A wild and roaring community developed on the peninsula between the Fraser River and Burrard Inlet. Settlers soon began to populate other parts of the peninsula and in 1886 Vancouver officially became a city. The same year, a devastating fire destroyed the city and its 2,500 residents were forced to rebuild. In 1887, the first passenger trains arrived in Vancouver and a few years later the ships of the Canadian Pacific fleet sailed into Vancouver Harbour, establishing it as a major world port.

Vancouver is the Canadian financial, industrial, shipping and cultural center on the West Coast. Vancouver is often called the most beautiful city in Canada, combining spectacular scenery and a mild climate.