Vancouver – The Best City In The World?
The beautiful city of Vancouver is located in the Southwesterncorner of British Columbia, Canada; on the coast of the PacificOcean. Being overlooked by the Coast Range Mountains andsurrounded by water on three sides, the city has a landscapethat truly takes your breath away.
The Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) has everythingfrom Beaches, mountains and 192 beautiful parks to acosmopolitan downtown area, fabulous shopping and entertainment.Due to its location it has a mild climate, which means not toomuch snow in the winter and pleasant temperatures in the summer,but it does to tend to have a lot of rain. The average annualrain and snow fall is 1219mm.
As Canadas third largest city, the downtown area has apopulation of 514,000 (1996 census) and the GVRD has apopulation of almost two million.
Vancouver is a city of newcomers, according to the 1996 census45 percent of residents were immigrants. According tointernational surveys, Vancouver is one of the best cities inthe world for quality of life. It is also ranked, along withfour other Canadian cities, as one of the safest cities in NorthAmerica.
The Greater Vancouver Regional District comprises 21 separatemunicipalities – each is home to several hundred thousand peopleand many were once cities in their own right before beingswallowed up by the urban sprawl. The actual city of Vancouveritself is made up of 23 different Neighborhoods – each havingits own distinct character.
There are many wonderful places to visit, shop and eat in. Thisincludes a vast number of galleries, sophisticated shopping andantique shops to choose from. Chinatown is one of the largest inNorth America and is a thriving commercial and residentialdistrict.
Gastown is the historical part of the city with cobblestonestreets, heritage buildings, shops, restaurants and galleries.Its located just south of the harbor and is a vibrant place.Located just under the Granville Street Bridge is GranvilleIsland Market which offers a mix of food, arts and crafts,shopping and theatres. Water taxis ferry shoppers to and fromthe market or you can stroll there.
Stanley Park, located close to downtown, has over 1000 acres offorest and is a firm favorite with both locals and tourists. Thepark has many kilometers of pathway, an aquarium, a pitch andputt golf course, a miniature railway, tennis, restaurants,beaches and on summer evenings live theatre. Robson Street is inthe heart of downtown and offers boutiques, side walk cafes,shops and restaurants. The city has many tree lined streets andno highway cutting through the city so walking is encouraged. Itis illegal to cross the street anywhere but at a markedintersection crossing in the city.
There is an excellent public transport system which consists ofbuses, Seabus, Skytrain and a commuter rail service called theWest Coast Express. This is an integrated system and you can usethe same tickets for
different modes of transport. There is alsoan extensive system of bikeways, so cycling is another good wayto get around.
The Port of Vancouver rates number one in North America in totalforeign exports and is the gateway for Asia-Pacific trade. Ithas a natural deep water harbor and covers 233 kilometers ofcoastline. In 2003 its total cargo traffic was 66.7 milliontones. The Port is also home to the Vancouver – Alaska cruise,one of the worlds most popular cruises. There are manyattractions in and around the city offering a wide variety ofactivities. Grouse Mountain – located just 15 minutes fromdowntown, also known as the Peak of Vancouver. Riding theGondola to the mountain top is an absolute must, in the winteryou can experience the skiing, snowboarding, snow-shoeing, iceskating and sleigh rides and in the summer mountain bike tours,helicopter tours, tandem paragliding or maybe just enjoy themagnificent views at one of the restaurants.
Science World – located on Quebec Street offers hundreds ofinteractive exhibits, wrap around movies in a giant theatre andyear round special events. There are always new exhibitsarriving so it never gets boring.
Capilano Suspension bridge and Park – located 10 minutes fromdowntown is the citys most popular visitor attraction. Theswaying footbridge bridge is 230 feet above the Capilano Riverand spans 450 feet. There is also a colorful Totem park, trailsthrough the West Coast rain forest and much more.
Vancouver Zoo is located in Aldergrove just off the Trans CanadaHighway. They are open all year round and offer either dailyadmission rates or season passes. There is a miniature safaritrain and a safari bus tour, you can also hire quadra cycles orbring your own bikes, in-line skates or any motor-lesstransportation to get you around.
The city Aquarium is situated 5 minutes from downtown in StanleyPark. They are a self supporting and not for profit group andare Canadas leading aquatic conservation organization. Openyear round they have many different types of marine life tolearn about and a daily schedule of shows. The Vancouver Canucksare one of the strongest teams in the NHL (Ice Hockey) and withthe BC lions always very competitive, there is a good supply ofsports choices. Vancouver is without doubt the most impressivecity I have ever stayed in and is a must to visit if you are inCanada. Undoubtedly one of the most expensive places to buyproperty in Canada but with the amount the city has to offer Ican understand why. For more detailed information including fulldescriptions of each municipality, visit http://www.onestopimmigration-canada.com/vancouver.html
About the author:
The author immigrated to Canada in 2003 and has constructed afree information websitehttp://www.onestopimmigration-canada.com about CanadianImmigration and life in Canada based on his familysexperiences.
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