Richmond is a city that is located in British Columbia, Canada. It is located in the Metro Vancouver region of Canada. As of the most recent estimates in 2017, the city has a population of 218,307.
Richmond Demographics
Richmond is one of the largest cities in British Columbia. One important thing to note about the city’s population is that 60% of the overall population is made up of immigrants. This is the highest percentage in the entire country. About half of the residents are Chinese, making it the North American city with the largest proportion of Asian residents.
Other residents are of Asian descent, coming from places including China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. An influx of these immigrants arrived in the city during the 1980s. According to recorded data, 22.9% or the population, or over 45,000 residents, are European Canadian.
Richmond History
Richmond got its start as the location of fishing camps. It was named by John Wesley Sexsmith after the Township of Richmond located in Ontario. The Township of Richmond in British Columbia was incorporated in 1879. Like its name, Richmond, British Columbia, modeled Ontario’s township when it came to its political structure. The ward electoral system was in place until being replaced by the large electoral system in 1946.
It wasn’t until 1990 that Richmond was designated as a city. Today, the city has over 100,000 jobs across various industries from retail and services to aviation and tourism. The city also has many modern attractions including restaurants on Alexandra Road, or “food street”, and shopping centers. The original fishing village is now where heritage sites and museums can be found to showcase the city’s history. The city is also home to the Vancouver International Airport, hosted speed skating events in the 2010 Olympic Games, and is currently having its city center updated to account for estimated population growth.
Richmond Population Growth
Richmond is already one of the largest cities in British Columbia, but what does the future hold? The city is expected to continue to see a booming population. In fact, as of 2017, city planners are at work revitalizing the city center to develop new residential dwellings. This area alone is expected to see its population grow from 40,000 to 120,000 residents in the near future. Looking back at the city’s historical population, steady growth has been recorded every five to ten years, with a 4.1% growth posted between 2011 and 2016. Looking at these trends and the plans made by the city, it is apparent that Richmond is expecting to see steady population growth.