History of Vancouver, BC | 7,000 BCE to Present

COME VISIT US:
2916 Commercial Drive (Open 7 days 12-4pm, except holidays)
usefulcharts.com/
RELATED CONTENT:
The Indigenous History of Seattle:
• The Indigenous History...
Mount Pleasant in the 80s:
www.sublimemercies.com/2018/02...
CREDITS:
Maps and Narration by Matt Baker
Animation by Syawish Rehman
Audio editing by Ali Shahwaiz
Theme music "Lord of the Land" by Kevin MacLeod and licensed under Creative Commons Attribution license 4.0. Available from incompetech.com
REFERENCES:
Francis, Daniel (2021), Becoming Vancouver. Pender Harbour, BC: Harbour Publishing.
Hayes, Derek (2005), Historical Atlas of Vancouver. Madeira Park, BC: Douglas & McIntyre

[@UsefulCharts]

Come visit us in Vancouver at 2916 Commercial Drive. We're open 7 days from 12-4pm, except holidays. Or, visit us online at: usefulcharts.com/

[@BC_Geoff]

Made my day when I heard there is a store in my city. Will be visiting soon!

[@dhedgpeth]

Would love to visit, but the passport has expired. If you ever visit Bellingham Costco, I would love to say hi!

[@blammela]

I didn’t know you were Canadian! Awesome! This video is so good ❤ I will pop by next time I’m in the mainland!

[@arevusvelandor3286]

Waiting for your video of different hindu sects.

[@MrDrunkenDane]

Grew up in Burnaby myself.

[@prateeksha4040]

I didn't know that useful charts are based in Vancouver. I appreciate this video so much. I've been living in Vancouver for 5 years now and I love it.😊

[@MrJava24seven]

No kidding I had no clue I was living so close. This is good to know.

[@UnShredded]

@OP. You don't say. Even the bottom of a volcano is better than the cradle of Sati.

[@pwnmeisterage]

@@UnShredded Not sure why you describe Vancouver with that bizarre non-sequitur reference. Unless you can explain? If you bother to look, you'll see that Vancouver is consistently listed as one of the world's top cities. A place people want to visit and a place people want to move to from all over the world.

[@CCitis]

How can you afford it

[@Dirka41]

thats cool...ive been living in vancouver most my life and i hate it now🤷‍♂ LOL...very different now.

[@jefflanam]

Here's my contribution to Vancouver history. I was staying in North Vancouver and I wanted to know how long it would take me to walk to Stanley Park over the Lions Gate Bridge. But Google Maps didn't know that was possible and kept giving me a route that took a ferry. I emailed Google and eventually they changed their map to allow pedestrians on the Lions Gate Bridge. You're welcome, Vancouverites.

[@coachbronco]

Love that a little story right there!

[@joshuataylor3550]

The pendants shall inherit the earth

[@lohikarhu734]

Did you mean "pedants", because pendants just kind of hang around, not likely to inherit much...

[@lohikarhu734]

But, it's more likely for "pedestrians" to inherit the earth!

[@25Soupy]

Give Google another call and get them to make a map that allows people to walk over the Burrard St. bridge to Granville Island. Currently, you can only take a ferry from the west end.

[@ruyfernandez]

For a European like me it's quite visually shocking to see a city grow with such straight boundaries.

[@CMitchell808]

Who doesn’t appreciate a good grid?

[@Zveebo]

@@CMitchell808Pretty much every old European city 😅 We love our old street layouts over here.

[@RakaTGP]

Dear Ruy fernandez, Here in America things are much different like straight lines with I can agree is weird to see a city grow with straight lines.

[@CharlotteIssyvoo]

New York is like this too. It's a perfect grid, with streets going east/west, and avenues going north/south. It's impossible to get lost... except at the base of Manhattan, where the very first European settlement was, and the streets get all jumbled.

[@ruyfernandez]

@@CharlotteIssyvoo I know. I have seen pictures of it, and I have been to Santiago, Chile, and Johannesburg, South Africa, which are built with a similar pattern. However it's something different to see the city grow with straight borders as well as straight streets.

[@DIDCHOI]

I lived in Vancouver since I was 2, and gotta say, I didn't know most of this history and found it fascinating! We learn so much about broader Canadian history, but apparently a big gap in local Vancouver history! Thanks for the enlightenment!

[@dankmatter3068]

So weird to think it is entirely possible we saw eachother in public at one point and just never knew

[@shamans123]

Due to time constraints, my teacher skipped the first nations chapter when I was taking social studies 10. It's pretty strange how we were taught very little about Vancouver and BC's history despite living here (at least I was).

[@aymerichm8835]

This video brings back a lot of dear memories, since I've been lucky enough to spend a year as an exchange student at Simon Fraser University. I literally fell in love with Vancouver and British Columbia, it became perhaps my favorite place on earth. I hope I'll be able to visit again one day. Kudos for not forgetting to talk about the history of First Nations, and about the poverty and homelessness issues of DTES. I was deeply moved by this sight of human misery each time I took the bus between Downtown and SFU. I hope things are getting better.

[@DAMfoxygrampa]

They're getting worse but we're working on it! I have hope for the future

[@davidowle3772]

This is so comprehensive it should be used as curriculum in Canadian schools. Very well done. I look forward to popping into the store next time I'm home. Thank you. -a former Vancouverite

[@oldaccountlol5773]

Hello, I agree. Also, I have never heard of a Vancouverite? Is that the term used for someone from Vancouver or a slang term? Love from the Caribou

[@Combatpzman]

Most of this is covered in elementary school grades 4 and up, and has been since the early 1990's if not earlier.

[@northshoregirl72]

@@oldaccountlol5773 Correct, a Vancouvervite is someone from Vancouver!

[@charseward5366]

It’s not comprehensive. It’s incorrect.

[@liamb9632]

name one part that's incorrect@@charseward5366

[@jeffreysutherland2186]

This has become one of my favourite channels over the last year, and I just found out today that you’re based out of here too. As a Vancouver resident, this video was awesome, and as a proud Indigenous person, I can say that you handled the topic very well

[@ISawABear]

I keep forgetting youre from my city, despite having met you at a convention. Im sending this to my coworkers as we work across the lower main in green areas. I love you for bringing your chart skills to this. This needs to be part of the bc curriculum

[@Droxal]

Vancouver is definitely one of North America's most interesting cities, but also sadly one of, if not the most, expensive cities when incomes are accounted for. I really hope we can all get past this housing crisis, and hopefully one day all enjoy this wonderful city :)

[@tylerclayton6081]

I’m getting outta here

[@Eric-lx8hp]

Homes are for living not for investment. Simple as that for solving it

[@ruyfernandez]

This is unexpected. Cool to change format from time to time.

[@arashhajbabaee170]

I teach at a college for international students in Vancouver. This video will find its way to class no doubt. Thank you!

[@CharlotteIssyvoo]

Matt's wife here. I used to do the same job you do, and I too would have used this video if it were around.

[@PokeyJr12]

Very well done! Mention Stanley Park was loaned to us by the 1st Nations, Harbour Centre used to be Eatons, Japanese Interment gathering point was PNE, in the sixties the DTES was a family place. My family dr. was at Main & Hastings. In gastown there are railway cars tracks along Water st & Cordova because they used Cable cars like SanFrancisco back then.

[@ginafranciosi3252]

Harbour Centre was Sears in my memory . Eatons was catty corner from the Bay.

[@charseward5366]

Stanley park wasn’t loaned it was stolen. The First Nations people had their homes torn down while they were still inside of them.

[@PrincessZoey]

Very well said everything. Born and raised Vancouverite, I love seeing quality local content!

[@Carpediem357]

Will you do other Canadian Cities? This would be a cool series imo Edit: You should cover the forgotten German named cities, towns and streets in Canada

[@CoffeeTroll]

Shhhh… 🤫

[@Adude1412]

Agreed! I'm from Berlin! (Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario)!

[@canman5060]

The German named cities were removed during World War I by the British colonials in Canada.I know Kitchener in Ontario was called Berlin before.

[@Adude1412]

@@canman5060 Correct!

[@seanns1945]

I lived in a town close to Kirkland Lake, in northern Ontario. It is still called Swastika.

[@adamiotime]

Please do more city history videos like this. I live in Melbourne, Australia, and would love to see something similar for my city. Really appreciate how much of a focus on First Nations history went into this video.

[@zachpower2192]

A small oversight- Victoria actually has Canada’s oldest and for a while, biggest, Chinatown, established in 1858! Love this video and will definitely try and make it out to your shop next time I’m in town ☺️

[@bunzeebear2973]

I believe that dinosaur bones and tracks are also found on Vancouver Island. I read it somewhere. Nothing super massive but still hippo big is big. Oldest Chinatown is on the island because GOLD was found on the island

[@zachpower2192]

Gold was definitely found on Vancouver Island, for example just outside Victoria in Goldstream. The first Chinatown in 1858 began because of the Fraser River gold rush. Victoria was the only significant port and settler community anywhere close to the mouth of the Fraser (in British territory anyway) so that’s why people came to Victoria first!

[@randycliff4045]

Steveston has its start before Vancouver as well. Inclusion of Marpole would have been been a good idea, since it was a separate community until 1930(?) and "White Spot" was outside of Vancouver.

[@rileygally2967]

Victoria’s Chinatown could almost be it’s own video

[@stevejohnson3357]

I loved this one. There's an interesting story about why New West is not the capital. The governor was allowing the Legislative Council the final say and in both colonies there were members who hated their capitals. There was a sea captain who was going to give a speech and because he was influential, some members from Vancouver Island took him out and got him drunk. He proceed to attempt the speech but Dr. Helmeken replaced the 1st page of his pile several times until the meeting had to end.

[@MariaFernanda-hp9sr]

this comment deserves to be pin, I love this random facts haha

[@orwellson]

L.A. native here. Just visited Vancouver with my fiancée this past July, and this video really added depth to our experiences in this gorgeous city. Thanks for the video and we’ll be sure to stop by the store next time we visit the city. Keep up the good work!

[@dchang1983]

Extremely well narrated video! I would say 70% of what was covered in this video was never touched upon in our BC high school curriculum. Learned a lot of the facts covered largely through piecemeal discussions with locals. I am a Vancouverite myself and would highly recommend that the BC Ministry of Education consider adopting the content here into the high school curriculum, the First Nations history was extremely interesting. Thank you for sharing!

[@charseward5366]

The First Nations history in this video is inaccurate, and it’s offensive that Useful charts does not address this.

[@twilight7457]

Which part is not accurate? @@charseward5366

[@floral-smoke]

@@charseward5366 expand. which part(s) are inaccurate?

[@PeekabooParrots]

This was so interesting! Vancouver is my home as well. Born & raised in Richmond, worked all round Vancouver. dad’s family immigrated here in the 1910’s, and my dad was born in Richmond back when it was called Eburne! Thank you for so much detail. I’m going to share with my family. And a great tribute to Truth & Reconciliation Day🙏❤

[@barbarawright5306]

And you just taught me about Eburne! Cuz I live in Victoria and only for 30 years so probably not surprising I didn't know that. I do now thank you! And yes, a lovely tribute to First Nations for Truth and Reconciliation Day 🧡🧡🧡

[@marielledelaine]

Hey I was born and raised in Richmond too! Went to Talmey elementary and Cambie high. Miss it down there, it looks so different now when I visit. The outdoor go-kart track was my favourite and the festivals and school field trips in Steveston!

[@stewartgibson3843]

That was really well done and informative. As a born and raised Vancouverite I have realized that history here has to be appreciated and channels like this make the difference. Kudos.

[@Red1Revival]

I'm from Los Angeles. I visited Vancouver for 3 1/2 days in 2017 and fell in love with it. Wonderful place.

[@the_alechemist7054]

Long time viewer, I am from Musqueam and I have chills that you are covering my people. Not all of your info on our peoples is accurate but surprisingly good!!

[@solomonisms9000]

Great Video! It's cool to see the history of where I grew up so nicely laid out! One nitpick, Vancouver's Chinatown is indeed Canada's largest, but not its oldest. That accolade goes to the Chinatown in Victoria, which had it's start in the mid 19th Century.

[@RomanPhilosopher]

Excited to watch this as someone who recently relocated to Vancouver, WA, and figured it was named after the one in Canada, I've been researching Vancouver, WA's history, and I have been meaning to research Vancouver, BC's history. Now I can do so easily, thanks! Interesting that the one in Washington was named Vancouver first. Very interesting.

[@mingzhong5481]

British Columbians, after lost their original de facto capital Vancouver (the WA one), ended up naming their new city Vancouver.

[@ginch8300]

@mingzhong5481 You are correct. We shall take back our original capital eventually! Lol.

[@Geo_GD]

I live in Vancouver, WA, and here sometimes people want to make Vancouver, BC change their name. They do it because Vancouver, WA was first.

[@ginch8300]

@@Geo_GD Yeah, ours first. (B.C.)

[@cassidycooper2014]

I have lived in Vancouver my whole life and sadly growing up we were never told about the history of our First Nations people or how we really came to be historically because it was 'taboo'. I only started learning about it when I went to university at Capilano University. This was the most informative and succinct way I have ever seen a history of Vancouver that rightfully included the history of the Squamish, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh, since most just start once settlers arrived. This should be shown in schools all around Vancouver so that children grow up with a better understanding of our history. Also thank you for including the Kwikwetlem Nation the Poco girl in me was very happy to see it :)

[@coachbronco]

@@CharlotteIssyvoo This msg is for Poco girl @cassidycooper2014 sorry bout tht

[@rickjackson412]

Most of this history is, or at least was, all taught in school as part of the curriculum when I grew up in Coquitlam. I am 40 now, for reference to when this was. I think the problem is most people couldn't be bothered to pay attention in school.

[@charseward5366]

What’s unfortunate is that this history depicted here is inaccurate, and that is just as harmful as no acknowledgment.

[@cassidycooper2014]

@@rickjackson412 Unfortunately that was not the case for me. I did not go to an SD43 school for my young years so we never followed the Vancouver/BC curriculum. And in the later school environment where I was taught, this was never discussed sadly.

[@cassidycooper2014]

@@charseward5366 I would then love to see another video you would then recommend about this subject? :)

[@PaulNorman]

When talking about the history of Vancouver and the DTES, I think Japantown is important. Prior to WWII, it was an active community then the Japanese property owners had their lands confiscated and were sent to camps in the interior. There was also a major interurban station nearby.

[@rojzmix1095]

This happened to many Japanese communities, but most of them were all around the lower mainland, IIRC. There is also an exhibit to internment at the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre in Burnaby.

[@theshenpartei]

I like to see map videos like this and it’s a nice change of pace for the channel

[@hoiming]

I'm born and raised in Vancouver and this is such a well presented history of the area and enlightening as well! Didn't know you're from Vancouver as well. Keep up the great videos!

[@PitboyHarmony1]

Been watching this channel for a long time, had no idea you were Vancouver based, much less with a store on the Drive. Grew up in Kerrisdale, in Kamloops these days. Have to stop by there when next in town.

[@pieman3141]

I've probably passed by the store a million times but never realized it.

[@alexrakic]

Fantastic video! Almost 30 years living in Vancouver, love learning new history about the region. I've followed this channel for quite a while and did walk by the shop once last year by accident and discovered it was based here, so that's cool. Keep up the great work :)

[@avidicus]

SUCH a great video! I've been watching your videos for years. Knew you were Canadian but forgot that you lived in Vancouver and I'm so proud to be reminded of this. Also excited to know that you have a storefront on Commercial. Now that I know, I will totally pop by one of these days soon! Thank you for all of your work and research to put out these very informative, entertaining, and educational videos! Cheers from Downtown Vancouver (where I've lived for over 30 years now) born at Grace Hospital 20 years before that. LOL!

[@ephraimboateng5239]

I would love if you did this for Montreal. The city had so many rounds of growth, absorbing villages and whole cities on the island

[@eyetrollin710]

Fun fact land surveyors have to submit their plans to New Westminster, when I question my boss about this 20 years ago he told me that it used to be the capital Don't know if you're going to get to it but an interesting fact about West Vancouver is that British Pacific Enterprises is the one who paid for the bridge so they could sell their Lots. There's also a good book about the history of West Vancouver called a view through the trees❤

[@princezsshorts3209]

finding out you live relatively in the same area as me made my day, im now one degree of separation closer to a favourite youtuber

[@Beorthere]

As a Washingtonian who loves history, I find this video very educational!

[@johnguevarra7040]

I'm from Surrey, but this is a great video talking about the history of Vancouver! Really great job! Thank you for this one!

[@erlinggaratun6726]

I will never forget Vancouver. I spent a few months there a little over thirty years ago. I loved it. Even the weather ;D

[@ps.2]

As a long-time fan of *Stop Podcasting Yourself,* its cousin *Retail Nightmares,* and the rest of its Extended Universe - lighthearted podcasts that are largely about daily life in Vancouver - but who has never visited western Canada or the US PNW, this video was _super_ interesting. I feel like I finally have some _real context_ for all those place names I constantly hear about in my earholes (Kits, Granville Island, UBC, Langley, Nanaimo, Burnaby...). EDIT: Of course the pre-British history was _also_ super interesting, it's just not what I latched onto the most.

[@axilator]

Love this video so much. I wish it was longer and more in depth. I recently moved to Vancouver to study film and this video left me smiling 😁

[@atlasaltera]

Hey, my hometown! I would've thought the Nootka Sound settlement attempt by Meares and his Chinese settlers/artisans would've made the cut for this video, especially because I thought it was a major source for both the American-British claims too.

[@FC-ds9ve]

What a great detailed video, thank you for this! I lived in Vancouver for about a decade in the false creek/mount pleasant neighborhoods (originally from the Island and Tumbler Ridge), but now I live in Edinburgh, Scotland. I miss my old stomping grounds so this was great to watch!

[@flamingsalad]

So awesome to see that you're local! I've lived in the Metro Vancouver area my entire life and I always love learning more about the city and the area ❤

[@Idk-ys7rt]

A fascinating history of Vancouver! I'd be interested to learn about more Canadian history in the future!

[@mrpurple2306]

As a Dutchie i didnt actually know that Vancouver was based on Coevorden!

[@devilpun]

This is by far the most in-depth, informative video I've watched about my city Vancouver. Thank you for this.

[@Jim-Stick]

I was born in Nanaimo and lived in Vancouver for quite a few years. This is a wonderful video. The work invested in this is clear and really appreciated.

[@gethplatform2392]

That was an amazing concept! That would be nice to do the same for other major Canadian cities!

[@TheChiefOrg13]

Good video! As a Vancouverite I've been trying to learn more local history. I can recommend Vancouver Exposed for some interesting chronicles from the city's history, and Reading the Riot Act for a history of riots in the city.

[@LivingInVancouver-BC]

Really great vid. Thanks for putting this together! I love soaking up Vancouver's history and this video does a great job covering a vast period of time. As a born and raised Vancouverite I even learned a few things (like the 15,000 year old settlement discovered just north of Vancouver)! I'll be by to check out your store one day, too.

[@ShannonStevens-gl7le]

Born and raised in the region, I went t o high school in mission. This was my favourite unit in school! Thanks Matt baker, this was fantastic!!

[@smithmcsmith9218]

I was born and raised in Vancouver and I am of European heritage. I am so grateful to learn about the ancient and powerful history of the First Nations before me. Canada does not treat indigenous people with humanity and it is a great shame for Canada. Thank you for this video. I always knew there was so much history underneath my feet

[@jeanbolduc5818]

you mean british and english canadian .... British did the same in Australia... British and english canadian did not treat french canadian with respect as well deporting them , separating families and treating them with discrimination .... and english canadians burnt down the parliament of Canada in Montreal in 1849 . You should learn the history of CAnada not only BC .

[@smithmcsmith9218]

@@jeanbolduc5818 why are you assuming I am only learning BC history? Also, I'm not talking about the treatment of European settlers on other settlers. I'm talking about the native peoples.

[@ginch8300]

@@jeanbolduc5818 Why, I'm a British Columbian, why would I give a shit about what happened to the rest of country?

[@blue387]

I want to see one for NYC, from the native Lenape tribes to Dutch settlement to English colony to the present

[@arekhautaluoma4276]

I'm from Victoria, and among the many things I've learned in this video...I finally understand why there's another Vancouver down above Portland!

[@4xhoser]

Being born here I appreciate the way you told this story, there is so much more to heal with Indigenous people and residential schools and missing Indigenous women. You also missed the massive amount of Japanese internment camps during WW2. Lots of 🇨🇦Canadians need to do more learning of their own history. Would love to see a breakdown like this for other parts of Canada.🇨🇦

[@Zveebo]

Cool idea for a video - though as someone who doesn’t know Vancouver very well, tbh Ifound it a bit hard to follow the flow of the video. A bit less flipping back and forward might have made things easier - also might have been good to see the growth of the built up area on the map if possible?

[@IndigenousHistoryNow]

Very interesting history! I knew housing prices are bad there, but woof, that price tag on that house was not what I expected😅

[@BC_Geoff]

It’s the land that is expensive not the building. An empty lot in the same neighbourhood would go for a similar price.

[@philmacgregor1374]

3rd generation resident , My grampa came in the 1890 s , It's gone from wilderness to metropolis, Your vlog brings back the stories my grampa and my dad told me and my own memories for that mater , Thank you ,!

[@findyourinnertube124]

Fascinating and professional presentation. I don't 100% agree with all the social commentary but I know you did your best to present it in the most unbiased way you could. Excellent job.

[@portlanddba8082]

Very interesting content. I visited Vancouver in 2015 for the Women’s World Cup and went to all those places. Did not know the history, though. Thank you!

[@MappingEagle]

These map documentaries of yours are phenomenal work. I know charts and family trees are kind of your forte, but these are absolutely some of the most entertaining and interesting videos I see on this site. Just like the Sri Lanka one, you knocked it right out the park with this one.

[@garthmerkeley]

This was so well done (as always) and did such a good job of handling really nuanced topics. Thank you!

[@grantw7]

I lived my first years (and remember when there were just trees south of 25th Ave) near the City Hall. I went to UBC and taught history for 31 years at Howe Sound Sec in Squamish. I just learned 60% of Vancouver's history by watching your video today, which is disgraceful. You have done a fantastic job and thanks.

[@A_Baguette_]

Running commentary from* a Vancouverite (mostly for me to come back to later) 5:53 I was taught the name "The Two Sisters" sometime back in grade school, that's still what I call them 6:30 Land acknowledgements vary from city to city in greater Vancouver, but the one shown here is the only one I've heard from organizations based only in Vancouver 8:04 I looked for a place in the Netherlands called Couver a while back, happy to know my hypothesis wasn't insane 8:40 he just like me for real 9:40 It's still around as a tourist attraction 11:31 In day to day speech, if any tourists want to sound like a local, call it New West 12:28 Too major. 12:40 At the time iirc it was the New Westminster Highway 13:57 Most of the area is residential with some stores along Renfew and Rupert. The PNE is nice but is around the size of that black square (just a little further south) 14:54 And thus, entirely too much time in Socials classes in the province was devoted to it 15:05 Richard Moody was the namesake, his Wikipedia is an interesting read (he named Lulu Island after a showgirl) 16:34 The house is an accessory to the land which has the real value, I bet that house is gone in a year or two. 17:19 Mount Pleasant lives up to the name, good food and a neat place to be 18:04 IT CAN REMAIN UNMENTIONED 18:51 Yooooo, I have to go back to Joe Fortes sometime this year, 12 year old me loved that place. 19:49 Omw rn 22:17 As a Yout' I haven't heard it called Punjabi Market, I have heard Little India 22:50 The black population of Metro Vancouver now stands at around 30k or just over 1% 24:32 The market closes at 6:00 PM, it is not open in this picture. It does look cool tho 24:49 Bikes here now? 25:03 What's with the little area left beige? Around Kensington today. Church lands? 25:05 Posh vs. Normal South Van 27:39 Everything cool in Vancouver traces back to '86 i swear 29:15 Not right now there aren't. There's still a strike iirc. 24:40 Maybe no't post your house on the internet? Censor it at least. Overall a real 10/10 video. If you liked it, I'd recommend "Street names of Vancouver" by Elizabeth Walker. It's a great read with some nice historical maps in there too.

[@UsefulCharts]

That little beige area around Kensington has an interesting story. Supposedly that section refused to join any of the cities and hence didn't have to pay any taxes. The downside was that they got no policing of fire services. They caved in 1910 though.

[@A_Baguette_]

@@UsefulCharts Woah that's so cool!

[@BC_Geoff]

That’s not his house, it’s Archies’s house in a TV show that they went to look at. He says this in the video, I don’t know how you missed it.

[@A_Baguette_]

@@BC_Geoff I misunderstood the sentence. I don't think it was clear that it wasn't his house and instead Archie's.

[@Bigdawg82423]

Vancouver, BC also was founded after Vancouver, WA was already founded.

[@katherinegilks3880]

Yes, he mentions Fort Vancouver in the video and never claims that the Canadian city is older. (Unlike the first Canadian Chinatown, which is Victoria, no Vancouver.)

[@DFS1999]

I just moved to Greater Vancouver a week and a half ago! A lot of this is really neat information that I wouldn't have known if i didn't find this video, so thank you!

[@murrayjorgensen861]

Thoroughly enjoyed this video. Vancouver became an important part of my life when I arrived from Auckland NZ to study for a PhD in mathematics at UBC in late 1967. I spent the next 4 years in Acadia Camp and Kitsilano and made some of my strongest friends there.

[@boldblazervids]

When I noticed this video, I got super hyped because I hoped that it would contain the various things I like to talk to my friends about! It did contain a lot of them! If you ever make a part 2, I really hope you can get into the other cities, along with perhaps stuff like the Coast Meridian and why south of the Fraser is all square, and more transit stuff! The roads and transit is what I like most. I'm super glad you talked about the amalgamation part and the part about the future Kingsway and Douglas Road! This is truly one of my favourite videos on KZbin. I'll be sure to try and visit too!

[@LarryGarfieldCrell]

Can you do Chicago (my town) next? I hope Vancouver's tourism department sponsors this video. It would work great in a city history museum.

[@dainjahrus]

I moved to Vancouver 7 years ago from Toronto... this is a great video highlighting a lot of different aspects of the city. required watch for everyone who moves here :)

[@vermakaran]

The video narration is truly outstanding! A significant portion of the content in this video, particularly the insights into First Nations history, had been acquired through scattered discussions with local individuals. The presentation of First Nations history in this video was incredibly engaging. Thank you for sharing!

[@NorbertSD]

I used to live in Vancouver for 5 years from 2004-2009. Also, the Canadian band Hedley (whom almost no one outside of Canada has heard of, but was a very famous band in Canada, with 9 songs making the top 10 of the Canadian Hot 100 during the mid 2000s-mid 2010s) was originally from Vancouver.

[@qwertyiou9]

Great video, would have liked to see more about the pre-european history and archeology in this video. I realize there's less to talk about, but there are subjects in the BC era of the video that could also be talked about, such as trading and products, depictions of houses and other structures, ways they traveled, native classifications of areas (fishing, gathering, burying, sacred, etc), relations with colonizers, and other (more?) history tidbits. If you don't include what happened first with natives, some people will assume there was nothing before European settlement.

[@xenotypos]

In terms of "city" strictly speaking, there wasn't much honestly.

[@Hemant.s]

I live in Toronto, but was born in Vancouver and visit often. This video really helps me understand the history of the city! Great job.

[@Kisai_Yuki]

Chances are that even if you have never visited Vancouver, you have seen Vancouver. (Wikipedia lists 641 titles) - The Never Ending Story (1984) all portions outside the book. The sequels also are filmed in Vancouver and Burnaby - 2012 (2009) - The Butterfly Effect (2004) and it's sequel - Final Destination 1,2,3,5 - Scary Movie 1,2,3,4 - Rocky IV - The Twilight Saga - Scooby Doo! The Mystery Begins, and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed - Sonic the Hedgehog 1 and 2 - Paycheck - X-men, X2, X-Men: The Last Stand, and X-Men Origins: Wolverine And of all the films filmed in Vancouver, only "Shoot to Kill (1988)" actually uses Vancouver as Vancouver, and also has scenes on transit a scene on the BC ferries. Paycheck (2003) and "The Trial of the Incredible Hulk (1989)" also use unaltered versions of the Skytrain and not strictly as set pieces.

[@Artur_M.]

The video was more interesting than I expected. I'm off to check out the one about Seattle now!

[@evanschemenauer1356]

A ton of respect for spending a long time explaining the indigenous history of the area.

[@Dethikah]

This was actually really fascinating to learn where all the names we see every day actually come from, thanks for putting this video together!

[@onesilike9838]

Brilliant work! I loved living in Vancouver until my 20’s, a fabulous family city. It was very liveable then, but is very expensive now like many other cities in the world. I moved to Vancouver Island in the 70’s and would love to see you explore some of the areas here. I’ve travelled many places in the world and I still think we live in paradise.

[@heronimousbrapson863]

The Lions Gate bridge was opened in 1938, not 1931.

[@warren958]

The question remains: why does Queensborough exist? “This whole island will be Richmond. Except that. That’s New West.”

[@1224chrisng]

Kinda interesting how it also corresponds to the coastline during the ice age, maybe the geography there made it more inhabitable when New West was first founded

[@DevynCairns]

I don't know the real answer but my guess would be with New West being much older, they probably saw that land across the river and started using it before Richmond became particularly established. As you probably know, there isn't much other than farmland between the core of Richmond and Queensborough, and there probably never will be since it's now protected as an ALR. They got started in different areas and being so distant from the rest of Richmond it would have just made sense to keep that as part of New Westminster. To this day Steveston also has a pretty distinct identity even though it is part of Richmond. You could easily consider it to be a municipality of its own even though it isn't, just by the strength of its identity alone.

[@venice.mp4]

been watching this channel for a while and had no idea you were based in vancouver, definitely gonna pop by your store when i’m in the area

[@marcguenette1986]

I've lived here for 12 years and picked up a lot of this info over the years, but damn it was nice to see it all consolidated into one cohesive and comprehensive video. I'm gonna have to come visit sometime, kudos on this great video.

[@tanksama27]

didn’t know my city was that old 💀

[@Ah-sun]

I'm Vancouver-born of Hong Kong descent I grew up near Boundary and Hastings. I really appreciate this video teaching and informing about the history of Vancouver, I never knew there were about 100k indigenous ppl living here before the Europeans and I always thought the land acknowledgement was kinda dumb. Now knowing that they had such a significant presence here before, this sort of makes sense. That being said, the overly emphasis on indigenous tragedies, and "labelling" of past events I strongly felt was unnecessary and took the focus away from the video. As a Vacnvouerite my entire life I just don't think we should be so stuck on the past and we should always move forward. Acknowledging the lands never felt like a "I really mean it" thing but rather a "I'm trying so hard to be politically correct" thing. To me, it always felt ingenuine and generally disgusting. Like from my feeling, 99% of people who say those words and 99% of ppl who hear those words don't care, and I don't think we should be so focused on appearing to be politically correct and should just move forward. It's not like Chinatown folks talk about the head tax every time there's a gathering... I genuinely do not enjoy the parts about First Nations as this isn't, and shouldn't be the focus of the video..... You see how when you started talking about the "tragedy" at 23 minute the viewership amount just significantly dipped to the lowest and the "most popular" point was right after you finished talking about September 30th reconciliation day? - These are just stats reflecting audience feelings.

[@9233267]

Spend some time thinking about how terribly these folks are treated, maybe even think about it every time someone makes a land acknowledgement. Our families have benefitted from settling in this amazing place, the least we can do is acknowledge how brutally indigenous people have been and are still being treated. This isn't ancient history. Forgetting would be nice for you, that's why we take the time to talk about it.

[@forest_green]

It's literally called "History of Vancouver". You can't just skip past the things that happened in its past. As a half coast salish person, I've met so many people who still had no idea residential schools were a thing, or were unaware that the land is unceded.

[@ON-YT]

20:00 never knew you were a fellow Vancouverite will definitely visit that. My high school teacher has your world history chart loved looking at it really cool.

[@Darkkwalker]

Minor point of correction: Canada's oldest Chinatown is located in Victoria, not Vancouver. Victoria Chinatown = 1858, Vancouver Chinatown = 1886, a 28 year difference.

[@A_Baguette_]

As a native Vancouverite and owner of a couple of your posters I am THRILLED!

[@judithstuart9631]

❤❤❤

[@barb318]

You briefly mentioned Fort Vancouver in WA on the Columbia River. It would be very cool if you could expand on the information about what I’ve understood to actually be the FIRST Vancouver… and maybe discuss the history of how the two cities came to be differentiated, named, etc. We (Vancouver, WA) have lived in the “shadow” of Portland, OR for a long time, but in the 2020s, we’re now entering a phase of new growth and recognition in our own right. And we still have the Fort (at least a reproduction of it on the exact location). I’ve always maintained, since moving here in 2001 from CA, that Vancouver, WA deserves to be more widely appreciated. There’s got to be some interesting stories around any conflict or competition around two cities so close in proximity having the same name.

[@katherinegilks3880]

The history of why they share the name is fairly simple: they were both named after the same explorer. There isn’t a copyright on it. Going into the history does get a bit dicey because, believe it or not, Canadians consider the Oregon Treaty to be American imperialist encroachment that robbed us of Washington, just like we consider the war of 1812 an invasion. Calling the city Vancouver was harkening back to the explorer and British imperialism, which made sense in the 1880s. They probably didn’t give much thought to Vancouver in Washington, any more than naming Washington state and Washington DC (or any of the other places in the US called Washington). Incidentally, the state name “Washington” and the province name “British Columbia” were both intended to metaphorically stick it to the other country.

[@Dont_panic_its_organic..1971]

Thank you for the history lesson on Vancouver. I was born & raised in Ontario. & moved to Vancouver when I was 43 & have been here for 9 years. What a beautiful place can't see myself living anywhere else & wish I had been born & raised here, thanks once again for the awesome history lesson it was very well done & very informative. If you have anymore interesting facts & things you can edit together for another informative video on Vancouver would be fantastic

[@sophiasayer6780]

Thanks so much for a wonderful look at the history of our city! I'll definitely be dropping by your new store this weekend

[@fastwalker128]

Been here for almost 60 years. . Studied urban geography at UBC. Still learned a lot in this video. Thanks for making it.

[@patriciaaturner289]

My parents went to the ‘86 Expo with some friends. They enjoyed the trip enormously. I don’t recall whether they explored much of the city.

[@FQT_Keller-Ash]

This seemed really well thought out and considerate and I dearly appreciate that, I am glad that history of the pacific northwest is being shared more.

[@Moniker39]

I want to say thank you for this informative piece, I loved all the tangents and useful information. The awareness pieces surrounding residential schools, territories, reconciliation etc... was well brought up.

[@forest_green]

I loved the shout-out to my favourite youtube channel, Indigenous History Now! I'm a descendant of Portuguese Joe, who was a contemporary of Gassy Jack, and married two Indigenous women, one of whom was Lucy Kwatleemat, my ancestor. A truly gorgeous statue of Lucy, Joe, and his first wife Khalltinaht, stands in Stanley Park.

[@maureentweedly]

Another super history lesson. My first home as a babe was not too far from your store...it brought back such great memories. Thank you. I'll be sure to visit.

[@sahilmajid786]

Thanks Matt for a wonderful trip down the history lane of my city. Kudos.