Proper noun

Singular Vancouver

Plural -

Vancouver

1. A family name.
2. A large island off the coast of British Columbia, Canada.
3. A large city and seaport in British Columbia, Canada
4. A city in the State of Washington, USA.
5. A mountain between Alaska and Canada in the Saint Elias Mountains.

Derived terms

• Vancouverite

Vancouver (pronounced /vænˈkuːvər/) is a coastal city and major seaport located in the Lower Mainland of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The city is bounded by the Strait of Georgia, Burrard Inlet, the Fraser River, the city of Burnaby, and the University Endowment Lands. Vancouver is named after Captain George Vancouver, a British explorer. The name Vancouver itself originates from the Dutch "van Coevorden", denoting somebody from (in Dutch: "van") Coevorden, an old city in The Netherlands.

The population of the city of Vancouver is 578,041 and the population of Metro Vancouver is 2,116,581 (2006 Census). Vancouver is the largest metropolitan area in Western Canada and the third largest in the country, although as a municipality it is ranked 8th nationally. Vancouver is ethnically diverse, with 52% of city residents and 43% of residents of Metro Vancouver having a first language other than English.

Vancouver was first settled in the 1860s as a result of immigration to the Colony of British Columbia caused by the Fraser and Cariboo Gold Rushes, though only a very few settled in what would become the city of Vancouver. The city's roots are based in the founding of a large lumber mill operation and associated logging shows, giving birth to Gastown, which ultimately expanded rapidly in the 1880s into a metropolitan centre following the arrival of the transcontinental railway in 1887. The Port of Vancouver became internationally significant as a result of its key position in the All-Red Route, which spanned the global trade network of the British Empire, with the combined steamship and railway of the CPR shortening shipping times from the Orient to London drastically, with the new city becoming a node for major speculative investment by British and German capital.. After the completion of the Panama Canal, which although originally hurting Vancouver's shipping traffic by becoming the new preferred route from Asia to Europe, reduced freight rates in the 1920s, making it viable to ship even Europe-bound prairie grain west through Vancouver in addition to that already shipped to the Orient. It is the busiest seaport in Canada, and the fourth largest port (by tonnage) in North America.

Prior to the 1980s, the economy of Vancouver had traditionally relied on British Columbia's resource sectors: forestry, mining, fishing and agriculture. It has diversified over the past 30 years, however. Today its second largest industry, after forestry, is tourism, and it has become the third-largest film production centre in North America after Los Angeles and New York City, earning it the nickname Hollywood North.

Vancouver is consistently ranked as one of the most livable cities in the world. In 2009, The Economist ranked Vancouver first in quality of living and Mercer Human Resource Consulting, ranked it fourth, after Zürich, Vienna and Geneva. On the other hand, in 2007, according to Forbes, Vancouver had the 6th most overpriced real estate market in the world and was second highest in North America after Los Angeles. Vancouver has also been ranked Canada's second most expensive city to live in after Toronto and the 89th most expensive globally. The city is a destination for many international conferences and events, including Habitat, the first United Nations Conference on Human Settlements, in 1976, and the 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication (Expo 86). The 2010 Winter Olympics and 2010 Winter Paralympics will be held in Vancouver and nearby Whistler, a mountain town 125 km north of the city.