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This riding is a very short distance from the Vancouver International Airport, and is accessible via provincial highways 99 and 91.
Sandwiched between the north bank and North Arm of the Fraser River, this riding touches the Strait of Georgia on the west, and includes Mitchell, Kirkland, Duck, Barber and Gunn islands. It is composed of mostly commercial or industrial lands, although it also includes a few golf courses and the Richmond Nature Park.
About 57.5% of the riding’s population are immigrants, with some of the largest populations born in China, Hong Kong, and the Philippines.
More residents in this riding speak a non-official language as their mother tongue than English and French combined.
Cantonese, Mandarin, and Tagalog are the most common non-official mother tongues in the riding.
Less than 1% of the riding’s population identify as Aboriginal.
Average individual income is $38,273.
Thanks to the 2010 Winter Olympics, Richmond residents have access to the speed-skating oval.
Located in the Metro Vancouver area, residents can also enjoy several community centres and cultural and other attractions in Vancouver and surrounding cities.
Richmond is home to the Steveston Salmon Festival, held every Canada Day, where residents enjoy barbecued salmon. The city also hosts an annual Night Market which attracts residents and visitors alike to enjoy ethnic food and a variety of shopping and entertainment.
Sectors that employ the most people in this riding include retail, accommodation and food services, professional, scientific and technical services, and health care and social assistance.
Around 57% of the workforce has a post-secondary education of some kind. In 2011 the unemployment rate was 6.6%.
The riding houses one of the area’s biggest parks: the Richmond Nature Park, with 81 hectares of raised peat bog and 5 km of hiking trails. The park also offers educational programs and activities for students and the general public.
The area is also a preferred migration syop for a large population of snow geese every fall.
European settlement of the Richmond area began in the 1860s as farmers settled along the Fraser River. First Nations people had come to the area for generations to fish and collect berries and built their own settlements.
The abundance of fish off the coast would draw more people, including Japanese fishermen. As more businesses developed around the fishing industry, it attracted more workers and more diverse groups of people to the municipality of Richmond.
