There are many nicknames for the city of Vancouver, the largest city in British Columbia and third-largest metropolitan area in Canada. Some reflect the city's history, climate, geography, economy, and demographics. Others have their origins in cultural aspects of the city and its inhabitants.
The first non-aboriginal settlement in the area was known as Gastown. This name continues today as a nickname for Vancouver, although more specifically for the original core of the city, which is part of the Downtown Eastside.
Geography and climateedit
Rain City (or Raincouver or the Wet Coast) – Vancouver receives on average 1,199 mm (47.2 in) of rainfall a year (YVR).[1] Especially during the winter months, the city has a reputation for wet weather.
Saltwater City (Chinese: 鹹水埠) – name for Vancouver used by early Chinese immigrants to the city.[3]
Industryedit
Hollywood North[4] – the city is home to the third-largest film and television production industry in North America, after LA and New York.[5]
The Big Smoke – Vancouver's heavy fogs in combination with the many sawmill burners and other industrial pollution produced thick smog. Common as slang and in casual usage.[6][7][8] It is also used outside of BC for Toronto, London, Sydney and other places. Very common in use within BC, especially in the BC Interior, for both Vancouver and the Lower Mainland in general.
Cultureedit
Vansterdam – like Amsterdam, Vancouver has a reputation for relaxed attitudes towards recreational drug use, specifically marijuana.[9]
Lotusland – coined by Vancouver Sun writer Allan Fotheringham, Lotusland refers to Homer'sOdyssey, in which the hero, Odysseus, visits a land whose inhabitants are befuddled by a narcotic lotus (the "Land of the Lotus-Eaters"). It sometimes is used to describe all of British Columbia.[10]
City of Glass – taken from the title of a Douglas Couplandbook, this name reflects the dominant steel-and-glass architectural aesthetic of the city's downtown.[11]
No Fun City (or Nofuncouver) – long-time nickname[12] which can refer to a variety of things depending on use and context. It can refer to some of the city's cultural policies that result in a less lively local music scene,[12] to a perceived "lame" nightlife.[13][14][15][16]
Blandcouver – similar to 'No Fun City,' this nickname[17] is often used self-deprecatingly by locals who think Vancouver's cosmopolitanism is over-hyped.[18][14]
The 604 – 604 is an area code used in Vancouver that locals occasionally use as slang for Vancouver.[19]
Demographicsedit
Hongcouver and Vankong – names with xenophobic connotations, it came into use in the 1980s and 1990s. Although Vancouver has had a large Chinese community from its earliest days, the Chinese population surged as large numbers of Hong Kong citizens immigrated prior to the British handover of that city in 1997.[20]
Diminutivesedit
Downtown – common inside of BC to refer to the whole of actual Vancouver
The V – contemporary moniker originating in the Canadian hip hop community
Van – common outside the city proper and as an abbreviation
V-town – virtually unused in BC, but in moderate use within Alberta
East Van – not common outside of BC, but most residents of East Vancouver use this
Vancity – originated in the Canadian hip hop community, has since come into popular usage in and outside of BC (Vancity is also the name of a local credit union)
^Hampson, Sarah (October 22, 2007). "Prince of pot or dope of Vansterdam?". Toronto: Globe and Mail. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
^Grant, Kelly; Mehler Paperny, Anna. "How cities grow – up is in". Toronto: Globe and Mail. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
^Rowe, Dan. . Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on December 16, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
^ abJames, Melissa. "No Fun City – About". No Fun City. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
^Moxley, Mitch (5 October 2012). "Welcome To Vancouver: 'No Fun City'". Huffington Post. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
^ abQuan, Douglas (2017-02-25). "'Blandcouver' does it again: New logo ridiculed as lame attempt to rebrand the city for lowest bid". National Post. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
^"Why Must Lovely Vancouver Be So Boring?". HuffPost. 2012-10-05. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
^"Opinion: Here's how Vancouver can leave its "no fun city" reputation behind | Urbanized". dailyhive.com. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
^"Blandcouver". Scout Magazine: Vancouver Lexicon. 4 February 2013. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
^"Blandcouver (@blandcouver)". Retrieved January 5, 2015.
^Hannah (2023-02-10). "19 nicknames for Vancouver BC used by locals". Retrieved 2023-04-26.
^Cernetig, Miro. "Chinese Vancouver: A decade of change". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
nicknames, vancouver, saltwater, city, redirects, here, book, saltwater, city, illustrated, history, chinese, vancouver, this, article, uses, bare, urls, which, uninformative, vulnerable, link, please, consider, converting, them, full, citations, ensure, artic. Saltwater City redirects here For the book see Saltwater City An Illustrated History of the Chinese in Vancouver This article uses bare URLs which are uninformative and vulnerable to link rot Please consider converting them to full citations to ensure the article remains verifiable and maintains a consistent citation style Several templates and tools are available to assist in formatting such as reFill documentation and Citation bot documentation August 2022 Learn how and when to remove this message There are many nicknames for the city of Vancouver the largest city in British Columbia and third largest metropolitan area in Canada Some reflect the city s history climate geography economy and demographics Others have their origins in cultural aspects of the city and its inhabitants Contents 1 History 2 Geography and climate 3 Industry 4 Culture 5 Demographics 6 Diminutives 7 See also 8 ReferencesHistory editThe first non aboriginal settlement in the area was known as Gastown This name continues today as a nickname for Vancouver although more specifically for the original core of the city which is part of the Downtown Eastside Geography and climate editRain City or Raincouver or the Wet Coast Vancouver receives on average 1 199 mm 47 2 in of rainfall a year YVR 1 Especially during the winter months the city has a reputation for wet weather Terminal City refers to Vancouver or specifically Gastown being the western terminus of the Canadian Pacific Railway 2 Saltwater City Chinese 鹹水埠 name for Vancouver used by early Chinese immigrants to the city 3 Industry editHollywood North 4 the city is home to the third largest film and television production industry in North America after LA and New York 5 The Big Smoke Vancouver s heavy fogs in combination with the many sawmill burners and other industrial pollution produced thick smog Common as slang and in casual usage 6 7 8 It is also used outside of BC for Toronto London Sydney and other places Very common in use within BC especially in the BC Interior for both Vancouver and the Lower Mainland in general Culture editVansterdam like Amsterdam Vancouver has a reputation for relaxed attitudes towards recreational drug use specifically marijuana 9 Lotusland coined by Vancouver Sun writer Allan Fotheringham Lotusland refers to Homer s Odyssey in which the hero Odysseus visits a land whose inhabitants are befuddled by a narcotic lotus the Land of the Lotus Eaters It sometimes is used to describe all of British Columbia 10 City of Glass taken from the title of a Douglas Coupland book this name reflects the dominant steel and glass architectural aesthetic of the city s downtown 11 No Fun City or Nofuncouver long time nickname 12 which can refer to a variety of things depending on use and context It can refer to some of the city s cultural policies that result in a less lively local music scene 12 to a perceived lame nightlife 13 14 15 16 Blandcouver similar to No Fun City this nickname 17 is often used self deprecatingly by locals who think Vancouver s cosmopolitanism is over hyped 18 14 The 604 604 is an area code used in Vancouver that locals occasionally use as slang for Vancouver 19 Demographics editHongcouver and Vankong names with xenophobic connotations it came into use in the 1980s and 1990s Although Vancouver has had a large Chinese community from its earliest days the Chinese population surged as large numbers of Hong Kong citizens immigrated prior to the British handover of that city in 1997 20 Diminutives editDowntown common inside of BC to refer to the whole of actual Vancouver The V contemporary moniker originating in the Canadian hip hop community Van common outside the city proper and as an abbreviation V town virtually unused in BC but in moderate use within Alberta East Van not common outside of BC but most residents of East Vancouver use this Vancity originated in the Canadian hip hop community has since come into popular usage in and outside of BC Vancity is also the name of a local credit union The Couve very rare in Vancouver BC but instead frequently used to refer to Vancouver Washington It was used by United States reporters during the 2010 Winter Olympics especially by Stephanie Abrams of The Weather Channel 21 22 See also editList of city nicknames in Canada Lists of nicknames nickname list articles on Wikipedia Left coastReferences edit Canadian Climate Normals 1971 2000 Environment Canada 2009 04 30 Archived from the original on 2008 12 11 Retrieved July 28 2010 Editors Picks City history and landmarks Georgia Straight 23 September 2009 Retrieved July 28 2010 By Any Other Name Salt Water City Vancouver is Awesome 6 December 2011 B C Facts Province of British Columbia Archived from the original on February 16 2014 Retrieved July 28 2010 BC Film Commission Archived 2010 06 05 at the Wayback Machine Attention Vancouver INCOMING Raincoaster Media 2 May 2014 Moving to the Big Smoke Shari van Spronsen The Big Smoke Mooie Third Gardener blog Hampson Sarah October 22 2007 Prince of pot or dope of Vansterdam Toronto Globe and Mail Retrieved July 28 2010 Grant Kelly Mehler Paperny Anna How cities grow up is in Toronto Globe and Mail Retrieved July 28 2010 Rowe Dan A career spent being curious about Vancouver Vancouver Sun Archived from the original on December 16 2013 Retrieved July 28 2010 a b James Melissa No Fun City About No Fun City Retrieved December 6 2012 Moxley Mitch 5 October 2012 Welcome To Vancouver No Fun City Huffington Post Retrieved December 6 2012 a b Quan Douglas 2017 02 25 Blandcouver does it again New logo ridiculed as lame attempt to rebrand the city for lowest bid National Post Retrieved 2022 11 07 Why Must Lovely Vancouver Be So Boring HuffPost 2012 10 05 Retrieved 2022 11 07 Opinion Here s how Vancouver can leave its no fun city reputation behind Urbanized dailyhive com Retrieved 2022 11 07 Blandcouver Scout Magazine Vancouver Lexicon 4 February 2013 Retrieved January 5 2015 Blandcouver blandcouver Retrieved January 5 2015 Hannah 2023 02 10 19 nicknames for Vancouver BC used by locals Retrieved 2023 04 26 Cernetig Miro Chinese Vancouver A decade of change Vancouver Sun Retrieved July 28 2010 http mlb weather com blog weather 8 21263 html A new meaning to having a drink on the rocks Archived from the original on 2015 05 31 Retrieved 2015 05 31 Portals nbsp Canada nbsp Lists Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Nicknames of Vancouver amp oldid 1216272795, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
