Mainly a suburban city, it occupies almost the entirety of Lulu Island (excluding Queensborough), between the two estuarine distributaries of the Fraser River.

[7] Certain Coast Salish summer camps were located at Garry Point, and Woodward's Landing, along with the site of the Terra Nova cannery, which had at one time been a Musqueam village.

Currently, London Heritage Farm, the Gulf of Georgia Cannery and the Britannia Shipyard National Historic Site in Steveston highlight these parts of Richmond's diverse history.

Since all of Richmond occupies islands in a river delta, the city has plenty of rich, alluvial soil for agriculture, and was one of the first areas in British Columbia to be farmed by Europeans in the 19th century.

The drawback of Richmond's geographical location was that since all the land averages just one metre above sea level, it was prone to flooding, especially during high tide.

As a result, all the major islands are now surrounded by a system of dykes, which, although not as massive as those in the Netherlands or the levees of New Orleans, serve to protect the city from anticipated sources of flooding.

Approximately half of Richmond residents identify as having Chinese ancestry with the BBC calling it "North America's most Asian city" in 2012.

Following Japan's 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, the Anti-Japanese sentiment grew, and this community was devastated as residents of Japanese descent were relocated to internment camps in the BC Interior and Alberta and their property sold at auction.

[45] The Agricultural Land Reserve preserves 4,916 hectares within the city as farmland, an area that makes up most of east Richmond.

According to a senior planner for the city, the goal of the plan is to "turn the middle arm of the Fraser River into a focus instead of an edge.

"[51] Lansdowne Centre will be undergoing redevelopment in 2025 to make way for a 50-acre master planned mixed-use community, which is estimated to take 20 years to build out.

The property owner, Vanprop Investment Ltd., has plans for Lansdowne to be a pedestrian-friendly area with shops and services lined within its block.

Aspac Developments Ltd purchased 7.5 hectares (19 acres) of land adjacent to the Fraser River and the finished $178 million Richmond Olympic Oval.

A possible pedestrian bridge where Cambie Road reaches the river is also being included in a future vision of the area.

It would link nature trails on the north and south banks, and make Aberdeen Centre within walking distance for BCIT's aerospace campus students.

The River Rock Casino Resort is located near the Canada Line Bridgeport station and has built a 12-story hotel.

The 55.2-hectare (136-acre) parcel known as the Garden City Lands was leased by the federal government for decades and was formerly used as a transmitter site for program requirements of the Canadian Coast Guard.

This event includes a parade, and a huge barbecued salmon sale in front of the Steveston Community Centre.

Locally based municipal, provincial and federal politicians frequently show up at this event, usually as part of the parade and/or to hand out Canadian flags.

An annual Richmond Maritime Festival has been held at the Britannia Shipyard, National Historic Site every August since 2004.

The system provides bus and rail service from Richmond to Vancouver, Surrey, New Westminster, Burnaby, and Delta.

Richmond Hospital, located on the southeast corner of Westminster Highway and Gilbert Road, is undergoing redevelopment.

[85] On 2 July 2020, the provincial government announced the acute care tower concept plan was being updated, with an additional floor (9 total) and announcement of expanded and renewed ER, ICU, Pharmacy, along with renovations to the south tower to include more inpatient psychiatric beds along with a psych ER.

[87][88] There are fire stations located in City Centre, Steveston, Cambie, Sea Island, Hamilton, Shellmont, and Crestwood.

[88] The City of Richmond utilizes the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as its primary form of municipal law enforcement, with their main detachment located on No.

The Richmond RCMP also has community police stations located in City Centre, South Arm, and Steveston.

The radio station provides Metro Vancouver listeners with hot adult contemporary, incorporating a mix of older songs with Top 40 hits.

The television series Aliens in America and Life Unexpected also made use of Cambie Secondary School in the northern part of the city.

It is also featured as stand-ins for other airports in films such as Final Destination, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, The L Word, The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer and Are We There Yet?

Richmond serves as the Vancouver headquarters for the Fairchild Media Group which broadcasts Cantonese and Mandarin television channels from Aberdeen Centre.