Richmond British Columbia is a beautiful and comfortable coastal city island, just across the river south of Vancouver. The city resides on an island landmass knows as Lulu Island, covering about 120sq km (50 sq miles). It is also home to Vancouver’s large international airport.
Richmond has been experiencing growth and change with remarkable speed, transforming from a rural, local community to an international city with a balance of urban, suburban, and even rural areas. The continuing development of the downtown and waterfront indicates that Richmond's transformation is ongoing.
Richmond enjoys a temperate climate. As it is not as close to the mountains, it actually receives 30% less rain than neighboring Vancouver but Richmond is prone to fog in the cooler months. It rarely snows in winter and the summer temperatures are mild to warm.
Being a very diverse city with about a 60% immigrant population, mostly from China, residents are able to find a "rich" variety of cultural influences. With a population of about 191K Richmond is the fourth largest city in BC, just about 1/3 the population of Vancouver. There are 38 elementary schools and 10 secondary schools, including three Montessori schools, eight French immersion schools.