The island was traditionally home to the Musqueam Indian Band, and they retain ownership over a tract of land on the island's north-west under the administrative title "Sea Island Indian Reserve #3". Construction of residential neighborhoods on the island began during World War II. Under the authority of the Wartime Housing Authority, the Boeing Company built a 300 home subdivision to house its workers on Sea Island. This neighborhood on the island's east side became known as Burkeville, and remains a residential neighbourhood to this day. A second neighbourhood, known as the Cora Brown subdivision, was constructed in 1946 on the north side of the island, originally with 50 houses. Although it grew to the point of requiring the construction of the island's second elementary school in 1962, airport expansion led to the community being disbanded in 1978. No trace of this neighborhood remains.
The airport first opened for service on Sea Island in 1931, and began servicing commercial flights in 1937. The airport received relatively light traffic for the next fifty years until extensive growth in international traffic, primarily between the United States and Asia, necessitated expansion of service. With investments from the airlines, the Canadian government and a surcharge on tickets for improvement costs, the airport began a significant overhaul in the 1990s. The airport is the second largest in Canada, with over 25 million passengers passing through each year. It has grown to three passenger terminals and three main runways servicing over fifty airlines.
Ground transportation
is the primary east-west artery leading to the main airport terminal, while a significant amount of commuter traffic from Vancouver to Richmond crosses Sea Island north-south via Russ Baker Way. Sea Island is connected to Vancouver to the north via the Arthur Laing Bridge, and to Richmond via the No. 2 Road Bridge, Dinsmore Bridge, Moray Bridge and the Sea Island Bridge. Sea Island is also served by three stations on the Canada Line, part of the SkyTrain rapid transit network, which connects the airport to Downtown Vancouver and Downtown Richmond.
The SeaIsland Conservation Area is located adjacent to Vancouver International Airport and consists of approximately 140.1 hectares of land on the north side of Sea Island dedicated for conservation of wildlife and habitat. SICA was transferred to Environment Canada as a compensation package funded by Transport Canada to replace wildlife habitat lost as a result of runway expansion at Vancouver International Airport. The main goal for management of SICA is to maintain existing populations of wildlife that do not compromise aviation safety. Habitats on SICA consist of woodland, wetland sloughs, and old agricultural field habitat which support a diversity of birds, land mammals, and terrestrial plants. SICA habitat management discourages populations of flocking birds that may pose hazards to aviation safety, as well as discourages populations of beavers that can cause prevalent, severe and costly damage to habitat.
Over 50 square kilometres in area, Sturgeon Bank is a marine preserve located off the west side of the island and is made up of intertidal and subtidal waters. Boating is prohibited in the area.
Beaches and parks
Sea Island boasts two public beaches, McDonald Beach Park and Iona Beach Regional Park. McDonald Beach is operated by the city of Richmond. It is a recreational facility, with a dogs off-leash area, picnic areas and boat docking available. Iona Beach is operated by the Greater Vancouver Regional District, with a focus on wildlife protection, beaches, information on the flora and fauna, as well as a walking trail that culminates in a 4 kilometer jetty out into the Sturgeon Bank.
