Richmond

The city of Richmond is a lovely coastal city situated within the Lower Mainland of BC. The community is considered to be part of Metro Vancouver. Richmond is bordered by the cities of Vancouver and Burnaby to the north, Delta to the south and New Westminster to the east. The Strait of Georgia forms the western border of Richmond.

The Vancouver International Airport if located in the city limits of Richmond and is found on Sea Island. The city is made up of the islands within the delta of the Fraser River. The largest and most populous of these islands is Lulu Island. The second biggest island is Sea Island, home to the Vancouver International Airport. Additionally, there are thirteen smaller islands that make up Richmond's 129.66 square kilometers of land area. The quaint fishing village of Steveston is also included in the city and it is located in Richmond's far southwest corner. The Richmond Olympic Oval was constructed nearby and was one of the place for speed-skating events during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

Since the land area of Richmond occupies islands within a river delta, the soil is rich and alluvial making it perfect for agriculture. In fact, the area was amongst the first locations within British Columbia to be farmed during 19th century by Europeans.

The geographical location of Richmond also causes many problems. Since the land is just above sea level, the area is prone to flooding, specially in times of high tide. All of the main islands are presently surrounded by a system of dykes, to be able to deal with this situation. These dykes serve to protect Richmond city from anticipated flooding, although, they are not as big as those found in the Netherlands or the New Orleans levees. If there ever is a large earthquake in the vicinity, there is a chance that the dykes can rupture. This would cause the alluvial soil to potentially liquefy which would result in extensive damage.

Richmond city is also at risk of experiencing a major flood if the Fraser River has an unusually high spring freshet. There are a variety of recreation trails and bird sanctuaries that run along the tops of many of the dykes. These flat, wide dirt roads make ideal locations for joggers, families to walk along with strollers and young children as well as the perfect location for people who walk their dogs. Richmond city supports about 1400 acres of parkland.

The city and surrounding area supports 100,000 jobs in various fields consisting of tourism, retail, airport services and aviation, light manufacturing, fishing, government and agriculture. The region is also a leading place for high-technology businesses. These companies comprise MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates and the Nintendo Corporation of Canada.