Image via 3DN World

The Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) is a regional district within the Canadian province of British Columbia. It comprises the metropolitan area surrounding the city of Vancouver, and is essentially synonymous with Greater Vancouver or the Vancouver Metropolitan Area.

The Greater Vancouver Regional District occupies the southwest corner of Mainland British Columbia. It comprises the western half of the Lower Mainland. The Lower Mainland is the name that residents of British Columbia apply to the region surrounding the City of Vancouver. The term has historically been in popular usage for over a century to describe a region that extends from Horseshoe Bay south to the U.S. border and east to Hope at the eastern end of the Fraser Valley.

In 2006, the Greater Vancouver Regional District had a population of 2,116,581 living in 870,992 dwellings. The regional district has a land area of 2,877.36 km² (1,111 sq mi) and a population density of 735.6/km² (1,905.2/sq mi).

Municipalities within GVRD

Go to the homepage of the district that interests you to find local information. (Image above via Blanche McDonald)

• Bowen Island Municipality 
• City of Burnaby
• City of Coquitlam
• Corporation of Delta
• City of Langley
• Township of Langley
• Village of Lions Bay
• District of Maple Ridge
• City of New Westminster
• City of North Vancouver
• District of North Vancouver
• City of Pitt Meadows 
• City of Port Coquitlam
• City of Port Moody
• City of Richmond
• City of Surrey 
• City of Vancouver
• City of West Vancouver
• City of White Rock
• Village of Anmore 
• Village of Belcarra

The Jewish Community of British Columbia

While over 75% of the Jewish population continues to live in the Lower Mainland area, more and more Jews live outside of the city of Vancouver. Many Jews live on the west side of the city, but there are rapidly expanding Jewish communities in the suburban areas of Richmond, White Rock, Surrey, Burnaby, Coquitlam, and North and West Vancouver. Both Vancouver Island and the Okanagan also have sizable Jewish populations. On our website, we do our best to service the entire Jewish community within the province, but the majority of resources we offer do focus on the Greater Vancouver area. Our guide to Vancouver Island includes an overview of the Victorian Jewish community.

Downtown Area


(Image via Vision)

Richmond District

(Image via City of Richmond)