Vancouver

Vancouver is located on Canada’s West Coast and is perhaps North America’s most beautiful city. The metropolitan area, with more than 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country and the most populous in western Canada. The vibrant downtown core offers all of the amenities of an international destination – from hundreds of restaurants and clubs, the Vancouver Art Gallery, countless parks and recreation facilities, to world-class entertainment and sporting events (including the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and the Canucks, the city's major league hockey team).

The city is surrounded by the North Shore and coastal mountains and sits on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, offering limitless opportunities for outdoor pursuits, such as hiking and mountain biking in the spring and summer, and skiing at the nearby Whistler-Blackcomb resort in winter.

Vancouver, host of the 2010 Winter Olympics, has repeatedly been ranked among the world's most livable cities.