"Vancouver : my home town" a Vancouver Travel Page by sunnywong

Vancouver is, by common consent, one of the most striking city locations in the world. It is Canada's third largest city, surrounded by the waters of the Strait of Georgia and flanked by the dramatic Coast Mountains. Blessed with a mild climate, Vancouver is a city of beaches, great views, outdoor restaurants, a vigorous artistic, scene, and a lifestyle which often makes permanent residents out of visitors.

Link to my online photo albums at Imagestation.com

Vancouver is now a young, modern city, based on its large port facility, and its role as the financial center for Western Canada. Tourism is a very large industry in Vancouver. What attracts visitors to the city is its evident charm, the spectacular scenery, and the attractions which this environment promotes: sightseeing, boating, Canada's largest Chinatown, several excellent museums, gardens, wonderful parks and excellent shopping.

Just over 100 years old, Vancouver was the home of several Native settlements before Spanish explorer Jose Narvaez anchored off Point Grey in July 1791. Captain George Vancouver charted Burrard Inlet and then made rendezvous with Spanish captains Galiano and Valdes on June 21, 1792. Vancouver was established as a village when "Gassy Jack" Deighton received a saloon permit in 1869, and the community at Burrard Inlet was in business where the restored Gastown area is now situated.

Vancouver is surrounded by water and bridges are a basic fact of life in the area, although traffic jams are rare, outside of rush hours. Two bridges link Vancouver and the North shore of Burrard Inlet: the Lions Gate suspension bridge from Vancouver's West End, and the Second Narrows Bridge to the east. The Burrard, Granville, and Cambie Street bridges cross False Creek in downtown Vancouver, while a series of bridges cross the arms of the Fraser River, leading to the suburbs of Richmond, Delta and Surrey. City maps are available at the downtown Vancouver Infocentre or may be purchased at gas stations.