Lower Mainland

Introduction

Region of British Columbia, Canada Region in British Columbia, CanadaLower MainlandRegionCore area of the Lower MainlandCoordinates: 49°05′00″N 122°21′00″W / 49.08333°N 122.35000°W / 49.08333; -122.35000CountryCanadaProvinceBritish ColumbiaRegionBritish Columbia CoastArea • Total36,303.31 km2 (14,016.79 sq mi) • Extended area31,368.24 km2 (12,111.35 sq mi) • Core area4,935.07 km2 (1,905.44 sq mi)Population (2021) • Total3,049,496 • Density84.1/km2 (218/sq mi) • Core area2,924,685 • Extended area124,811Time zoneUTC−08:00 (PST) • Summer (DST)UTC−07:00 (PDT)Postal code prefixesVArea codes236, 257, 604, 672, 778 The Lower Mainland is a geographic and cultural region of the mainland coast of the Canadian province of British Columbia that generally comprises the regional districts of Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. Home to approximately 3.05 million people as of the 2021 Canadian census, the Lower Mainland contains sixteen of the province's 30 most populous municipalities and approximately 60% of the province's total population. The region was historically occupied by the Sto:lo, a Halkomelem-speaking people of the Coast Salish linguistic and cultural grouping.

Boundaries

[edit] Although the term Lower Mainland has been used from the earliest period of European colonization in British Columbia, it has never been officially defined in legal terms. The term has historically been in popular usage for over a century to describe a region that extends from Horseshoe Bay south to the Canada–United States border and east to Hope at the eastern end of the Fraser Valley. This definition makes the term Lower Mainland almost synonymous with the regional districts of Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley. However, the British Columbia Geographical Names Information System (BCGNIS) comments that most residents of Vancouver might consider it to be only areas west of Mission and Abbotsford, while residents in the rest of the province consider it to be the Sea-to-Sky Corridor south of Whistler and west of Hope.

Geography

[edit] See also: Lower Mainland Ecoregion and Puget lowland forests The region is bounded to the north by the Pacific Ranges and to the southeast by the Cascade Mountains, and is traversed from east to west by the Fraser River. Due to its consistency of climate, flora and fauna, geology and land use, "Lower Mainland" is also the name of an ecoregion—a biogeoclimatic region—that comprises the eastern part of the Georgia Depression and extends from Powell River on the Sunshine Coast to Hope at the eastern end of the Fraser Valley. Climate[edit] One of the mildest climates in Canada, the region has a mean annual temperature of 9 °C (48 °F) with a summer mean of 15 °C (59 °F) and a winter mean of 3.5 °C (38.3 °F). Annual precipitation ranges from an annual mean of 850 millimetres (33 in) in the west end to 2,000 millimetres (79 in) in the eastern end of the Fraser Valley and at higher elevations. Maximum precipitation occurs as rain in winter. Less than ten percent falls as snow at sea level but the amount of snowfall increases significantly with elevation.

Demographics

[edit] Core area population historyYearPop.±% 19711,121,018—     19811,309,560+16.8% 19861,491,580+13.9% 19911,733,761+16.2% 19962,054,062+18.5% 20012,224,515+8.3% 20062,373,612+6.7% 20112,590,921+9.2% 20162,759,365+6.5% 20212,966,830+7.5%Source: Statistics Canada Population[edit] As of the 2021 census, the population of the Lower Mainland core area totals 2,966,830: 2,642,825 in Metro Vancouver Regional District 324,005 in the Fraser Valley Regional District These figures are slightly inflated due to the inclusion of areas within the regional districts which are not normally considered to be part of the Lower Mainland, notably the lower Fraser Canyon and the heads of Harrison and Pitt Lakes, which are within the FVRD, and Lions Bay and Bowen Island, which are within the Metro Vancouver Regional District.[citation needed] Ethnicity[edit] Panethnic breakdown of the Lower Mainland (2021 census) European (45.7%) East Asian (21.0%) South Asian (14.5%) Southeast Asian (7.09%) Middle Eastern (3.05%) Indigenous (2.99%) Latin American (1.86%) African (1.53%) Other (2.32%) The Lower Mainland is among the most multicultural and diverse regions in Canada. As of 2021, Europeans form a plurality with 1,337,105 persons or 45.7 percent of the total population, followed by East Asians with 614,860 persons or 21.0 percent and South Asians with 422,880 persons or 14.5 percent. Panethnic groups in the Lower Mainland (2001−2021) Panethnicgroup 2021 2016 2011 2006 2001 Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % European 1,337,105 45.72% 1,387,125 51.09% 1,403,525 54.99% 1,381,770 58.75% 1,397,990 63.51% East Asian 614,860 21.02% 564,445 20.79% 494,130 19.36% 458,165 19.48% 399,785 18.16% South Asian 422,880 14.46% 330,925 12.19% 285,780 11.2% 233,530 9.93% 183,660 8.34% Southeast Asian 207,420 7.09% 173,060 6.37% 159,430 6.25% 115,185 4.9% 88,000 4% Middle Eastern 89,135 3.05% 63,300 2.33% 49,505 1.94% 36,085 1.53% 27,595 1.25% Indigenous 87,355 2.99% 83,660 3.08% 70,915 2.78% 54,845 2.33% 48,380 2.2% Latin American 54,545 1.86% 36,855 1.36% 30,510 1.2% 24,480 1.04% 20,040 0.91% African 44,700 1.53% 32,325 1.19% 25,385 0.99% 21,945 0.93% 19,320 0.88% Other/multiracial 67,755 2.32% 43,295 1.59% 33,165 1.3% 25,815 1.1% 16,565 0.75% Total responses 2,924,685 98.58% 2,715,000 98.39% 2,552,350 98.51% 2,351,805 99.08% 2,201,330 98.96% Total population 2,966,830 100% 2,759,365 100% 2,590,921 100% 2,373,612 100% 2,224,515 100% Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses. Largest ethnic origin by census tract, 2021 census Religion[edit] Religion in the Lower Mainland (2021) Irreligious (46.6%) Christian (33.8%) Sikh (9.09%) Muslim (3.89%) Buddhist (2.48%) Hindu (2.43%) Jewish (0.70%) Other (1.02%) The Lower Mainland includes large irreligious, Christian, and Sikh communities. The Sikh population, numbering over 265,000 persons or 9.1 percent of the total population is statistically significant across Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley; proportionally, it is more than four times the national average of 2.1 percent. Religious groups in the Lower Mainland (2001−2021) Religiousgroup 2021 2011 2001 Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Irreligion 1,361,800 46.56% 1,042,815 40.86% 758,130 34.44% Christianity 989,105 33.82% 1,088,160 42.63% 1,138,505 51.72% Sikhism 265,870 9.09% 184,810 7.24% 116,110 5.27% Islam 113,880 3.89% 74,320 2.91% 53,225 2.42% Buddhism 72,595 2.48% 79,680 3.12% 76,140 3.46% Hinduism 71,210 2.43% 42,205 1.65% 28,440 1.29% Judaism 20,430 0.7% 19,125 0.75% 17,555 0.8% Indigenous spirituality 2,895 0.1% 2,590 0.1% 2,225 0.1% Other 26,900 0.92% 18,640 0.73% 11,015 0.5% Total responses 2,924,685 98.58% 2,552,350 98.51% 2,201,325 98.96% Total population 2,966,830 100% 2,590,921 100% 2,224,515 100% Language[edit] Knowledge of language (2016−2021) Language 2021 2016 Pop. % Pop. % English 2,772,150 94.78% 2,569,215 94.63% Mandarin 295,400 10.1% 252,260 9.29% Punjabi 286,270 9.79% 223,510 8.23% Cantonese 235,220 8.04% 224,655 8.27% French 185,330 6.34% 185,420 6.83% Tagalog 113,205 3.87% 98,395 3.62% Hindi 119,435 4.08% 75,125 2.77% Spanish 100,355 3.43% 79,885 2.94% Korean 63,335 2.17% 52,650 1.94% German 43,490 1.49% 47,825 1.76% Total responses 2,924,680 98.58% 2,714,995 98.39% Total population 2,966,830 100% 2,759,365 100% Mother tongue (2016−2021) Language 2021 2016 Pop. % Pop. % English 1,576,995 53.65% 1,537,875 56.31% Punjabi 219,015 7.45% 182,050 6.67% Mandarin 193,190 6.57% 176,435 6.46% Cantonese 183,860 6.25% 185,135 6.78% Tagalog 69,895 2.38% 68,240 2.5% Persian 54,985 1.87% 41,645 1.52% Korean 54,385 1.85% 47,715 1.75% Spanish 49,255 1.68% 38,705 1.42% French 27,280 0.93% 27,820 1.02% German 24,795 0.84% 32,210 1.18% Total responses 2,939,500 99.08% 2,731,255 98.98% Total population 2,966,830 100% 2,759,365 100%  

Regional districts

[edit] This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Regional districts were first created across British Columbia from 1966 to 1967 to form bodies for inter-municipal coordination and to extend municipal-level powers to areas outside existing municipalities. Today, the Lower Mainland includes two regional districts: the Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD) and the Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD). Both regional districts, however, include areas outside the traditional limits of the Lower Mainland. Metro Vancouver includes areas like Surrey and Langley that are geographically in the Fraser Valley. The Metro Vancouver Regional District is made up of 21 municipalities. The MVRD is bordered on the west by the Strait of Georgia, to the north by the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, on the east by the Fraser Valley Regional District, and to the south by Whatcom County, Washington, in the United States. The Fraser Valley Regional District lies east of the Metro Vancouver Regional District, and comprises the cities of Abbotsford and Chilliwack, the district municipalities of Mission, Kent, and Hope, and the village of Harrison Hot Springs. It also includes many unincorporated areas in the Fraser Valley and along the west side of the Fraser Canyon (the Fraser Canyon is not in the Lower Mainland). Regional district powers are very limited and other localized provincial government services are delivered through other regionalization systems.

Indigenous territories

[edit] This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) The region was historically occupied by the Musqueam and Tsleil'waututh, and the southern portion was historically occupied by the Squamish. Its claims overlap those of the Tsleil-waututh, Musqueam, and Kwikwetlem. Other peoples who historically occupied the region are the Sto:lo, Chehalis, Katzie, Kwantlen, Tsawwassen, and Semiahmoo; many of their territories overlap with those of the Musqueam, and with each other. Many other peoples of the Georgia Strait region also frequented the lower Fraser, including those from Vancouver Island and what is now Whatcom County, Washington. Sto:lo "traditional territory", known as Solh Temexw in Halkomelem, roughly coincides with the Lower Mainland, except for the inclusion of Port Douglas at the head of Harrison Lake, which is in In-SHUCK-ch territory, and the lands around Burrard Inlet.

Health regions

[edit] Health system services and governance in the Lower Mainland are provided by Vancouver Coastal Health, serving Vancouver, Richmond and the North Shore, and the mainland coast as far north as the Central Coast region, and Fraser Health, which serves the area of the Lower Mainland east of Vancouver and Richmond.

Natural threats

[edit] Flooding[edit] The Lower Mainland is considered to have a high vulnerability to flood risk. There have been two major region-wide floods in 1894 and 1948, both associated with an extreme spring freshet of the Fraser River. Other major floods in the Lower Mainland – including June 1972, November 1990, and November 2021 – have been more localized, primarily impacting areas in the Fraser Valley like the Sumas Prairie, with comparatively minor impacts to Metro Vancouver. Prior to the 2021 flood, according to the Fraser Basin Council, scientists predicted a one-in-three chance of a similar-sized flood occurring in the next 50 years. In the second quarter of 2007, the Lower Mainland was on high alert for flooding. Higher than normal snow packs in the British Columbia Interior prompted municipal governments to start taking emergency measures in the region. Dikes along the Fraser River are regulated to handle approximately 8.5 metres (28 ft) at the Mission Gauge (the height above sea level of the dykes at Mission). Warmer than normal weather in the province's Interior region caused large amounts of snow to melt prematurely, resulting in higher-than-normal water levels, which, nevertheless, remained well below flood levels. Flooding can cover much of the Lower Mainland. Cloverdale, Barnston Island, low-lying areas of Maple Ridge, areas west of Hope, White Rock, Richmond, parts of Vancouver, and parts of Surrey are potentially at risk. In 2007, the Lower Mainland was largely spared, although northern regions of the province, along the Skeena and Nechako Rivers, experienced floods. Climate scientists predict that increasing temperatures will mean wetter winters and more snow at the high elevations. This will increase the likelihood of snowmelt floods. The provincial government maintains an integrated flood hazard management program and extensive flood protection infrastructure in the Lower Mainland. The infrastructure consists of dikes, pump stations, floodboxes, riprap, and relief wells. Earthquakes[edit] While earthquakes are common in British Columbia and adjacent coastal waters, most are minor in energy release or are sufficiently remote to have little effect on populated areas. Nevertheless, earthquakes with a magnitude of up to 7.3 have occurred within 150 kilometres (93 mi) of the Lower Mainland. Based on geological evidence, however, stronger earthquakes appear to have occurred at approximately 600-year intervals. Therefore, there is a probability that there will be a major earthquake in the region within the next 200 years. In April 2008, the United States Geological Survey released information concerning a newly found fault south of downtown Abbotsford, called the Boulder Creek Fault. Scientists now believe this fault is active and capable of producing earthquakes in the 6.8 magnitude range. Volcanoes[edit] Much of the Lower Mainland is vulnerable to explosive eruptions from the Garibaldi Volcanic Belt. Volcanoes in this zone are capable of producing large quantities of volcanic ash that may cause short and long term water supply problems for Lower Mainland communities. All airports covered by the accompanying eruption column would be closed, heavy ash falls would damage electrical equipment and weak structures could collapse under the weight of the ash.

Communities

[edit] The Lower Mainland's communities includes large cities in Metro Vancouver, and smaller cities, towns and villages along both banks of the Fraser River. Neighbourhoods within cities are not listed unless historically or otherwise notable and/or separate. Only some of the many Indian Reserves are listed. Upper Fraser Valley[edit] Agassiz Bridal Falls Chehalis Greendale Lake Errock Kent Harrison Hot Springs Harrison Mills Hope Flood Laidlaw Popkum Rosedale Ruby Creek Central Fraser Valley[edit] Abbotsford Bradner Chilliwack Clayburn Clearbrook Cultus Lake Deroche Dewdney Durieu Hatzic Huntingdon Mission Mount Lehman Nicomen Island Ruskin Sardis Silverdale Silverhill Stave Falls Steelhead Yarrow Metro Vancouver[edit] Albion Aldergrove Anmore Annieville Barnston Island Belcarra Boundary Bay Bridgeport Brighouse Burnaby Burquitlam Cloverdale Coquitlam Crescent Beach Derby ("Old Derby") Douglas Delta Fort Langley Haney Kanaka Creek Langley City Langley District Lions Bay Maillardville Maple Ridge New Westminster Newton North Vancouver City North Vancouver District Pitt Meadows Port Coquitlam Port Hammond (Hammond) Port Kells Port Moody Queensborough Richmond Sapperton Sea Island Scottsdale Steveston Surrey Tsawwassen (neighbourhood) Tsawwassen First Nation UBC Vancouver University Endowment Lands Vancouver West Vancouver Whalley White Rock Whonnock Yennadon