Editor:

Richmond is a very unique community. Over the years, it has been transformed from a small and farming bedroom community into a renowned international city.

My association with Richmond goes back to 1966, first as an occasional visitor and since 1990 as a permanent resident of Richmond. I still vividly remember the vegetable stands along No. 5 Road. Terra Nova was also all farmland. The Dover Crossing area was also a big open field. The Garden City lands were full of antennas and were nicknamed the antenna farm. It is hard to believe how fast Richmond’s physical and human landscape has changed.

Terra Nova is now full of very impressive single-family homes and townhouses. The empty fields of the Dover area are also now full of dwellings. Our No. 5 Road, also known as the Highway to Heaven, has a place of worship of nearly every religious denomination. Rather than the vegetable stands it is now home to some of the most impressive churches, a mosque, a gurdwara, a temple, a pagoda and much more. The area around No. 6 Road is now home to some of the internationally well-known industries. Richmond’s physical landscape has undergone a tremendous change over the years. So has its human landscape.

Richmond’s population has increased considerably during the past few years. Close to 200,000 residents call it their home now. This community is considered to be one of the most culturally diverse communities in Canada. According to the 2006 Statistics Canada figures, nearly 44 per cent of its residents are of Chinese heritage. This may be the highest percentage of this particular community anywhere in Canada.

It is a great credit to the citizens of Richmond that people of every ethnic and cultural background feel quite at home here. The kind of intercultural harmony we enjoy in Richmond is quite unprecedented.

Naturally, Richmond’s huge growth over the years has brought with it some problems. However, in the overall scheme of things, these problems are rather minor. The recently completed Richmond Olympic Oval has already put Richmond on the world map. It has become a very popular landmark for this community. Similarly, the Canada Line has given Richmond a big boost.

Despite all of this growth and expansion, Richmond still has this small-town feeling about it. That is what makes this community so unique.

Balwant Sanghera

Richmond