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Vancouver is the largest city in the Canadian province of British Columbia and is situated in the southwestern corner of the country. In the centuries which preceded the arrival of western explorers, the region was home to various tribes of Native Indians including the Squamish and Musqueam. Evidence of their existence can still be seen throughout British Columbia today in the wealth of giant totem poles, burial grounds and tribal celebrations which have remained right up to the present day.
In 1792, however, the American trader Robert Gray became the first non-native to enter the Columbia River region. Later that year, the British William Broughtoun serving under Captain George Vancouver travelled and explored the river naming a point of land along the way in honour of his commander. In the years that followed, Vancouver was to serve many purposes. In the early 1800s it was the fur-trading centre for the Pacific Northwest. Apparently fur was quite a lucrative business back then causing the city to flourish. With the arrival of the first rail line in 1908 and the opening of a railroad bridge across the Columbia in 1910 Vancouver continued to develop at a phenomenal rate.
Like the native Indians, all the different cultures which settled in the area while the above developments were taking place have also left their own specific marks on the city. Traditional English pubs, North America’s second largest Chinatown and the very noticeable Italian district are all testament to just how many different groups of settlers have opted for Vancouver as their ultimate destination – and who could blame them?
Back in 1995, Vancouver was ranked as the second best city in the world out of a selection of one hundred and eighteen cities from right across the globe. In 1997, Vancouver was placed as the best. And just last month, Vancouver once again retained its premier place in list of the world’s top cities. The findings are based on the living and environmental conditions of a particular area and give you a strong indication of exactly how desirable the city is as a place to live but also as somewhere to visit to visit.
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