User:Sherwin55

I'm a new user to WP and trying to submerse myself in WP culture and guidelines while attempting to offer constructive feedback and contributions (hopefully) to the Vancouver article. I've been interested in being an editor and contributor at Wikipedia for a couple of years. Wow, there's quite a lot of information to digest. I was reading the entry for cognitive map when I was motivated to create a login and I still plan on returning there.

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Vancouver

 * WikiProject Vancouver


 * WikiProject Vancouver/Operation Schadenfreude


 * Vancouver Sandbox


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Possible concepts for Vancouver lead
I've listed some of the ideas that might get mentioned in the Vancouver lead. It's not exhaustive so we will have to add to it. Some of them won't be controversial but I think it still makes sense to list them so we can try to rank them and see what we need to exclude. Of course, the way the lead is written is as important as the concepts we include so I'll also attempt a draft. Sherwin55 (talk) 22:06, 6 December 2009 (UTC)

Pacific Northwest
This is a term used in the lead to Seattle. The term "pacific" helps an international audience locate Vancouver conceptually and an American and North American audience will grasp the meaning quickly. Also there is the page Pacific Northwest. Sherwin55 (talk) 22:06, 6 December 2009 (UTC)

Mountains
The mountains North of Vancouver are important to Vancouverites and shape the culture there dramatically. Possibly, we could mention the Cascade Range. Sherwin55 (talk) 22:06, 6 December 2009 (UTC)

Rainforest
Given the importance of logging and recreation to the economy and psyche of Vancouverites, I think we should characterize the surrounding ecosystem as being a temperate rainforest. I believe that BC has the largest, intact temperate rainforest in the world - although this shouldn't be mentioned in the lead, and I don't have a reference for this.Sherwin55 (talk) 22:06, 6 December 2009 (UTC)

Salish Sea
This is a good way for people to visualize the geography and the surrounding ecological systems. I believe there have been recent name changes in both BC and Washington that officially recognize Salish Sea as the official term. The map that is currently shown at Salish Sea is not great and I would like to see the map made by Stefan Freelan at http://myweb.facstaff.wwu.edu/stefan/SalishSea.htm used there instead. Hmmm, maybe I can ask him to make one that includes the city of Vancouver, for the Salish Sea article. Sherwin55 (talk) 22:06, 6 December 2009 (UTC)

Fraser river
Seems like some mention could be made of the Fraser River or possibly simply that Vancouver is built around a river or perhaps a watershed. My biology is a little sketchy but I think this is the driving factor behind the rich soil and productive farmland of the surrounding area. However, in WP, not all cities in North America mention the river they're built on. Well anyway, I can't visualize Vancouver without visualizing the Fraser River valley and delta. Sherwin55 (talk) 22:06, 6 December 2009 (UTC)

First Nations
I feel clear about making some mention of the First Nations or Indigenous people or First People or Coast Salish but I get that this might be controversial. I plan to argue on behalf of this but I'll ultimately respect the decisions that the more experienced editors make. Before I start to give reasons for the inclusion of this concept into the lead, perhaps I can ask what other editors think of this? And if they're opposed, how might they be persuaded and what they might accept as evidence for the inclusion of this? Sherwin55 (talk) 22:06, 6 December 2009 (UTC)

Largest city in British Columbia
I think this is a more succinct way of making reference to both British Columbia and the relative size of Vancouver. Sherwin55 (talk) 22:06, 6 December 2009 (UTC)

Population of metropolitan area
This is a nice hard number and gives people a direct sense of size. Sherwin55 (talk) 22:06, 6 December 2009 (UTC)

Three main groups of people
It seems to me that as a first approximation, Vancouver can be seen as the coming together of three main groups of people: 1) Indigenous people, 2) Europeans, and 3) Asians. This is an important driver of the current culture and texture of Vancouver. This doesn't mean we have to mention the exact term "three main groups of people". But I think we should have a direct or indirect mention of each of these groups. So, for example, by mentioning George Vancouver and that he was British we satisfy the mentioning of Europeans. And by making mention of the First People, or the Coast Salish, we satisfy mentioning the Indigenous people. Etc. Sherwin55 (talk) 22:06, 6 December 2009 (UTC)

A sandbox for the lead for Vancouver
Vancouver is a Pacific Northwest coastal city located in the temperate rainforest of the Salish Sea in British Columbia Canada. With a core population of 578,000 and a surrounding area of 2.1 million people, it is the largest metropolitan area in Western Canada. The Port of Vancouver is the busiest in Canada, and the fourth largest port (by tonnage) in North America.

First Nations have lived in this region for between eight and ten thousand years. Although the city of Vancouver is named for British Captain George Vancouver, who explored the area in the 1790s, significant European and Asian arrivals would not begin until the 1860s. In 1867, Logging sawmills established in the area known as Gastown. It became the nucleus around which the townsite grew, and forestry remains the largest industry today. By 1887, the transcontinental railway was extended to the city to take advantage of its large natural seaport, which soon became a vital link in a trade route between the Orient, Eastern Canada, and London.

Vancouver is well known as an urban centre surrounded by mountains, rivers and coastline, making tourism its second largest industry. It also is the third largest film production centre in North America after Los Angeles and New York City, earning it the nickname Hollywood North. Its residents are ethnically diverse, with 52% having a first language other than English. Vancouver has hosted many international conferences and events, including the 1976 United Nations Conference on Human Settlements and the 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication. The 2010 Winter Olympics and 2010 Winter Paralympics will be held in Vancouver and nearby Whistler. Vancouver has ranked as one of the most livable cities in the world for more than a decade.