Best Web Design in Vancouver, BC (2026)

Web Design for Vancouver, British Columbia

Vancouver is Canada's densest major city and its Pacific gateway, a young metropolis wedged between the ocean and the North Shore Mountains. Nicknamed 'Hollywood North' for hosting the third-largest film and television industry in North America and 'Terminal City' as the western terminus of the Canadian Pacific Railway, it consistently ranks among the world's most livable cities.

AppWT works with Vancouver, BC businesses from Livonia, Michigan, mostly online and travelling as needed.

About Vancouver

Also known as. Terminal City. Hollywood North. Rain City (Raincouver). Gastown (for the original city core).

History. The first European settlement in the area dates only to 1862 at McCleery's Farm on the Fraser River; an earlier settlement at the townsite was known as Gastown. Incorporated on April 6, 1886 and named after British Royal Navy Captain George Vancouver, who charted the coast in 1792; the name was chosen by CPR president William Van Horne. Just over two months after incorporation, the Great Vancouver Fire of June 13, 1886 razed most of the wooden city, which was quickly rebuilt in brick and stone. Selected as the western terminus of the Canadian Pacific Railway, cementing its role as the leading commercial port on Canada's west coast. Hosted Expo 86, which transformed the city's global profile and infrastructure, and co-hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Local economy. The Port of Vancouver is one of the busiest ports in North America and a key trade link between the Asia-Pacific, East Asia, Europe, and eastern Canada. Film and television production is a signature industry, the third-largest in North America after Los Angeles and New York, earning the 'Hollywood North' nickname. A diverse economy also spans business, finance, real estate, and tourism. The Vancouver Canucks (NHL), playing since 1970, anchor the city's professional sports scene.

Culture and community. Granville Island, a former industrial district, is now a leading arts and culture hub with a public market, galleries, and theatres drawing millions of visitors. The city hosts a multicultural mix of festivals and film events, including the Vancouver International Film Festival. Gastown, the original city core, is known for its cobblestone streets, heritage architecture, and cafe and boutique scene. Professional sport, an active outdoor culture on the seawall and North Shore mountains, and a globally influential food scene shape daily life.

What makes Vancouver distinct. Vancouver is the most densely populated city in Canada, at over 5,700 people per square kilometre, and the fourth-densest in North America after New York City, San Francisco, and Mexico City. It is the birthplace of Greenpeace, which grew out of the 'Don't Make a Wave Committee'; its first protest voyage set out from Vancouver on September 15, 1971. It is one of North America's youngest major cities, with European settlement dating only to 1862. Vancouver was ranked the most livable city in North America in the 2025-26 Economist Intelligence Unit Global Livability Index.

Vancouver Landmarks and Local Life

• Stanley Park - the city's largest park at about 400 hectares, ringed by a seawall billed as the world's longest uninterrupted waterfront path and home to the Vancouver Aquarium
• Granville Island and its public market.
• Gastown and its landmark steam clock.
• Canada Place and the 2010 Olympic Cauldron at Jack Poole Plaza on the downtown waterfront.
• Lions Gate Bridge spanning Burrard Inlet to the North Shore.
• The Capilano Suspension Bridge in North Vancouver - 137 metres long and 70 metres above the Capilano River, and nearby Grouse Mountain