British Columbia, Canada

Profile:

British Columbia, Canada’s westernmost province, with 27,000 km of steep, forested coastline on the Pacific Ocean, is still mainly a rugged wilderness with a wide variety of climates and surface features. The first European visitors to this land were the British maritime explorers James Cook in 1778 and George Vancouver in 1792. When the Fraser Canyon gold rush of 1858 brought a large influx of American prospectors, the British designated the mainland as the Colony of British Columbia.

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British Columbia’s border with the U.S. was defined as following the 49th parallel by the Oregon Treaty of 1846, and British Columbia joined the Canadian confederation in 1871.

Historically British Columbia has been a resource-based economy, but in 2005 the largest employer in the province was wholesale and retail sales, followed by health care, manufacturing, and accommodation. As of 2007 the British Columbia economy is booming, immigration is strong, and Vancouver house prices are the highest in Canada.

Population:

British Columbia population: 4.1 million in 2006
Three largest B.C. metro areas in 2006: Vancouver: 2.1 million; Victoria: 330,000; Kelowna 162,000
Change in British Columbia’s population 1996–2006: +10.4%

Interesting Facts:

British Columbia is 945,000 square km—about the size of France, Germany, and the Netherlands combined
Half of all British Columbians live in the Greater Vancouver Regional District
British Columbia’s highest point: Mount Fairweather at 4,663 meters (15,299 ft)
Average value of a British Columbia house/condo in 2006: $518,176
The borders of British Columbia were not completely settled until 1903, when the province's territory shrank after the Alaska Boundary Dispute settled the boundary of the Alaska Panhandle
The Vancouver region is the third-largest feature-film production location in North America, after Los Angeles and New York.

Demographic:

12 largest ethnic groups in British Columbia:
- English 25.6%
- Canadian 24.3%
- Scottish 19.4%
- Irish 14.6%
- German 12.9%
- Chinese 9.7%
- French 8.6%
- East Indian 4.8%
- Dutch (Netherlands) 4.7%
- Ukrainian 4.6%
- North American Indian 4.5%
- Italian 3.3%

Avg. Family Income:

Median household income in 2000: $54,840

Transportation:

Due to its size and rugged topography, British Columbia needs thousands of kilometers of highways to connect its communities. There are freeways in the Lower Mainland and Central Interior of the province, and much of the rest of the province is accessible by well-maintained two-lane highways with additional passing lanes in mountainous areas.
BC Ferries, established in 1960 to provide passenger and vehicle ferry service between Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland, now operates 25 routes among the islands of British Columbia, as well as between the islands and the mainland. Ferry service to Washington is offered by the Washington State Ferries (between Sidney and Anacortes) and Black Ball Ferries (between Victoria and Port Angeles).
There are over 200 airports located in British Columbia, the major ones being Vancouver International Airport, Victoria International Airport, Kelowna International Airport, and Prince George International Airport. Vancouver International Airport is the 2nd-busiest airport in Canada with an estimated 16 million travelers passing through in 2005.
Apart from the CPR, numerous other rail lines have been developed. Two major routes through the Yellowhead Pass competed with the CPR: the Grand Trunk Pacific, terminating at Prince Rupert, and the Canadian National Railway (CNR), terminating at Vancouver. The British Columbia Railway (now owned by CNR) connects Fort St. James, Fort Nelson, and Tumbler Ridge with North Vancouver
Major ports are located at Vancouver, Roberts Bank (near Tsawwassen), Prince Rupert, and Victoria. The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and the most diversified in North America. Vancouver, Victoria, and Prince Rupert are also major ports of call for cruise ships.