Vancouver World City of Literature - The Association of Book ...

The aboriginals’ lifestyle was threatened by the arrival of English and Spanish explorers in
1792 and then displaced by the gold rush of the 1850s and 60s, which ushered in the era
of industrialization. This era saw the establishment of huge lumber mills and the arrival of
the transcontinental railway. A CPR executive chose the name Vancouver upon the city’s
incorporation in 1886 to honour the British naval explorer George Vancouver.
“...a rich and layered history...”
The opening of the Panama Canal in 1914 allowed Vancouver to become one of the
world’s major seaports. This, as well as natural resource extraction, was the foundation
of Vancouver’s economy for most of the twentieth century.
In the 1960s, Vancouver began to develop into a major city. The construction of three
bridges and a tunnel to bypass waterways speeded along the city’s expansion, giving rise
to suburbs outside the main core. The major success of the world fair, Expo 86, solidified
Vancouver’s new profile and attracted waves of Asian immigration. This immigration
(especially from India and China) was another catalyst in transforming Vancouver into
a global city. Since the 1980s, Asian immigration (and more recently, immigration from
the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Africa) has been steady, and Vancouver’s British
heritage is but one more layer in the mix.
Although Vancouver’s earliest settlers—the aboriginal peoples—had their communities
fragmented and their land dispersed over the past two hundred years, they are working
toward renewed economic and social stability aided by a positive relationship with the BC
government. Aboriginal peoples exert a strong creative voice and influence in Vancouver,
and their art is world-renowned.
Today’s Vancouver is a kaleidoscope of cultures, industries, and interests. It is in the midst
of a period of dramatic growth; experts predict that by the year 2040, Vancouver will be a
megacity of 10–25 million people.
chapter one: the natural city
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