Vancouver
Vancouver
Located in the University of British Columbia at Chancellor Place
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2016 census recorded 631,486 people in the city, up from 603,502 in 2011. The Greater Vancouver area had a population of 2,463,431 in 2016, making it the third-largest metropolitan area in Canada. Vancouver has the highest population density in Canada with over 5,400 people per square kilometre, which makes it the fifth-most densely populated city with over 250,000 residents in North America behind New York City, Guadalajara, San Francisco, and Mexico City according to the 2011 census. Vancouver is one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities in Canada according to that census; 52% of its residents have a first language other than English. Roughly 30% of the city's inhabitants are of Chinese heritage. Vancouver is classed as a Beta global city.
Vancouver is consistently named as one of the top five worldwide cities for livability and quality of life, and the Economist Intelligence Unit acknowledged it as the first city ranked among the top-ten of the world's most well-living cities for five consecutive years. Vancouver has hosted many international conferences and events, including the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, UN Habitat I, Expo 86, the World Police and Fire Games in 1989 and 2009; and the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics which were held in Vancouver and Whistler, a resort community 125 km (78 mi) north of the city.
My wife Yoshiko and I built our lives together in Japan over the past twenty or so years; she as a doctor and me as a business executive at several international businesses. But we always talked about moving to Canada once the time was right in our lives. During our vacation trips to Canada I would always include a side trip to show her different parts of Canada. By simple process of elimination we could determine where we would eventually live. Having grown up in western Canada and that region being closer to Japan, I favored destinations in the area: Calgary, Canmore, Kelowna and Vancouver.
It became clear quickly that Vancouver was the front runner of choice. Strong Asian influence, direct flights to Japan and its unique blend of cosmopolitan living and nature. Yoshiko received her Permanent Residency Visa in 2014. We completed our move in the summer of 2015 and have a home on the campus of the University of British Columbia area.
The University of British Columbia’s Vancouver campus is located at the western tip of the Point Grey Peninsula in the city of Vancouver.
More than 400 hectares in size, the stunning campus is surrounded by forest on three sides and ocean on the fourth, and is just a 30 minute bus ride to Vancouver's downtown core. The campus has been located on this site for most of its 100-year history; a location that is the traditional territory of the Musqueam people.
YVR (Vancouver International Airport) is one of my favorite airports and a great place to enter Canada. Easy to navigate, representative of Canada by its interior design and just twenty minutes door-to-door to our condo. No wonder it is consistently ranked as one of the top airports in North America.
One of the coolest airports in Canada, Vancouver International features a flowing creek leading to an impressive aquarium. There are also pieces of aboriginal art native to Canada scattered throughout the airport.
