Sea Island (British Columbia)
Sea Island (in red) within the rest of Richmond (light red) and Metro Vancouver (green)
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| Geography | |
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| Location | Fraser River Estuary |
| Coordinates | 49°12′N 123°10′W / 49.200°N 123.167°WCoordinates: 49°12′N 123°10′W / 49.200°N 123.167°W |
| Administration | |
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Canada
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| Province | British Columbia |
Sea Island is an island in the Fraser River estuary in the city of Richmond, British Columbia. It is located south of the city of Vancouver and north and west of Lulu Island. Sea Island is the home to Vancouver International Airport (YVR), a nature conservation area and a permanent resident population of approximately 736 living in the neighbourhood of Burkeville. A small part of the island is under the administration of the Musqueam Indian Band.
The island was traditionally home to the Musqueam Indian Band, and they retain ownership over a tract of land on the island's north-west under the administrative title "Sea Island Indian Reserve #3". Construction of residential neighborhoods on the island began during World War II. Under the authority of the Wartime Housing Authority, the Boeing Company built a 300 home subdivision to house its workers on Sea Island. This neighborhood on the island's east side became known as Burkeville, and remains a residential neighbourhood to this day.
A second neighbourhood, known as the Cora Brown subdivision, was constructed in 1946 on the north side of the island, originally with 50 houses. Although it grew to the point of requiring the construction of the island's second elementary school in 1962, airport expansion led to the community being disbanded in 1978. No trace of this neighborhood remains.
The airport first opened for service on Sea Island in 1931, and began servicing commercial flights in 1937. The airport received relatively light traffic for the next fifty years until extensive growth in international traffic, primarily between the United States and Asia, necessitated expansion of service. With investments from the airlines, the Canadian government and a surcharge on tickets for improvement costs, the airport began a significant overhaul in the 1990s.
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Wikipedia