Original: Both cities were named in honor of sea captain George Vancouver , although the Canadian city was incorporated 29 years after the incorporation of Vancouver , Washington , and more than 60 years after the name Vancouver was first used in reference to the historic Fort Vancouver trading post on the Columbia River .
Simplified: Both cities were named for George Vancouver , a British explorer and sea captain . Vancouver , Washington , includes the old Fort Vancouver , begun by the British Hudson 's Bay Company in 1824 .