With its scenic views, mild climate, and friendly people, Vancouver is known around the world as one of the best places to live and is a popular tourist attraction. Vancouver is also one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities in Canada with 52% of the population speaking a first language other than English.
Vancouver has been host to many international conferences and events, including the 2010 Winter Olympics and 2010 Winter Paralympics.
About Geography
The City of Vancouver is a coastal, seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia. Located on the western half of the Burrard Peninsula, Vancouver is bounded to the north by English Bay and the Burrard Inlet and to the south by the Fraser River.
The City of Burnaby lies to the east and the Strait of Georgia to the west. Vancouver Island, across the Strait of Georgia, shields Vancouver from the Pacific Ocean.
About Street layout
The streets in Vancouver generally form a standard grid with the streets running north and south and the avenues running east and west. Most avenues are numbered (First, Second, Third, and so on) with two notable exceptions: Broadway, which should be 9th Ave and King Edward Ave, which should be 25th. All streets are named.
Block numbers start with single digits on either side of Ontario St, which is the east/west separator for avenues. For example, West Broadway runs to the west of Ontario St and East Broadway runs to the east.
