Q: and is that island referred to when people say they live in vancouver? or is that simply the name of the island only. haha i was also wondering what is the societal and economic differnce between metro vancouver and the city of vancouver.
A: Vancouver Island is a large island just off of the coast. It was named after the explorer, George Vancouver. It was a colony of Great Britian (British North America) from 1849 until it was encorporated into the Province of British Columbia in 1866. The island is quite beautiful with many wild spaces, urban centres and historical locations. To get to Vancouver Island from Vancouver, one must either take a boat (BC Ferries run regularly between the mainland and the island) or a plane. It's a lovely trip. The city of Vancouver had humble beginnings as a native community, and then a Hastings mill, then a settlement called "Granville", and finally the city of Vancouver incorporated in 1886. It's now Canada's 3rd largest city, and Canada's largest west-coast port. Metro Vancouver includes not only the city of Vancouver, but all sorts of other surrounding cities, municipalities and such. British Columbians often refer to Vancouver Island as "the island". In the same way that Washington DC and Washington State can be confusing to those who aren't used to the differences, yes, Vancouver Island and the city of Vancouver can be quite confusing also. Anyone saying they live in Vancouver, will live in either the city of Vancouver or Metro Vancouver. People who live on "the island" will either state the city, town, location ("I live in Victoria", "I live in Chemainus...") or that they live "on the island".