Richmond, on the Coast
Richmond in Metro Vancouver
The City of Richmond on the coast of British Columbia, Canada, part of the Metro Vancouver area, occupies all of Lulu Island in the Fraser River Delta except the small New Westminster portion upriver and all of Sea Island, site of Vancouver International Airport, across a river channel to the northwest between Richmond and the City of Vancouver. Vancouver and Burnaby are neighbors across the river to the north, New Westminster to the east, and Delta across another channel of the river to the south. The ocean as the Strait of Georgia is to the west. Burkeville on Sea Island next to the airport and Steveston in the southwest corner of Lulu Island were independent villages before they became parts of Richmond
Richmond’s 2011 Census population of 190,473 ranks it fourth in Metro Vancouver and in the province behind Vancouver, Surrey, and Burnaby. At 60 percent, mostly Chinese, Richmond is the North American city with the largest proportion of Asians, more than half, many of whom have immigrated from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Mainland China since the early 1990s.
Geography and Hydrography
Richmond has plenty of rich, alluvial soil for farming, but the land is ever prone to floods at high tides and especially when the river crests at high levels during seasons of heavy snowfalls. As a safeguard, a system of dykes now surrounds the major islands to hold back and divert such inundations that can cause catastrophic damage, so although farming had a fast start with dairy, grain, vegetables, and berries as staples in Richmond’s flat terrain of rich, fertile soil, it was necessary to clear, drain, and dyke the land to protect it from flooding and make it safe for successful farming. Today, the British Columbia Agricultural Land Reserve sets most of eastern Richmond aside for farming. Cranberries and blueberries are the principal crops. Other staples are strawberries, corn, and potatoes. In 2001 about 47 percent of British Columbia’s cranberry farm acreage was in Richmond.
The groundwater table is high, so very few homes have basements and very few buildings are more than three storeys high. The proximity of the airport limits building height to 150 feet.
History
In November 1879 the Township of Richmond became an incorporated municipality though not as a city until December 1990. The first town hall was near the main settlement on the northwestern tip of Lulu Island at North Arm.
In the 1870s, salmon canning became a major industry in the fishing village of Steveston. By the 1890s, there were nearly 50 canneries, and many ships docked in Steveston to take on big loads of canned salmon. Boatbuilding thrived too. The Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site in Steveston displays the city’s canning history in an 1894 waterfront facility with a museum.
Information Links:
http://www.richmondchamber.ca
http://www.richmond.ca/home.htm
http://www.richmond.ca/parksrec/overview.htm
http://www.richmond.ca/plandev/planning2/ocp/about.htm
Transportation
Richmond connects to Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, and Delta by bridges and tunnels. Three bridges connect Lulu Island to Sea Island and the airport, one bridge connects Sea Island to Vancouver, two connect Lulu Island to Vancouver, one connects eastern Lulu Island to Burnaby and New Westminster, and one bridge and an underwater tunnel connect Richmond to Delta.
Richmond has two high-speed freeways, Highway 99, which includes the tunnel to Delta and ends at Interstate 5 at the USA border, and Highway 91, which starts in Richmond’s Garden City Lands, runs eastward to New Westminster, then turns southward, crosses the river into Delta, and joins Highway 99 a few miles from the international border. SkyTrain service connects both central Richmond and the airport to Downtown Vancouver.
New Richmond Live MLS Listings
Richmond, on the Coast
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13251 NO. 4 Road in Richmond: Gilmore House for sale : MLS®# R2732795
13251 NO. 4 Road Richmond V7A 3A2 
$13,880,000Residential Detached- Status:
- Active
- MLS® Num:
- R2732795
- Bedrooms:
- 7
- Bathrooms:
- 7
- Floor Area:
- 7,512 sq. ft.
Rare opportunity to own this 27 Acres lot! it is rarely on the market!! This custom built home features circular driveway, grand high ceiling foyer, extensive use of wood mouldings, trim, cabinets, tiles and hardwood flooring, media room, hot water radiant heating & HRV system. In-law suite with separate entrance. Over 1400 sf 4 car garage. Easy maintenance to outdoor swim minutes drive to Ironwood Shopping and Hwy 99. A great property with super potential. More detailsListed by Dracco Pacific Realty
- Aedis Realty
- 604-688-8669
- 604-657-1111
- Contact by Email
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14780 WESTMINSTER Highway in Richmond: East Richmond House for sale : MLS®# R2730964
14780 WESTMINSTER Highway Richmond V6V 1A5
$13,000,000Residential Detached- Status:
- Active
- MLS® Num:
- R2730964
- Bedrooms:
- 2
- Bathrooms:
- 3
- Floor Area:
- 5,158 sq. ft.
Very rare 51.34 acres farmland in Richmond, next to industry, golf course, highway. Great potential for future development. Mainly land value.House is still livable. The property is rented to a farm and at least 48 hours notice for showings. DO NOT walk on the property without presence of listing agent. More detailsListed by LeHomes Realty Premier - Aedis Realty
- 604-688-8669
- 604-657-1111
- Contact by Email
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8871 SIDAWAY Road in Richmond: East Richmond House for sale : MLS®# R2723379
8871 SIDAWAY Road Richmond V6W 1G7
$12,980,000Residential Detached- Status:
- Active
- MLS® Num:
- R2723379
- Bedrooms:
- 6
- Bathrooms:
- 7
- Floor Area:
- 6,812 sq. ft.
15.8 acres lot in Great Location of East Richmond. Only 5 minutes to Central Richmond and 20 minutes to Downtown Vancouver. Close to Silver City, golf course, very easy & quick access to Steveston Hwy & Hwy 99. 7 acres, 4.5 metre high fully computerized Greenhouse with long English cucumber growing business with high stable business income. Top production approx .5 acre warehouse consisting of a boiler room, irrigation room, office, lunchroom, etc. Luxury Main house built in 2005 with 4 bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms is about 6,812 sq ft. Secondary house is about 2,340 sq ft with 3 bedrooms can bring rental income. Excellent future potential and investment opportunity. Please act quickly and call for more details. More detailsListed by Royal Pacific Realty (Kingsway) Ltd. - Aedis Realty
- 604-688-8669
- 604-657-1111
- Contact by Email
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10491 PALMBERG Road in Richmond: East Richmond House for sale : MLS®# R2718273
10491 PALMBERG Road Richmond V6W 1C5
$8,680,000Residential Detached- Status:
- Active
- MLS® Num:
- R2718273
- Bedrooms:
- 8
- Bathrooms:
- 9
- Floor Area:
- 8,093 sq. ft.
Welcome to this beautiful luxury estate situated on 2.5 acres of agricultural land located in a quiet area between Highway 99 and Steveston Highway. The luxurious living space includes the finest of high-end finishes, elegant hardwood/tile/carpets flooring thru, crown molding. Main level welcomes you with a grand entrance with soaring high ceilings, curved stairs, a formal dining area and a living room with fireplaces, private office, theatre with wet bar that opens up and connects to the exterior patio area, wine celler, gym for all your entertaining needs. Back yard all cleaned out, do whatever you want, swimming pool, tennis court, basketball court, mini-golf court, coach house, anything at this point. Outstanding location close to parks, golf courses, the cineplex entertainment area with movie theatres, swimming, ice rinks, restaurants, bowling alley and freeways to get you anywhere you need! Call for your private showing! More detailsListed by LeHomes Realty Premier - Aedis Realty
- 604-688-8669
- 604-657-1111
- Contact by Email
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10500 WESTMINSTER Highway in Richmond: McLennan House for sale : MLS®# R2743352
10500 WESTMINSTER Highway Richmond V6X 1B2
$7,880,000Residential Detached- Status:
- Active
- MLS® Num:
- R2743352
- Bedrooms:
- 5
- Bathrooms:
- 7
- Floor Area:
- 7,777 sq. ft.
1.09 Acres huge lot with 7777 sqft house, including fabulous garden, blueberry orchard, and fenced back yard! This exceptional and extraordinary dream house offers 6 spacious bright ensuite. It features modern amenities including amazing sundeck area, fully equipped theater, wet bar, steam shower, and sauna room. Luxurious layout & elegant details with top quality materials and dedicated workmanship throughout. 6 garages & plenty of visitor parking spaces. Professional floor plan available. A pleasure to show! More detailsListed by LeHomes Realty - Aedis Realty
- 604-688-8669
- 604-657-1111
- Contact by Email
