New Westminster

NEW WESTMINSTER is located on the north shore of the FRASER R, 20 km east of VANCOUVER, on the site of a former aboriginal village called Skaiametl. Richard MOODY of the ROYAL ENGINEERS approved of its easily defensible position on high ground and chose the site to be the capital of the mainland colony of British Columbia. Gov James DOUGLAS had chosen DERBY, farther upriver, but agreed to Moody's choice and on 14 Feb 1859 declared the new capital. By June the first lots were surveyed and sold.

Originally the site was known as Queensborough, but Queen Victoria chose the name New Westminster; the city has been known as "the Royal City" or "the Queen City" ever since. (Queensborough later came to refer to the eastern tip of nearby LULU ISLAND, an area within city boundaries.) On 16 July 1860 New Westminster was incorporated as a city, making it the oldest incorporated municipality west of Ontario. The capital was transferred to VICTORIA in 1868 following union of the 2 colonies, but New Westminster developed as the principal city on the mainland with a healthy economy based on SAWMILLING and SALMON CANNING. It was eclipsed by the rise of Vancouver, but it continued to play an important role as the commercial centre of the burgeoning FRASER VALLEY agricultural district. The Farmers' Market, built in 1892, attracted buyers and sellers from all over the Lower Mainland. The east end of the city became known as Sapperton after the Royal Engineers, or "sappers," many of whom settled there. In Sept 1898 a devastating fire destroyed the business district, many public buildings and residences. But the city rebuilt and flourished in the pre-war period. In 1910 an electric INTERURBAN railway connected the city to CHILLIWACK, and in 1915 the CNR line arrived. Wood products have remained an important part of the local economy, but industry has declined since the 1970s, replaced by a boom in commercial and residential building. During the 1980s the city's waterfront was redeveloped, highlighted by the building of the SKYTRAIN light rapid transit line through the area from Vancouver in 1986 and the opening of the Westminster Quay Public Market complex. SkyBridge, the only cable-stayed bridge in the world used exclusively by rapid transit, was built to carry the Skytrain across the Fraser R to SURREY.

Population: 78,916 (2021)
Rank in BC: 18th
Population increase since 2016: 11.2%
Date of incorporation: city 16 July 1860
Land area: 18.47 sq km
Location: Greater Vancouver Regional District
Economic base: manufacturing, retail and government services