Greater Vancouver
Overview
Home to many of British Columbia’s famous landmarks, including Stanley Park, Granville Island, and the annual Pacific National Exhibition. While Vancouver is the region’s biggest city, Surrey is the fastest-growing municipality, and is readily connected to Vancouver via transit. Residents love the Greater Vancouver Region for the sheer number of amenities, the lack of snow, ability to golf and ski on the same day (really!), and the incredible scenery.
Did You Know?
The Greater Vancouver Region includes 15 distinct municipalities, which are all served by a network of buses, SkyTrain (above-ground subway), as SeaBus, and coming soon – a gondola!
Climate / Landscape
Greater Vancouver is on the southwest corner of British Columbia, with ocean to the west and the US to the south (Washington State).
Known for a moderate climate, Vancouver rarely sees snow – which means most winter precipitation is rain. Summer weather is warm in daytime, humidity is rare.
The region has a varied landscape including ocean beaches and waterfront, lakes and rivers, mountains, hilly terrain, farmland, and a mix of urban, suburban and rural communities.
Amenities
Vancouver is British Columbia largest city, and therefore is home to most major sports venues in the province: Rogers Centre, BC Place, Pacific Coliseum (hockey, football, soccer).
Vancouver also has multiple live theatre venues for music, dance, comedy, etc., as well as shopping districts, dining, art galleries, and more.
Most of the cities within Greater Vancouver have shopping centres, local theatre and sports venues, and vast numbers of parks, trails, boat launches, and golf courses.
Infrastructure
Major hospitals include PHSA’s BC Children’s Hospital and BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre. Regional health authorities operate general hospitals including Vancouver General Hospital, Surrey Memorial Hospital, and Royal Columbian Hospital.
Public Post Secondary institutions include University of British Columbia (Vancouver & Surrey), Simon Fraser university (Burnaby & Surrey), BCIT, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Douglas College, Langara College, Capilano College, and Vancouver Community College.
The Vancouver International Airport serves routes across the world and is connected to public transit.
