in Bollywood or other aspects of India's entertainment industry. Vancouver has a vibrant nightlife scene, whether it be food and dining, or bars and nightclubs. The Granville Entertainment District has the city's highest concentration of bars and nightclubs with closing times of 3 am, in addition to various after-hours clubs open until late morning on weekends. The street can attract large crowds on weekends and is closed to traffic on such nights. Gastown is also a popular area for nightlife with many upscale restaurants and nightclubs, as well as the Davie Village which is centre to the city's LGBT community. Media Main article: Media in Vancouver Granville Square (centre building) houses the two major daily newspapers of the city, The Vancouver Sun and The Province. Vancouver is a centre for film and television production. Nicknamed Hollywood North, a distinction it shares with Toronto,[219][220][221] the city has been used as a film making location for nearly a century, beginning with the Edison Manufacturing Company.[222] In 2008 more than 260 productions were filmed in Vancouver.[non-primary source needed] In 2011 Vancouver slipped to fourth place overall at 1.19 billion, although the region still leads Canada in foreign production.[223][224] A wide mix of local, national, and international newspapers are distributed in the city. The two major English-language daily newspapers are the Vancouver Sun and The Province. Also, there are two national newspapers distributed in the city, including The Globe and Mail, which began publication of a "national edition" in BC in 1983 and recently expanded to include a three-page BC news section, and the National Post which centres on national news. Other local newspapers include 24H (a local free daily), the Vancouver franchise of the national free daily Metro, the twice-a-week Vancouver Courier, and the independent newspaper The Georgia Straight. Three Chinese-language daily newspapers – Ming Pao, Sing Tao and World Journal – cater to the city's large Cantonese- and Mandarin-speaking population. A number of other local and international papers serve other multicultural groups in the Lower Mainland. 750 Burrard Street houses Bell Media's West Coast headquarters and the regional offices for The Globe and Mail. Some of the local television stations include CBC, Citytv, CTV and Global BC. OMNI British Columbia produces daily newscasts in Cantonese, Mandarin, Punjabi and Korean, and weekly newscasts in Tagalog, as well as programs aimed at other cultural groups. Fairchild Group also has two television stations: Fairchild TV and Talentvision, serving Cantonese- and Mandarin-speaking audiences, respectively. Radio stations with news departments include CBC Radio One, CKNW and News 1130. The Franco-Columbian community is served by Radio-Canada outlets CBUFT-DT channel 26 (Ici Radio-Canada Télé), CBUF-FM 97.7 (Première Chaîne) and CBUX-FM 90.9 (Espace musique). The multilingual South Asian community is served by Spice Radio on 1200 AM established in 2014.[225] Media dominance is a frequently discussed issue in Vancouver as newspapers the Vancouver Sun, The Province, the Vancouver Courier and other local newspapers such as the Surrey Now, the Burnaby Now and the Richmond News, are all owned by Postmedia Network.[226] The concentration of media ownership has spurred alternatives, making Vancouver a centre for independent online media including The Tyee, The Vancouver Observer, and NowPublic,[227] as well as hyperlocal online media, like Daily Hive and Vancouver Is Awesome,[228] which provide coverage of community events and local arts and culture. Transportation Main article: Transportation in Vancouver See also: List of roads in Vancouver A SeaBus crosses Burrard Inlet between Vancouver and the neighbouring city of North Vancouver. Vancouver's streetcar system began on June 28, 1890, and ran from the (first) Granville Street Bridge to Westminster Avenue (now Main Street and Kingsway). Less than a year later, the Westminster and Vancouver Tramway Company began operating Canada's first interurban line between the two cities (extended to Chilliwack in 1910). Another line (1902), the Vancouver and Lulu Island Railway, was leased by the Canadian Pacific Railway to the British Columbia Electric Railway in 1905 and ran from the Granville Street Bridge to Steveston via Kerrisdale, which encouraged residential neighbourhoods outside the central core to develop.[229] From 1897 the British Columbia Electric Railway (BCER) became the company that operated the urban and interurban rail system, until 1958, when its last vestiges were dismantled in favour of "trackless" trolley and gasoline/diesel buses;[230] in that same year the BCER became the core of the newly created, publicly owned BC Hydro.[citation needed] Vancouver currently has the second-largest trolleybus fleet in North America, after San Francisco.[231] Off- and on-ramps leading to British Columbia Highway 1 in Vancouver. Highway 1 is the only controlled-access highway within the city limits. Successive city councils in the 1970s and 1980s prohibited the construction of freeways as part of a long-term plan.[232] As a result, the only major freeway within city limits is Highway 1, which passes through the north-eastern corner of the city. While the number of cars in Vancouver proper has been steadily rising with population growth, the rate of car ownership and the average distance driven by daily commuters have fallen since the early 1990s.[233][234] Vancouver is the only major Canadian city with these trends. Despite the fact that the journey time per vehicle has increased by one-third and growing traffic mass, there are 7 percent fewer cars making trips into the downtown core.[233] In 2012, Vancouver had the worst traffic congestion in Canada and the second-highest in North America, behind Los Angeles.[235] As of 2013, Vancouver now has the worst traffic congestion in North America.[236] Residents have been more inclined to live in areas closer to their interests, or use more energy-efficient means of travel, such as mass transit and cycling. This is, in part, the result of a push by city planners for a solution to traffic problems and pro-environment campaigns. Transportation demand management policies have imposed restrictions on drivers making it more difficult and expensive to commute while introducing more benefits for non-drivers.[233] A two car train follows rail tracks under and bridge. In the background can be seen a domed sports stadium and high-rise buildings. Vancouver's SkyTrain in the Grandview Cut, with downtown Vancouver in the background. The white dome-like structure is the old roof of BC Place Stadium. TransLink is responsible for roads and public transportation within Metro Vancouver (in succession to BC Transit, which had taken over the transit functions of BC Hydro). It provides bus service, including the RapidBus express service, a foot passenger and bicycle ferry service (known as SeaBus), an automated rapid transit service called SkyTrain, and West Coast Express commuter rail. Vancouver's SkyTrain system is currently running on three lines, the Millennium Line, the Expo Line and the Canada Line[237] with a total of 53 stations as of 2017. Only 20 of these stations are within the City of Vancouver borders, with the remainders in the adjacent suburbs. A number of city's biggest tourist attractions, such as English Bay, Stanley Park, the Vancouver Aquarium, University of British Columbia with the Museum of Anthropology, and Kitsilano are not connected by this rapid transit system. Changes are being made to the regional transportation network as part of Translink's 10-Year Transportation Plan. The Canada Line, opened on August 17, 2009, connects Vancouver International Airport and the neighbouring city of Richmond with the existing SkyTrain system. The Evergreen Extension, which opened on December 2, 2016, links the cities of Coquitlam and Port Moody with the SkyTrain system.[238] As of January 2019, plans to extend the SkyTrain Millennium Line west to UBC as a subway under Broadway have been approved and there are plans for capacity upgrades and an extension to the Expo Line.[239] Several road projects will be completed within the next few years, as part of the Provincial Government's Gateway Program.[237] Other modes of transport add to the diversity of options available in Vancouver. Inter-city passenger rail service is operated from Pacific Central Station by Via Rail to points east, Amtrak Cascades to Seattle and Portland, and Rocky Mountaineer rail tour routes. Small passenger ferries operating in False Creek provide commuter service to Granville Island, Downtown Vancouver and Kitsilano. Vancouver has a citywide network of bicycle lanes and routes, which supports an active population of cyclists year-round. Cycling has become Vancouver's fastest-growing mode of transportation.[240] The bicycle-sharing system Mobi was introduced to the city in June 2016.[241] Vancouver is served by Vancouver International Airport (YVR), located on Sea Island in the city of Richmond, immediately south of Vancouver. Vancouver's airport is Canada's second-busiest airport,[242] and the second-largest gateway on the west coast of North America for international passengers.[243] HeliJet and float plane companies operate scheduled air service from Vancouver harbour and YVR south terminal. The city is also served by two BC Ferry terminals. One is to the northwest at Horseshoe Bay (in West Vancouver), and the other is to the south, at Tsawwassen (in Delta).[244] Sports and recreation Main article: Sports in Vancouver Third Beach is one of many beaches located in Vancouver. Given the city's proximity to the ocean, and mountains, the area is a popular destination for outdoor recreation. The mild climate of the city and proximity to ocean, mountains, rivers and lakes make the area a popular destination for outdoor recreation. Vancouver has over 1,298 ha (3,210 acres) of parks, of which Stanley Park, at 404 ha (1,000 acres), is the largest.[245] The city has several large beaches, many adjacent to one another, extending from the shoreline of Stanley Park around False Creek to the south side of English Bay, from Kitsilano to the University Endowment Lands, (which also has beaches that are not part of the city proper). The 18 km (11 mi) of beaches include Second and Third Beaches in Stanley Park, English Bay (First Beach), Sunset, Kitsilano Beach, Jericho, Locarno, Spanish Banks, Spanish Banks Extension, Spanish Banks West, and Wreck Beach. There is also a freshwater beach at Trout Lake in John Hendry Park. The coastline provides for many types of water sport, and the city is a popular destination for boating enthusiasts.[246] Within a 20- to 30-minute drive from downtown Vancouver are the North Shore Mountains, with three ski areas: Cypress Mountain, Grouse Mountain, and Mount Seymour. Mountain bikers have created world-renowned trails across the North Shore. The Capilano River, Lynn Creek and Seymour River, also on the North Shore, provide opportunities to whitewater enthusiasts during periods of rain and spring melt, though the canyons of those rivers are more utilized for hiking and swimming than whitewater.[247] Running races include the Vancouver Sun Run (a 10-kilometre (6.2 mi) race) every April; the Vancouver Marathon, held every May; and the Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon held every June. The Grouse Grind is a 2.9-kilometre (1.8 mi) climb up Grouse Mountain open throughout the summer and fall months, including the annual Grouse Grind Mountain Run. Hiking trails include the Baden-Powell Trail, an arduous 42-kilometre-long (26 mi) hike from West Vancouver's Horseshoe Bay to Deep Cove in the District of North Vancouver.[248] BC Place is a multi-purpose stadium that is home to the BC Lions of the CFL and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC of MLS. Vancouver is also home to notable cycling races. During most summers since 1973, the Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix has been held on the cobblestone streets of Gastown. This race and the UBC Grand Prix are part of BC Superweek, an annual series of professional cycling races in Metro Vancouver. The British Columbia Derby is a nine-furlong horse race held at the Hastings Racecourse in the third week of September.[249] In 2009, Metro Vancouver hosted the World Police and Fire Games. Swangard Stadium, in the neighbouring city of Burnaby, hosted games for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup.[19][250] Vancouver, along with Whistler and Richmond, was the host city for the 2010 Winter Olympics and the 2010 Winter Paralympics. On June 12, 2010, it played host to Ultimate Fighting Championship 115 (UFC 115) which was the fourth UFC event to be held in Canada (and the first outside Montreal). In 2011, Vancouver hosted the Grey Cup, the Canadian Football League (CFL) championship game which is awarded every year to a different city which has a CFL team. The BC Titans of the International Basketball League played their inaugural season in 2009, with home games at the Langley Event Centre.[251] Vancouver is a centre for the fast-growing sport of ultimate. During the summer of 2008 Vancouver hosted the World Ultimate Championships.[252] The National Basketball Association (NBA) came to town in the form of the Vancouver Grizzlies in 1995. They played their games at Rogers Arena. After six years in Vancouver, the team relocated to Memphis, Tennessee, in 2001. The Vancouver Canucks are an NHL team who play their home games in Rogers Arena. In 2015, Vancouver was one of six venues for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup and hosted the Final game between the United States and Japan. Vancouver has an adult obesity rate of 12 percent, compared to the Canadian average of 23 percent. 51.8 percent of Vancouverites are overweight, making it the fourth-thinnest city in Canada after Toronto, Montreal, and Halifax.[253][254] Current professional teams Professional Team League Sport Venue Established Championships BC Lions Canadian Football League (CFL) Football BC Place 1954 6 Vancouver Canucks National Hockey League (NHL) Ice hockey Rogers Arena 1970 (1945: PCHL) 0 (6 in previous leagues) Vancouver Canadians Northwest League (NWL) Baseball Nat Bailey Stadium 2000 4 Vancouver Giants Western Hockey League (WHL) Ice hockey Langley Events Centre 2001 1 Vancouver Whitecaps FC Major League Soccer (MLS) Soccer BC Place 2009 (1974: NASL) 0 (7 in previous leagues) BC Bears Canadian Rugby Championship (CRC) Rugby Union Thunderbird Stadium 2009 2 Vancouver Warriors National Lacrosse League (NLL) Box Lacrosse Rogers Arena 2014 0 (1 as the Washington Stealth) Vancouver Titans Overwatch League Overwatch Blizzard Arena 2018 1 (Stage 1 Champions) Vancouver Knights Global T20 Canada (GT20) Cricket None 2018 1 Sustainability Container recycling, paper recycling and garbage bins in Vancouver The City of Vancouver is a member of Metro Vancouver, which provides sustainable regional services[255] to the Greater Vancouver area. The city electrical grid is serviced by BC Hydro, which has 97.8 percent clean energy generation.[256] The City of Vancouver is the greenest city in Canada according to an independent ongoing urban ecological footprint study.[257] The Greenest City action plan (GCAP) is a City of Vancouver urban sustainability initiative. Its primary mission was to ensure that Vancouver would become the greenest city in the world by 2020. The GCAP originated based on the 2009 work of the Greenest City Action Team, a committee co-chaired by Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson.[258] The GCAP was approved by Vancouver city council in July 2011.[259] In May 2018, the Zero Waste 2040 Strategy was passed by Vancouver's city council.[260] The city began work the same year on decreasing the amount of single-use items distributed in the city and stated its intention to ban these items by 2021 if businesses do not meet reduction targets. As part of the plan, a ban on plastic straws, polystyrene food packaging and free shopping bags was to go into effect in mid-2019.[261] Twin towns – sister cities The City of Vancouver was one of the first cities in Canada to enter into an international sister cities arrangement.[262] Special arrangements for cultural, social and economic benefits have been created with these sister cities.[70][263][264] Country Municipality Year Ukraine Odessa[265] 1944 Japan Yokohama[265] 1965 Scotland Edinburgh[265] 1978 China Guangzhou[265] 1985 United States Los Angeles[265] 1986 Notable people Main article: List of people from Vancouver See also flag Canada portal Cities portal Pacific Northwest portal East Vancouver Gentrification of Vancouver Leaky condo crisis
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