In Depth

Vancouver is imposing and intimate, sophisticated and laid-back, glossy and gritty, a bustling, prosperous city that almost miraculously combines a contemporary, urban-centered consciousness with the free-spirited magnificence of nature on a grand scale. In other words, it offers residents and visitors the best of both worlds: an exciting cityscape set within a landscape of rugged, eye-catching beauty.

Victoria, British Columbia's capital, is only a short ferry ride from Vancouver but the two cities are miles apart in their ambience and aesthetics. Where Vancouver trades on its image as a brash, glamorous, up-to-the-minute destination, Victoria, on the southeastern tip of Vancouver Island, leans more toward the quaint and the quiet (though you may not think so if you visit in the mobbed summer months).

This guide delves into the past and dishes about the present. Just what is it that makes these two cities so unique and so popular? How did they get to be the way they are? Who are the people who left their mark in years gone by, and who are the people who live in Vancouver and Victoria today? What makes the landscapes they inhabit so unique and so memorable? If you're curious, read on. The answers may surprise you.