vancouver

Vancouver is the most populous city in the province of British Columbia in Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of the province. As of 2021, the city had a population of 662,248, up from 631,486 in 2016. The Metro Vancouver area had a population of 2.6 million in 2021, making it the third-largest metropolitan area in Canada. Greater Vancouver, along with the Fraser Valley, comprises the Lower Mainland, with a regional population of over 3 million. Vancouver has the highest population density in Canada, with over 5,700 inhabitants per square kilometre (15,000/sq mi), and the fourth highest in North America (after New York City, San Francisco, and Mexico City).
Vancouver is one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities in Canada: 54.5 percent of its residents belong to visible minority groups, 49.3 percent are not native English speakers and 47.8 percent are native speakers of neither of Canada's official languages, English and French. It has been consistently ranked one of the most liveable cities in Canada and in the world. In terms of housing affordability, Vancouver is also one of the most expensive cities in Canada and in the world. The city's urban planning design philosophy is known as Vancouverism.
Human settlement of Vancouver began more than 10,000 years ago and included the ancestors 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, built on July 1, 1867 and owned by proprietor Gassy Jack. The Gastown steam clock marks the original site. Gastown was later formally registered as a townsite named Granville. The city was renamed "Vancouver" in 1886 through a deal with the Canadian Pacific Railway. Canadian Pacific's transcontinental railway was extended to the city from Port Moody by 1887. The city's large natural seaport near the Pacific Ocean became a vital link in the trade between Asia-Pacific, East Asia, Europe, and Eastern Canada.
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, matches and the finals of the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, several matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, 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. In 1969, Greenpeace was founded in Vancouver. The city became the permanent home of TED conferences in 2014.
As of 2016, the Port of Vancouver is the fourth-largest port by tonnage in the Americas, the busiest and largest port in Canada, and the most diversified port in North America. While forestry remains its largest industry, Vancouver is well known as an urban centre surrounded by nature, making tourism its second-largest industry. 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, earning it the nickname "Hollywood North".

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