| Table of contents |
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2 Climate 3 History 4 Demographics 5 Government 6 Transportation 7 Economy 8 Companies 9 Education 10 Sports 11 External links |
Geography
The municipality comprises most of the islands in the Fraser River delta, the largest and most populated island being Lulu Island (the eastern tip of which forms the Queensborough neighbourhood, which is actually part of the neighbouring city of New Westminster). The next largest island, Sea Island, is home to the Vancouver International Airport. In addition to Lulu and Sea Islands, 13 smaller islands make up the municipality's 129.666 km2 land area.
Since all of Richmond's lands occupy islands in a river delta, the municipality has plenty of rich, alluvial soil for agriculture, and was one of the first areas in British Columbia to be farmed by Europeans in the 19th century. The drawback, however, is that all the land is at sea level and is prone to flooding. As a result, all the major islands are surrounded by a system of dykess (much like the famous dykes of the Netherlands), which were created in the early days of European settlement. Recreational trails run along the tops of many of the dykes, and Richmond also supports over 1200 acres (485 ha) of park land.
Climate
Richmond enjoys a temperate climate, and actually experiences 30% less rain than neighbouring Vancouver because it is not as close to the mountains. It rarely snows in Winter and the summer temperatures are mild to warm.
Three bridges (one of them twinned) connect Lulu Island to Sea Island and the Vancouver International Airport; one bridge connects Sea Island and the Vancouver International Airport to Vancouver; two bridges connect Lulu Island to Vancouver; one bridge connects Queensborough (on eastern Lulu Island) to New Westminster; one bridge connects Queensborough to Annacis Island in Delta; one twinned bridge connects Richmond to Annacis Island; and one of the few tunnels in British Columbia connects Richmond to Delta.
Richmond is served by two freeways: Highway 99, which connects Vancouver to the United States, and Highway 91, which connects Delta, New Westminster, and Richmond.
Railway bridges connect Lulu Island to Vancouver, New Westminster, and Annacis Island, and serve the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Railways, as well as the Southern Railway of British Columbia (although the latter railway's Lulu Island trackage is entirely within Queensborough).
History
An early centre of European (and Japanese) settlement in Richmond was the old fishing village of Steveston on the southwestern tip of Lulu Island. Steveston is now home to several museums and heritage sites, as well as a working harbour for fishing boats.Demographics
Richmond has an estimated population of 166,219 people in 2002. It is the third-largest suburb of Vancouver, after Surrey (347,825) and Burnaby (193,954). One third of its population is of Asian decent, most of whom immigrated in the early 1990s, many of them from Hong Kong. Other Asian Canadians in Richmond include Japanese Canadians, who have a long history in Steveston, though their community was devastated in 1942 when Japanese Canadians were interned in concentration camps and their property was auctioned off. According to Statistics Canada, residents of Richmond have the greatest life expectancy in Canada at 81.2 years, and the lowest obesity and smoking rates as well.Government
The current mayor is Malcolm Brodie, who began a three-year term on December 2, 2002. There are eight Councillors, which together make up the City Council.Transportation
Richmond is connected by a system of bridges and tunnels to Vancouver and Delta, and through the New Westminster suburb of Queensborough (on eastern Lulu Island) to the "mainland" portion of New Westminster.Economy
Richmond supports about 100,000 jobs in various areas including services, retailing, tourism, light manufacturing, airport services and aviation, agriculture, fishing and government. Richmond also is a leading centre in the region for high-technology companies.Companies
Education
Richmond is home to a campus of Kwantlen University College. In addition, the British Columbia Institute of Technology runs its aircraft maintenance courses at facilities at Vancouver International Airport.Sports
Richmond is home the Richmond Sockeyes Junior B hockey team.
| North: Vancouver, Burnaby | |||||
| West: Strait of Georgia | Richmond | East: New Westminster | |||
| South: Delta |