Vancouver metropolitan area

Metro Vancouver
Regional district and metropolitan area
Metro Vancouver Regional District Greater Vancouver Regional District (1968–2017) Regional District of Fraser–Burrard (1967–1968)
Downtown Vancouver from the southern side of False Creek
Logo
Coordinates: 49°14′58″N 122°58′47″W / 49.24944°N 122.97972°W / 49.24944; -122.97972Coordinates: 49°14′58″N 122°58′47″W / 49.24944°N 122.97972°W / 49.24944; -122.97972
Country	Canada
Province	British Columbia
Head office location	Burnaby
Most populous city	Vancouver
Incorporated	June 29, 1967
Name change	June 13, 1968
Name change	January 30, 2017
Government
• Type	Regional district
• Chair	Greg Moore
• Chief Administrative Officer and Commissioner	Carol Mason
Area (2016)
• Total	2,882.68 km2 (1,113.01 sq mi)
Elevation	0-1,990 m (0-6,519 ft)
Population (2016)
• Total	2,463,431
• Density	854.6/km2 (2,213/sq mi)
	Canadian CD rank: 2nd
Time zone	PST (UTC-8)
Area code(s)	604 / 778 / 236
Website	Metro Vancouver
Anmore Belcarra Bowen Island Burnaby Coquitlam Delta Langley Langley DM Lions Bay Maple Ridge New Westminster N. Vancouver North Vancouver DM Pitt Meadows Port Coquitlam Port Moody Richmond Surrey Vancouver West Vancouver White Rock Electoral District A A Members of Metro Vancouver

Metro Vancouver is a political body and corporate entity designated by provincial legislation as one of the regional districts in British Columbia, Canada. Now officially known by the legal name of the Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD), the organization was formerly known as the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) from mid-1968 to early 2017. Further, it was known as the Regional District of Fraser–Burrard for nearly one year upon originally incorporating in mid-1967.

The MVRD is under the direction of 23 local authorities; it delivers regional services, sets policy and acts as a political forum. The regional district's most populous city is Vancouver, and Metro Vancouver's administrative offices are located in the City of Burnaby. The MVRD's boundaries match those of the Vancouver census metropolitan area (CMA) as identified by Statistics Canada.

The Greater Vancouver Water District and the Greater Vancouver Sewerage and Drainage District were established in 1924 and 1956 respectively. The Government of British Columbia incorporated a regional district for this western portion of the Lower Mainland named the Regional District of Fraser-Burrard on June 29, 1967. Just under a year later, the regional district was renamed as the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) on June 13, 1968.

In 2007, the GVRD applied to change its official legal name a second time to simply "Metro Vancouver", which was deemed more recognizable at the time. British Columbia's Minister of Community Services denied the application due to the absence of the term "regional district" within the proposed new name, though it was suggested that the GVRD could brand itself under the unofficial name of Metro Vancouver. After nine years, with growing public recognition of Metro Vancouver, the overall success of the brand, and confusion between the brand and the official legal name of the regional district, the GVRD motioned in 2016 to change its name to the Metro Vancouver Regional District. The regional district was therefore formally renamed a second time by the Government of British Columbia on January 30, 2017 to the Metro Vancouver Regional District.

The Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD) is located east of the Strait of Georgia and north of the State of Washington and is bisected by the Fraser River. The boundaries of the MVRD match those of the Vancouver CMA.