athens.taipei The Atlas of City Experiences
The index

126 cities across the atlas, by region — or browse the full A–Z.

Every city, A–Z →
🇨🇦 North America & Caribbean · metro 2.2M

Vancouver

Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. Vancouver has the highest population density in Canada. It is one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities in Canada: 54.5 percent of residents belong to visible minority groups. It has been consistently ranked one of the most liveable cities in Canada and in the world. In terms of housing affordability, Vancouver is also one of the most expensive cities in Canada and in the world. Vancouverism is the city's urban planning design philosophy. The city was renamed 'Vancouver' in 1886 through a deal with the Canadian Pacific Railway.

Typical weather

1981–present
JFMAMJJASOND
dry-summerwet-winter
coldcool warmhot ▢ outlined = best time to visit
JFMAMJJASOND
Best time to visit Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep — mild (15–26 °C mean) and not wet months.

City Rhythm

measured
Eat well at 2 a.m.
9% of food & drink open past midnight
Work all day from a café
70 h open per week
Run Sunday's errands
91% of shops open on Sundays
Find breakfast before 8
17% open before 8 a.m.

Opening hours, by kind of place

median across mapped venues
Culture420 places mapped
09:30–20:00
0006121824
0%
open past midnight
84%
open on Sundays
64h
open per week
Food & drink3,861 places mapped
11:00–22:00
0006121824
9%
open past midnight
89%
open on Sundays
70h
open per week
4%
open 24/7
Shops & errands860 places mapped
08:00–21:00
0006121824
2%
open past midnight
91%
open on Sundays
83h
open per week
10%
open 24/7
Services625 places mapped
09:00–18:00
0006121824
1%
open past midnight
31%
open on Sundays
48h
open per week

Vital absurdities

measured · the Anti-Awards

Same time system

by rhythm

What to do each season

2
May-Sep

dry-summer

mild and dry; openmeteo mean 9.9-16.2 °C (Aug warmest 16.2; the coolest summer average high of major Canadian metros); only ~1 in 5 days rain in Jul-Aug (Jul 1.9 mm/day); the high season

  • the dry mild summer — the ocean+mountain outdoor season peaks (sailing, the seawall, skiing on the North Shore into spring); the festival window
  • the 237-day growing season at its peak; the lowest rainfall and the clearest mountain views
Oct-Apr

wet-winter

cool and very wet; openmeteo mean −1.4 to 7.5 °C (Dec coolest −1.4, but 'the fourth-mildest of Canadian cities'); the wettest months (Nov wettest 11.3 mm/day, Dec 9.4); ~9 snow days/yr; rain on most days Nov-Mar

  • the long wet gloomy winter — the indoor + ski season; the cloud and rain that define 'Raincouver'
  • the mildest Canadian winter — snow rarely stays long; the North Shore ski season runs through the wet months

What it is known for

'Vancouverism' (the dense + livable urban-planning philosophy)🌳Stanley Park (404 ha, one of N. America's largest urban parks)the North Shore Mountains (Cypress, Grouse, Seymour — skiing 20-30 min from downtown)the ocean + mountains + rainforest setting ('Sea to Sky')🚇Port Metro Vancouver (Canada's largest port; the Pacific Rim gateway)🎬'Hollywood North' (3rd-largest film/TV production in N. America)the highest population density in Canada (5,700/km²)multiculturalism (54.5% visible minority; large Chinese/Filipino origin)one of the world's most livable citiesGastown (the 1867 founding; the steam clock)Canada Place (the 1986 Expo pavilion / cruise terminal)🚇the SkyTrain + the no-freeway policythe housing-affordability crisis (most expensive in Canada)🏖the seawall + the 18 km of beaches

Important moments in a year

1986

Expo 86

  • Vancouver hosted the 1986 World Exposition (Expo 86)
  • Canada Place — the former Canada Pavilion — became the cruise terminal and convention centre
wikipedia:Architecture
September (two weeks)

Viff

  • the Vancouver International Film Festival — over 350 films, one of North America's most prominent
wikipedia:Arts and culture
2010

2010 Winter Olympics

  • Vancouver (with Whistler) hosted the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games
candidate — widely documented; referenced via the 2010 Games

On the record

source-tracked
nature

Vancouver's climate … is classified as an oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb) bordering on a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csb).

wikipedia:Climate
nature

Vancouver is one of the wettest Canadian cities. … Annual precipitation as measured at Vancouver International Airport averages 1,189 mm, compared with 1,588 mm downtown and 2,044 mm in North Vancouver.

wikipedia:Climate
nature

While the city has the coolest summer average high of all major Canadian metropolitan areas, winters in Greater Vancouver are the fourth-mildest of Canadian cities.

wikipedia:Climate
nature

The summer months are typically dry, with only one in five days receiving precipitation during July and August. In contrast, most days from November through March record some precipitation.

wikipedia:Climate
everyday

Vancouver has the highest population density in Canada, with over 5,700 inhabitants per square kilometre, and the fourth highest in North America.

wikipedia:lead
history

Vancouverism is the city's urban planning design philosophy.

wikipedia:lead
everyday

Port Metro Vancouver, Canada's largest and most diversified port, does more than $172 billion in trade with over 160 different trading economies annually.

wikipedia:Economy
social

Vancouver hosts approximately 65 movies and 55 TV series annually and is the third largest film and TV production centre in North America, supporting 20,000 jobs.

wikipedia:Economy
social

54.5 percent of residents belong to visible minority groups.

wikipedia:lead
nature

Within a 20- to 30-minute drive from downtown Vancouver are the North Shore Mountains, with three ski areas: Cypress Mountain, Grouse Mountain, and Mount Seymour.

wikipedia:Sports and recreation
movement

Successive city councils in the 1970s and 1980s prohibited the construction of freeways. The only major freeway within city limits is Highway 1.

wikipedia:Transportation
everyday

In terms of housing affordability, Vancouver is also one of the most expensive cities in Canada and in the world.

wikipedia:lead
From the review desk · coming soon
What Cities Let You Do

The method behind this atlas — 196 pp. Not published yet.