The 1971 Census of Canada shows that the Vancouver Metropolitan Area covers an extensive region. It measures about thirty-five miles from east to west, and thirty-five miles from north to south, or over one thousand square miles in all. There are great variations within the region. The West End in the city proper has over 40,000 people living in one square mile. Delta, Surrey and Langley have substantial areas of thinly settled farmlands, while to the north are completely unpopulated mountains. The entire metropolitan area has a population of over a million with about 425,000 in Vancouver city and about 650,000 in the various municipalities around the city. Since World War II the suburban fringe areas have shown the most dramatic population growth.
