Set between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, British Columbia is a must-see Canadian province.

 

Adorned with stunning cities, remote islands, diverse ecosystems and amazing waterfalls, I promise you won’t regret your traveling trip.

 

Cities to Visit in British Columbia

 

British Columbia has a population of approximately 2,000,000 people. The population of the province has shown a steady increase over the last decades. Most recently, population increases have occurred in the cities, particularly in the southwestern part of the province.

 

Victoria

It is the capital of British Columbia. It grew from a Hudson’s Bay Company trading post built in 1843. It is a quiet city of fine homes and beautiful flower gardens. Many of the residents do government work, but there are also sawmills and small manufacturing plants. The metropolitan area has a population of about 184, 000.

 

Vancouver

 

It is Canada’s third largest city and its major Pacific seaport. The Vancouver metropolitan area has a population of about 1, 000,000. It was named for the British explorer and mapmaker George Vancouver. The city, with its magnificent harbor has most of British Columbia’s industry, finance, transportation and trade. It is also the center of education and cultural activities and the headquarters for most businesses. The various municipalities that make up the Vancouver metropolitan area hold half of the population of British Columbia. Sawmilling, fish and food processing, petroleum refining, shipbuilding and a variety of metal-using businesses are among Vancouver’s chief industries. The city’s Chinatown is the second largest on the Pacific coast.

 

New Westminster

 

Found on the north bank of the Fraser River near its mouth was founded in 1859. It was the capital of British Columbia until 1868. The city has a good freshwater port, several large sawmills and is a commercial center for the residents of the lower Fraser River valley. It has a population of about 50, 000 people.

 

Nanaimo

 

Located on Vancouver Island, Nanaimo was an important coal-mining town in the last half of the 19th century. It was once known as the Newcastle of the Pacific. Its major industries today are sawmills and a working pulp mill. It is the main wholesale and distribution center for central Vancouver Island. Nanaimo has a population of over 25, 000.

 

Prince George

With a population of about 30, 000, it is a commercial and transportation center for central British Columbia. It has more sawmills and pulp and paper mills than any other city in the interior of the province. Simon Fraser established a fur-trading post at Fort George in 1807, near the city’s present site at the confluence of the Fraser and Nechaiko rivers.

 

Prince Rupert

 

Prince Rupert was laid out as a planned city in 1909 to be the northern terminal of the railway. It has salmon canneries and halibut freezing plants. Nearby is a pulp and cellulose mill.

 

Trail

Trail is located on the Columbia River near the Washington border. It has important smelters, refineries and fertilizer plants. Lead, zinc, silver and mineral by-products are produced.

 

Kimberley

Kimberley is the site of the Sullivan mine, one of the largest lead-zinc mines in the world. The city is located on the St. Mary River in southeast British Columbia.

 

Kamloops

 

It is a major transportation and wholesale city for the province’s ranching industry.

 

More Places of Interest

 

Maritime Museum, in Vancouver has displays emphasizing the importance of the ocean in British Columbia’s past and in its present economy, Columbia’s past and in its present economy. Near this museum is housed the RCMP St. Roch, the first ship to navigate the Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic from west to east. New additions to the complex of museum buildings include a city archive and museum and a planetarium.