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|

}}Template:Main other The Lower Mainland is a geographic and cultural region of the mainland coast of British Columbia that generally comprises the regional districts of Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. Home to approximately 3.05Template:Nbspmillion people as of the 2021 Canadian census,Template:Efn the Lower Mainland contains sixteen of the province's 30 most populous municipalities and approximately 60% of the province's total population.<ref name="2021census">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The region was historically occupied by the Sto:lo, a Halkomelem-speaking people of the Coast Salish linguistic and cultural grouping.

BoundariesEdit

Although the term Lower Mainland has been recorded from the earliest period of colonization in British Columbia, it has never been officially defined in legal terms. The term has historically been in popular usage for over a century to describe a region that extends from Horseshoe Bay south to the Canada–United States border and east to Hope at the eastern end of the Fraser Valley. This definition makes the term Lower Mainland almost synonymous with the regional districts of Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley.<ref>Gentilcore, R.L., ed. 1993. Historical Atlas of Canada, Vol II, The Land Transformed 1800–1891. Plate 36, "Lower Mainland 1881." Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Template:ISBN.</ref>

However, the British Columbia Geographical Names Information System (BCGNIS) comments that most residents of Vancouver might consider it to be only areas west of Mission and Abbotsford, while residents in the rest of the province consider it to be the Sea-to-Sky Corridor south of Whistler and west of Hope.<ref>Template:Cite bcgnis</ref>

GeographyEdit

Template:See also The region is bounded to the north by the Pacific Ranges and to the southeast by the Cascade Mountains, and is traversed from east to west by the Fraser River. Due to its consistency of climate, flora and fauna, geology and land use, "Lower Mainland" is also the name of an ecoregion—a biogeoclimatic region—that comprises the eastern part of the Georgia Depression and extends from Powell River on the Sunshine Coast to Hope at the eastern end of the Fraser Valley.<ref name="EC196">Environment Canada. Ecoregions of Canada – Lower Mainland Template:Webarchive. Ecological Framework of Canada. Retrieved on: 9 July 2011</ref>

ClimateEdit

One of the mildest climates in Canada, the region has a mean annual temperature of Template:Convert with a summer mean of Template:Convert and a winter mean of Template:Convert. Annual precipitation ranges from an annual mean of Template:Convert in the west end to Template:Convert in the eastern end of the Fraser Valley and at higher elevations. Maximum precipitation occurs as rain in winter. Less than ten percent falls as snow at sea level but the amount of snowfall increases significantly with elevation.<ref name="EC196" />

DemographicsEdit

Template:Historical populations

PopulationEdit

As of the 2021 census, the population of the Lower Mainland core area totals 2,966,830:

These figures are slightly inflated due to the inclusion of areas within the regional districts which are not normally considered to be part of the Lower Mainland, notably the lower Fraser Canyon and the heads of Harrison and Pitt Lakes, which are within the FVRD, and Lions Bay and Bowen Island, which are within the Metro Vancouver Regional District.Template:Cn

EthnicityEdit

Template:Pie chart The Lower Mainland is among the most multicultural and diverse regions in Canada.

As of 2021, Europeans form a plurality with 1,337,105 persons or 45.7 percent of the total population, followed by East Asians with 614,860 persons or 21.0 percent and South Asians with 422,880 persons or 14.5 percent.

Panethnic groups in the Lower Mainland (2001−2021)
Panethnic
group
2021<ref name=2021censusB/><ref name=2021censusC/> 2016<ref name=2016censusB/><ref name=2016censusC/> 2011<ref name=2011censusD/><ref name=2011censusF/> 2006<ref name=2006censusB/><ref name=2006censusC/> 2001<ref name=2001censusB/><ref name=2001censusC/>
[[Population|Template:Abbr]] Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr
EuropeanTemplate:Efn 1,337,105 Template:Percentage 1,387,125 Template:Percentage 1,403,525 Template:Percentage 1,381,770 Template:Percentage 1,397,990 Template:Percentage
East AsianTemplate:Efn 614,860 Template:Percentage 564,445 Template:Percentage 494,130 Template:Percentage 458,165 Template:Percentage 399,785 Template:Percentage
South Asian 422,880 Template:Percentage 330,925 Template:Percentage 285,780 Template:Percentage 233,530 Template:Percentage 183,660 Template:Percentage
Southeast AsianTemplate:Efn 207,420 Template:Percentage 173,060 Template:Percentage 159,430 Template:Percentage 115,185 Template:Percentage 88,000 Template:Percentage
Middle EasternTemplate:Efn 89,135 Template:Percentage 63,300 Template:Percentage 49,505 Template:Percentage 36,085 Template:Percentage 27,595 Template:Percentage
Indigenous 87,355 Template:Percentage 83,660 Template:Percentage 70,915 Template:Percentage 54,845 Template:Percentage 48,380 Template:Percentage
Latin American 54,545 Template:Percentage 36,855 Template:Percentage 30,510 Template:Percentage 24,480 Template:Percentage 20,040 Template:Percentage
African 44,700 Template:Percentage 32,325 Template:Percentage 25,385 Template:Percentage 21,945 Template:Percentage 19,320 Template:Percentage
Other/multiracialTemplate:Efn 67,755 Template:Percentage 43,295 Template:Percentage 33,165 Template:Percentage 25,815 Template:Percentage 16,565 Template:Percentage
Total responses 2,924,685 Template:Percentage 2,715,000 Template:Percentage 2,552,350 Template:Percentage 2,351,805 Template:Percentage 2,201,330 Template:Percentage
Total populationTemplate:Efn 2,966,830 Template:Percentage 2,759,365 Template:Percentage 2,590,921 Template:Percentage 2,373,612 Template:Percentage 2,224,515 Template:Percentage
Template:Small

ReligionEdit

Template:Pie chart The Lower Mainland includes large irreligious, Christian, and Sikh communities. The Sikh population, numbering over 265,000 persons or 9.1 percent of the total population is statistically significant across Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley; proportionally, it is more than four times the national average of 2.1 percent.

Religious groups in the Lower Mainland (2001−2021)
Religious
group
2021<ref name="2021censusB">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref><ref name="2021censusC">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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}}</ref>

2011<ref name="2011censusB">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref><ref name="2011censusC">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

2001<ref name="2001censusB"/><ref name="2001censusC"/>
[[Population|Template:Abbr]] Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr
Irreligion 1,361,800 Template:Percentage 1,042,815 Template:Percentage 758,130 Template:Percentage
Christianity 989,105 Template:Percentage 1,088,160 Template:Percentage 1,138,505 Template:Percentage
Sikhism 265,870 Template:Percentage 184,810 Template:Percentage 116,110 Template:Percentage
Islam 113,880 Template:Percentage 74,320 Template:Percentage 53,225 Template:Percentage
Buddhism 72,595 Template:Percentage 79,680 Template:Percentage 76,140 Template:Percentage
Hinduism 71,210 Template:Percentage 42,205 Template:Percentage 28,440 Template:Percentage
Judaism 20,430 Template:Percentage 19,125 Template:Percentage 17,555 Template:Percentage
Indigenous spirituality 2,895 Template:Percentage 2,590 Template:Percentage 2,225 Template:Percentage
Other 26,900 Template:Percentage 18,640 Template:Percentage 11,015 Template:Percentage
Total responses 2,924,685 Template:Percentage 2,552,350 Template:Percentage 2,201,325 Template:Percentage
Total populationTemplate:Efn 2,966,830 Template:Percentage 2,590,921 Template:Percentage 2,224,515 Template:Percentage

LanguageEdit

Template:Col-begin Template:Col-break

Knowledge of language (2016−2021)
Language 2021<ref name="2021censusB"/><ref name="2021censusC"/> 2016<ref name="2016censusB"/><ref name="2016censusC"/>
[[Population|Template:Abbr]] Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr
English 2,772,150 Template:Percentage 2,569,215 Template:Percentage
Mandarin 295,400 Template:Percentage 252,260 Template:Percentage
Punjabi 286,270 Template:Percentage 223,510 Template:Percentage
Cantonese 235,220 Template:Percentage 224,655 Template:Percentage
French 185,330 Template:Percentage 185,420 Template:Percentage
Tagalog 113,205 Template:Percentage 98,395 Template:Percentage
Hindi 119,435 Template:Percentage 75,125 Template:Percentage
Spanish 100,355 Template:Percentage 79,885 Template:Percentage
Korean 63,335 Template:Percentage 52,650 Template:Percentage
German 43,490 Template:Percentage 47,825 Template:Percentage
Total responses 2,924,680 Template:Percentage 2,714,995 Template:Percentage
Total populationTemplate:Efn 2,966,830 Template:Percentage 2,759,365 Template:Percentage

Template:Col-break

Mother tongue (2016−2021)
Language 2021<ref name="2021censusB"/><ref name="2021censusC"/> 2016<ref name="2016censusB"/><ref name="2016censusC"/>
[[Population|Template:Abbr]] Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr
English 1,576,995 Template:Percentage 1,537,875 Template:Percentage
Punjabi 219,015 Template:Percentage 182,050 Template:Percentage
Mandarin 193,190 Template:Percentage 176,435 Template:Percentage
Cantonese 183,860 Template:Percentage 185,135 Template:Percentage
Tagalog 69,895 Template:Percentage 68,240 Template:Percentage
Persian 54,985 Template:Percentage 41,645 Template:Percentage
Korean 54,385 Template:Percentage 47,715 Template:Percentage
Spanish 49,255 Template:Percentage 38,705 Template:Percentage
French 27,280 Template:Percentage 27,820 Template:Percentage
German 24,795 Template:Percentage 32,210 Template:Percentage
Total responses 2,939,500 Template:Percentage 2,731,255 Template:Percentage
Total populationTemplate:Efn 2,966,830 Template:Percentage 2,759,365 Template:Percentage

Template:Col-end

Regional districtsEdit

{{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B= {{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B= Template:Ambox }} }} Regional districts were first created across British Columbia from 1966 to 1967 to form bodies for inter-municipal coordination and to extend municipal-level powers to areas outside existing municipalities. Today, the Lower Mainland includes two regional districts: the Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD) and the Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD). Both regional districts, however, include areas outside the traditional limits of the Lower Mainland. Metro Vancouver includes areas like Surrey and Langley that are geographically in the Fraser Valley.

The Metro Vancouver Regional District is made up of 21 municipalities. The MVRD is bordered on the west by the Strait of Georgia, to the north by the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, on the east by the Fraser Valley Regional District, and to the south by Whatcom County, Washington, in the United States.

The Fraser Valley Regional District lies east of the Metro Vancouver Regional District, and comprises the cities of Abbotsford and Chilliwack, the district municipalities of Mission, Kent, and Hope, and the village of Harrison Hot Springs. It also includes many unincorporated areas in the Fraser Valley and along the west side of the Fraser Canyon (the Fraser Canyon is not in the Lower Mainland).

Regional district powers are very limited and other localized provincial government services are delivered through other regionalization systems.

Indigenous territoriesEdit

{{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B= {{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B= Template:Ambox }} }} The region was historically occupied by the Musqueam and Tsleil'waututh, and the southern portion was historically occupied by the Squamish. Its claims overlap those of the Tsleil-waututh, Musqueam, and Kwikwetlem. Other peoples who historically occupied the region are the Sto:lo, Chehalis, Katzie, Kwantlen, Tsawwassen, and Semiahmoo; many of their territories overlap with those of the Musqueam, and with each other. Many other peoples of the Georgia Strait region also frequented the lower Fraser, including those from Vancouver Island and what is now Whatcom County, Washington. Sto:lo "traditional territory", known as Solh Temexw in Halkomelem, roughly coincides with the Lower Mainland, except for the inclusion of Port Douglas at the head of Harrison Lake, which is in In-SHUCK-ch territory, and the lands around Burrard Inlet.

Health regionsEdit

Health system services and governance in the Lower Mainland are provided by Vancouver Coastal Health, serving Vancouver, Richmond and the North Shore, and the mainland coast as far north as the Central Coast region, and Fraser Health, which serves the area of the Lower Mainland east of Vancouver and Richmond.<ref>BC Ministry of Health. British Columbia Health Authorities: Maps Template:Webarchive. Retrieved on: 10 July 2011.</ref>

Natural threatsEdit

FloodingEdit

The Lower Mainland is considered to have a high vulnerability to flood risk. There have been two major region-wide floods in 1894 and 1948, both associated with an extreme spring freshet of the Fraser River.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Other major floods in the Lower MainlandTemplate:Sndincluding June 1972,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> November 1990,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and November 2021Template:Sndhave been more localized, primarily impacting areas in the Fraser Valley like the Sumas Prairie, with comparatively minor impacts to Metro Vancouver. Prior to the 2021 flood, according to the Fraser Basin Council, scientists predicted a one-in-three chance of a similar-sized flood occurring in the next 50 years.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In the second quarter of 2007, the Lower Mainland was on high alert for flooding. Higher than normal snow packs in the British Columbia Interior prompted municipal governments to start taking emergency measures in the region. Dikes along the Fraser River are regulated to handle approximately Template:Convert at the Mission Gauge (the height above sea level of the dykes at Mission). Warmer than normal weather in the province's Interior region caused large amounts of snow to melt prematurely, resulting in higher-than-normal water levels, which, nevertheless, remained well below flood levels.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Nguyen, Linda (7 June 2007). Lower Mainland at flood risk for weeks yet Template:Webarchive. Vancouver Sun. Retrieved on: 18 June 2008.</ref>

Flooding can cover much of the Lower Mainland. Cloverdale, Barnston Island, low-lying areas of Maple Ridge, areas west of Hope, White Rock, Richmond, parts of Vancouver, and parts of Surrey are potentially at risk. In 2007, the Lower Mainland was largely spared, although northern regions of the province, along the Skeena and Nechako Rivers, experienced floods. Climate scientists predict that increasing temperatures will mean wetter winters and more snow at the high elevations. This will increase the likelihood of snowmelt floods.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The provincial government maintains an integrated flood hazard management program and extensive flood protection infrastructure in the Lower Mainland. The infrastructure consists of dikes, pump stations, floodboxes, riprap, and relief wells.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

EarthquakesEdit

While earthquakes are common in British Columbia and adjacent coastal waters, most are minor in energy release or are sufficiently remote to have little effect on populated areas. Nevertheless, earthquakes with a magnitude of up to 7.3 have occurred within Template:Convert of the Lower Mainland.

Based on geological evidence, however, stronger earthquakes appear to have occurred at approximately 600-year intervals. Therefore, there is a probability that there will be a major earthquake in the region within the next 200 years.<ref name="eqplan">British Columbia. Provincial Emergency Program. (1999). British Columbia Earthquake Response Plan, Appendix 2-The Earthquake Threat Template:Webarchive. Template:ISBN. Retrieved on: 7 April 2008.</ref>

In April 2008, the United States Geological Survey released information concerning a newly found fault south of downtown Abbotsford, called the Boulder Creek Fault. Scientists now believe this fault is active and capable of producing earthquakes in the 6.8 magnitude range.<ref>McClatchy Washington Bureau. Earthquake risk. Retrieved on 12 May 2009.</ref>

VolcanoesEdit

Much of the Lower Mainland is vulnerable to explosive eruptions from the Garibaldi Volcanic Belt. Volcanoes in this zone are capable of producing large quantities of volcanic ash that may cause short and long term water supply problems for Lower Mainland communities.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> All airports covered by the accompanying eruption column would be closed, heavy ash falls would damage electrical equipment and weak structures could collapse under the weight of the ash.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>

CommunitiesEdit

The Lower Mainland's communities includes large cities in Metro Vancouver, and smaller cities, towns and villages along both banks of the Fraser River. Neighbourhoods within cities are not listed unless historically or otherwise notable and/or separate. Only some of the many Indian Reserves are listed.

Upper Fraser ValleyEdit

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Central Fraser ValleyEdit

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Metro VancouverEdit

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See alsoEdit

NotesEdit

Template:Notelist

ReferencesEdit

Template:Reflist

External linksEdit

{{#invoke:Navbox|navbox}} Template:Authority control