Richmond, British Columbia
| Richmond | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 town hall |
|||
 coat of arms |
 flag |
||
| Location in British Columbia | |||
|
|||
| State : |
 Canada
|
||
| Province : | British Columbia | ||
| Regional District : | Metro Vancouver | ||
| Coordinates : | 49 ° 9 ′ N , 123 ° 10 ′ W | ||
| Height : | 10 m | ||
| Area : | 129.67 km² | ||
| Residents : | 190,473 (as of 2011) | ||
| Population density : | 1,468.9 inhabitants / km² | ||
| Time zone : | Pacific Time ( UTC − 8 ) | ||
| Postal code : | V6V - V6Y, V7A - V7E | ||
| Mayor : | Malcolm Brodie | ||
| Website : | www.richmond.ca | ||
 Location in the Metro Vancouver area |
|||
Richmond is a city in the southwest of the Canadian province of British Columbia . It is located south of Vancouver on the banks of the Georgia Strait at the mouth of the Fraser River . Richmond is part of the Metro Vancouver district and is the location of Vancouver Airport .
geography
The urban area includes most of the islands in the Fraser River delta , the largest and most populous is Lulu Island (the eastern tip belongs to the neighboring city of New Westminster ). The second largest island is Sea Island , where the international airport is located. There are also thirteen smaller islands.
Since the entire city area is on islands in a river delta , Richmond has abundant fertile alluvial soil . The mouth of the river was one of the first areas in British Columbia, where European settlers Agriculture operated. The disadvantage, however, was that the country is only a meter above sea level on average and was therefore often affected by floods , especially during high tide . For this reason, dikes have been built around all of the larger islands .
history
Various Indian tribes of the Salish group came to the islands to fish and to gather berries. Settlement by European farmers began in the 1860s. The official establishment of the Richmond parish took place on November 10, 1879. There are various theories about the origin of the name: One says that the place was named after a district in the province of Ontario where some settlers came from. Another assumes that the name comes from a farm of the same name in Australia or from the city of Richmond in England.
From the 1880s onwards, fishing was of great importance to the local economy. The fish were processed in several factories that were built on the Fraser River. Boat building also brought jobs. As a result, many Japanese fishermen moved here; these settled mainly in the village of Steveston on the southwest tip of Lulu Island.
Richmond was and still is the center of aviation in British Columbia. The first aircraft took off on March 25, 1910 from what was then the Minoru Racecourse . The first airfield with a simple grass runway was on Lulu Island. The airport on Sea Island opened in 1931 and has since been expanded several times. On December 3, 1990, Richmond was granted city status.
population
The 2011 census revealed a population of 190,473 for the city. The population has increased by 9.2% compared to the 2006 census, while the population in British Columbia only grew by 7.0%.
After Vancouver , Surrey and Burnaby , Richmond is the fourth most populous city in the Metro Vancouver regional district . It has the highest proportion of minorities of any Canadian city at 59% . More than half of the population is of Asian origin, most of these people immigrated here from Hong Kong and China . Others are originally from Taiwan and Japan and settled in the Steveston district as early as the late 19th century. According to the Bureau of Statistics, life expectancy of 83.4 years is the highest in Canada.
economy
Richmond has approximately 100,000 jobs in commerce, services, tourism, light industry, air travel, agriculture, fishing and administration. Richmond is considered the region's leading hub for high-tech businesses. There is also a car terminal belonging to the Port of Vancouver in the urban area .
Around a third of the urban area (4800 hectares) is agricultural land, mostly in the eastern part of Richmond. American blueberries and large-fruited cranberries are mainly planted , as well as strawberries , corn and potatoes . Because blackberries grow wild and uncontrolled, many farmers consider them to be weeds. Almost half of British Columbia's cranberry harvest comes from Richmond.
Richmond has numerous shopping centers , which are built in the Asian style, most of them are located in an area that was officially launched by the Municipal Tourism Administration as "Golden Village" (Golden Village) is called. The names of many shops (including non-Asian ones) are written in both English and Chinese.
Numerous major television series and films have been shot in Richmond, including Supernatural , Outer Limits , The X Files , Smallville , Stargate - SG-1 , Once Upon a Time and Scary Movie . Vancouver International Airport often serves as the backdrop for airport scenes, even if the action takes place in other airports; Examples are Final Destination , Eine für 4 , The L Word , Popstar on Detours and Fantastic Four .
traffic
The Vancouver International Airport on Sea Iceland is located north of the city center. It is the second largest airport in Canada and one of the most important international airports on the North American west coast.
Because of its island location, Richmond is connected to the neighboring cities by numerous bridges and a tunnel. Two highways run through the urban area, Highway 99 in a north-south direction to the US border, and Highway 91 in an east-west direction from Delta via Richmond to New Westminster . Railway lines of the Canadian National Railway and the Canadian Pacific Railway lead to Vancouver, New Westminster and Annacis Island , but are only used for freight traffic.
Numerous bus routes, financed by TransLink, operate public transport and connect Richmond with downtown Vancouver as well as with Surrey , New Westminster, Burnaby , Delta and the University of British Columbia . Richmond is connected to Vancouver by a subway line, the Canada Line opened in August 2009.
education
In Richmond there is a campus of Kwantlen University College . In addition, the British Columbia Institute of Technology's aircraft maintenance courses are held in facilities at the airport. The city forms the school district 38; this includes 38 primary schools and eleven secondary schools. Eight schools offer classes in French.
Sports
The Richmond Olympic Oval , a hall with 8,000 seats for the speed skating competitions , was built in Richmond to hold the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver . The opening took place in December 2008. After the games, the hall was converted into a leisure center.
Twin cities
Personalities
- Aaron Ashmore (born 1979), actor
- Shawn Ashmore (born 1979), actor
- Scott Hannan (* 1979), ice hockey player
- Matt Jarvis (born 1984), poker player
- Brent Seabrook (born 1985), ice hockey player
- Philip Scrubb (born 1992), basketball player
- Troy Stecher (* 1994), ice hockey player
Web links
- Richmond ( English, French ) In: The Canadian Encyclopedia .
- Official website
Individual evidence
- ↑ Statistics Canada (2011 Census). Richmond Community Profile , accessed July 7, 2012