Page 75 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Canada

People crossing West George St, near Granville St, in downtown

VANCOUVER

Long before the Europeans discovered what is
now called Vancouver, the coastal area in which
the city stands was inhabited by the Squamish,
Tsleil-Waututh, and Xwméthkwyiem First Nations
peoples for thousands of years. In 1792, British
Captain George Vancouver, the city’s eventual
namesake, arrived in the Burrard Inlet and found
that the Spanish had already claimed the
surrounding land. It was the British, however,
who persevered in their exploration of this part
of the west coast, and eventually kickstarted
the lumber industry.
Initially just a sleepy timber town, Vancouver
saw its fortunes transformed when, in 1887,
the Canadian Pacific Railway decided to move
their terminus to what was then called Granville
(and quickly renamed Vancouver). The population
of the city exploded as new transportation links
drew thousands of European and Asian settlers to
the area, and by the beginning of the 20th century,
Vancouver was becoming a major international
port. Today, this city of gleaming glass skyscrapers
surrounded by stunning ocean and mountain
scenery is a fast-paced multicultural destination.
World-class museums, plentiful green spaces,
and a renowned food scene continue to draw
in visitors from all over the globe.
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