Fraser River near Steveston, M.Naga/Tourism BC photo
shopping and dining opportunities, theatre and entertainment venues, scenic local parks , and colourful historic and heritage sites . It's the fourth-largest city in British Columbia after Vancouver , Surrey , and Burnaby .Richmond, occupying 17 islands in the mouth of the Fraser River, is easy to access from neighbouring municipalities, and it's the home of Vancouver International Airport (YVR). Richmond's flat terrain offers great cycling along its waterfront dykes, and also made it a practical choice as a 2010 Olympic Winter Games Venue City , with the spectacular Richmond Oval hosting speed-skating.
Learn more about Richmond by clicking on Field Reporter Simon's video below.
Richmond History Richmond was originally inhabited and used as fishing and farming land by the Coast Salish native people. European settlers began to arrive en masse in the 1860s, and dairy and produce farming became major staples. Richmond was incorporated as a city in 1879. Salmon canning became a huge industry at the turn of the century. At the historic fishing village of Steveston in southwest Richmond, learn more about Richmond's maritime-oriented history at national historic sites such as the Gulf of Georgia Cannery and Britannia Shipyard . The nearby London Heritage Farm offers bee hives, chickens, and a tearoom in its glimpse of rural life.
Today, Richmond has the highest percentage of immigrants of any Canadian city, and that diversity is reflected in the awe-inspiring Buddhist, Sikh, and Muslim temples that adorn the landscape. Visit the Richmond Cultural Centre (7700 Minoru Gate) to view the city museum, archives, and art gallery.
Multicultural Shopping and Dining The Golden Village, covering a four-block radius centered on No. 3 Road, also has tasty, affordable Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Malaysian, and Korean restaurants. Richmond is widely considered one of the best places in North America for Asian cuisine.
From late spring to early fall each year, the Richmond Night Market draws thousands of shoppers as an open-air extravaganza of food vendors and stalls selling clothes, DVDs, wristwatches, and much more.
Learn more about Shopping in Richmond .
Entertainment and Recreation River Rock Casino Resort is the largest casino in Western Canada. Relax with some 900 slot machines, a huge selection of table games, and a theatre that features vintage pop acts, comedians, and boxing matches. The Gateway Theatre is Richmond's only live professional theatre. Situated in Minoru Park in the City Centre, it presents Broadway musicals, family fare such as Anne of Green Gables, and contemporary Canadian dramas.
For more affordable family fun, check out the Riverport development in south Richmond with a multiplex movie theatre, swimming and bowling, and pub and family-style restaurants.
Famous Richmond Faces Famous athletes with a Richmond background include NHL hockey stars like Scott Hannan and Brent Seabrook, 2008 Olympic rowing gold medalist Kyle Hamilton, and Rick Hansen, the wheelchair athlete for whom the movie song "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)" was composed by David Foster.Some notable Richmond actors include twin brothers Aaron Ashmore (Smallville ) and Shawn Ashmore (X-Men ), and Nicky Clyne (Battlestar Galactica ). In 2006, Richmond hosted the Gemini Awards (the Canadian TV industry's answer to the Emmy Awards) at the River Rock Show Theatre.
Getting to Richmond As of fall 2009, the Canada Line will make the River Rock Show Theatre, Vancouver International Airport, and many other Richmond attractions even more accessible when this new rapid transit link begins shuttling travellers between downtown Vancouver and Richmond. Seven train stations will be sited in Richmond alone. For more information about activities, directions, and availability in Richmond, visit Tourism Richmond's Visitor Centre (11980 Deas Thruway). It's open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. year-round. There is also a Steveston Visitor Centre at the corner of 3rd Avenue and Moncton St., open from mid-May to the start of September.