Interesting Facts About Vancouver That You Probably Don’t Know

Whether a local of the city or staying at hotel suites Vancouver for the first time, the city of Vancouver has many layers to it. This is unsurprising, the city itself dates back to 1886 and the region in which it’s been developed has hundreds of thousands of years of human history. With so much to see and do and a diverse range of terrains and landscapes, the city of Vancouver is full of secrets. Below are just some of them, giving you deeper insight into the history and character of this beautiful city.

1. It Was First Known As Gastown

The original settlement of Vancouver, Gastown was formed by a Yorkshire steamboat captain who moved to the settlement to start a bar and saloon. Known as “Gassy” Jack Deighton due to his talkative nature, the area became known as Gassy’s town and found prosperity thanks to the Hastings Mill sawmill and a seaport that emerged. Gastown is now a core district of Vancouver.

2. Hastings Mill Store – The Oldest Building In Vancouver

Hastings Mill was mentioned above, and is the oldest standing building in Vancouver. It was built in 1857, young compared to other buildings worldwide but as a young country, it stands proud in Vancouver and wider Canada. It is also the source for Gastown’s early prosperity, and brought jobs to the area that attracted larger development of the area. Today, the Hastings Mill Store is used as a museum that showcases relics and artifacts from the founding of the city.

3. The Great Vancouver Fire Destroyed Much Of The City

Almost the entirety of Vancouver was destroyed in a fire that occurred in 1886, around the time that the area of Granville was incorporated into the wider city of Vancouver. The fire was man made, and deliberately started to clear land for building railway depots for the Canadian Pacific Railway. Unfortunately, the fire grew out of control and destroyed between 600 and 1000 buildings.

4. Vancouver’s Home To Canada’s Longest Swimming Pool

For guests of luxury Vancouver hotels who prefer a dip in a pool rather than in the Pacific and Burrard Inlet, the Kitsilano Pool on the beach of the same name measures 137.5 meters in length. The beautiful saltwater pool overlooks the ocean and is well worth visiting for a dip.

5. Stanley Park Is Bigger Than Central Park

Stanley Park is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Vancouver due to its leisurely circumference SeaWall Walk. Technically a temperate rainforest, the park consists of 1001 acres and is larger than Central Park in New York City. Stanley Park also surpasses Central Park in that it was not invented by humans through landscape gardening, but exists because of the preservation of hundreds of thousands of years of vegetation growth.

6. Vancouver Island And Vancouver City

It’s worth noting that when people in the city talk about Vancouver island, they aren’t talking about the city itself but the island off of the mainland that has mostly been preserved as a wild habitat. Vancouver Island can be reached from Vancouver Metro via a ferry, which takes between 90 minutes and two hours.