View the panoramic shot of Vancouver as shot from Stanley Park. Enlarge this Picture.
Renowned for being a financial, cultural, historical and tourism center, it is a beautiful city surrounded by mountains, water and a pronounced skyline. It is also a major industrial and commercial metropolis. The metro area has a population of 1,986,965 (2000) and occupies an area of 423 square miles. Vancouver is the third largest city in Canada. It is the largest city in western Canada and British Columbia. The predominant language here is English although Vancouver supports a diverse population, many speaking their native languages.
Vancouver is packed with tourist attractions. Many of these attractions are also of cultural and historical significance. Stanley Park is just to the northwest of the downtown. It has beaches, the Vancouver Aquarium and a zoo. Other parks include Vanier Park. Museums of interest are the Vancouver Art Gallery, the Vancouver Maritime Musuem, the Centennial Museum and the H.R. MacMillan Planetarium. Important higher education institutes include the University of British Columbia and the nearby Simon Fraser University in Burnaby. Downtown has a large Chinatown, containing one of the largest Chinese communities in North America. Gas Town is a restoration of an old section and nearby Granville Island has many activities. The city supports professional sports teams including the NHL Vancouver Canucks.
Vancouver has a diverse economy. It is Canadas' leading seaport. Manufacturing includes wood and metal items, refined petroleum, textiles and ships. It is a major tourist location, people being attracted to the progressive city and vast, rugged surrounding landscapes. There are 3 local ski slopes in the nearby mountains. Whistler/Blackcomb Mountain is a world class resort 2 hours to the north. The winter Olympics will be held there in 2010.
The area that is now Vancouver was inhabited by the Salish Indians when the Spanish explorer Jose Maria Narvaez arrived in 1791. Permanent settlers came by 1865 and by 1870 was called Granville. When incorporated in 1886, it was renamed after Capt. George Vancouver, the British explorer. The community grew as a port, transportation and wood-processing center. As trade increased with eastern Asia in the 1960s-1970s, many new buildings were constructed resulting in the current dramatic skyline.
Temperature averages are 36F in January and 63F in July. Rainfall averages 43.6"/year. It is the one major Canadian city that has mild winters, due to its proximity to the Pacific Ocean.
All pictures on this page are from Vancouver at the Harbour Centre, Canada Place and various night shots using various film and digital cameras. Pictures were taken both during the day and night. Subsequent pages are found directly below. A total of 4 pages makes up this Vancouver site. Other pages have pictures from downtown Vancouver, Stanley Park and portions of British Columbia near to Vancouver.
View the panoramic shot of Vancouver as shot from Stanley Park.
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Looking out towards Coal Harbor from the top of Harbour Centre, located on W. Hastings St.
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Looking out at the Province building and Canada Place from the top of Harbor Center.
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Looking out towards Burrard Inlet and North Vancouver from the top of Harbour Centre.
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Looking out at the GM and BC Place from the top of Harbour Centre.
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Looking out at the Holy Rosary Cathedral from the top of Harbour Centre.
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The view from Canada Place of downtown Vancouver.
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The view from Canada Place of downtown Vancouver.
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The view from Canada Place of downtown North Vancouver.
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The view from Canada Place of Stanley Park.
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Canada Place from the Steam Works Brewing Co located at Seymour and Cordova.
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Canada Place night shot from the Steam Works Brewing Co.
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Looking up at Harbour Centre at night from the street.
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From the Lookout Tower at Harbour Centre during night.
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From the Lookout Tower at Harbour Centre during night.
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From the Lookout Tower at Harbour Centre during night, looking north out at Canada Place.
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Night shot from Granville and Georgia.
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Orpheum Theatre night shot from Granville Street near Smithe Street.
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Further information can be found at the Vancouver Canada.com page.
