Whether you’re new to the city, or you’ve spent your whole life here, these are ten things about Vancouver that you’re sure to find interesting.

1. Based on quality of living, Vancouver has been called the third most livable city in the world, after Melbourne and Vienna. The index considers 30 factors related to safety, health care, educational resources, infrastructure and the environment.

2. On the flip side of that, Vancouver is also considered the third least affordable major city in the world, just ahead of Hong Kong and Sydney, Australia. Home prices slipped considerably between 2018 and 2018, but you’ll still have a hard time finding a house for under a million. After dropping 14 percent, the benchmark home price in Vancouver West still exceeded $3 million CAD.

3. Looking for a bird’s eye view of British Columbia? Head to the “The Eye of The Wind”, on top of Grouse Mountain. It is the world’s only working wind turbine with a viewing platform. With 360º views from one of the region’s highest peaks, you won’t find a better panorama of the city and the surrounding areas.

4. You’ll never guess what world-famous sushi entree was invented in Vancouver, Canada. The California roll!

5. Vancouver has been called the Hollywood of the north. A few of the better known movies to be filmed there include “Apollo 18”, “Juno”, “Tomorrowland”, and “Fifty Shades of Grey”.

6. Unhappy about fracking in central Canada? Perhaps you’ll want to join your local chapter of Greenpeace. One of the most successful environmental groups in the world, Greenpeace was founded in Vancouver 1971.

7. A whopping 40% of Vancouver’s population are immigrants. Vancouver also has the highest proportion of Asians of any North American city; its historic Chinatown is one of the largest in North America.

8. At 1001 acres, Vancouver’s Stanley Park is 10% larger than Central Park in New York. A 5.5 mile path circles the seawall, very popular for joggers, cyclists and roller bladers. Interestingly, every single grey squirrel found in Stanley Park is a descendant of eight pairs of grey squirrels that Vancouver received as a gift from New York City in 1909.

9. In 1792, Captain George Vancouver of the British Royal Navy entered the Strait of Juan de Luca, between Vancouver Island and Washington State. A bitter rivalry with contemporary Spanish explorers ensued, but ultimately, the island and the city would bear the captain’s name.

10. There are no freeways in downtown Vancouver. Not many North American cities can make that claim.

If you are moving to Vancouver and want to know everything there is to know about the city, then you’ll want to check out ARIANNE’s Online Relocation Guide for Vancouver. Loaded with practical, helpful, hyper-local information, our exclusive guides are both exhaustive and user-friendly. With 20+ years of industry experience, ARIANNE Relocation Specialists make relocation easy.

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Photo Credit: Canada Place, Vancouver (Unsplash)

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