Living in New Westminster

Living in New Westminster

New Westminster is a great place to buy a home, and real estate in the Royal City gives excellent value. Home owners here enjoy a modern civic infrastructure which coexists with the city’s rich heritage. Unique shopping, well-integrated green space, a strong commercial base and plentiful transportation options make the Royal City an attractive place to live.

Travel time to Downtown Vancouver is less than 30 minutes from the centrally located Columbia SkyTrain Station, or 40 minutes by car. The train connects commuters to with Surrey King George in 10 minutes.

History
First People
Qayqayt (Key-Kite) First Nation lived and shared the Fraser’s banks with other nearby peoples, who would set up seasonal hunting and fishing camps. Their historical record was based on oral tradition, but since most of their members were decimated by a smallpox pandemic, most of their story has been lost. The revival of Qayqayt culture has been the life’s work of Rhonda Larrabee, the band’s chief.

Early Settlement
When gold was found in the Thompson and Fraser Rivers during the 1850s, the resulting surge of miners and fortune seekers required a response from the colonial governor, James Douglas. Under the command of Colonel Richard Moody, the site was chosen for defensibility, proximity to waterborne transportation routes and suitability for commerce. The site for New Westminster, then called Queensborough, was built on a mountain over a bend in the Fraser River by Colonel Moody’s Royal Engineers. Destined to be the capital of the Colony of British Columbia, its primary purpose was to bring law and order to the frontier. It also served as a support center, providing infrastructure, supplies, communications and overland roads to the pioneering communities up the river.

Industry and Development
Though New Westminster was BC’s principle city in the 1860s, the gold rush soon faded. In 1868, the capital was moved to Victoria shortly after the colonies amalgamated as the new province British Columbia. Even so, the town sustained economic importance by merit of its timber, fishery and transport activities. In 1886, the coming of the railway boosted real estate growth; a network of electric tramlines joined the city to other Lower Mainland communities, and three heavy-rail lines connected it with other North American cities.

Throughout the 1890s, the city continued its upward arc with a hugely successful merchant class. One of North America’s largest Chinatowns emerged at the foot of Front Street. Then, with the great fire of 1898, city’s core was gutted.

The community stayed economically viable in the early 20th century, rebuilt and heavy industry through manufacturing and commerce activities, though Vancouver eventually surpassed it as Western Canada’s commercial center. The opening of the Pattullo Bridge in 1937 connected New Westminster with communities on the south shore of the Fraser River. After the 1950s, the city reinvented itself once again as a retail center. With the additions of rapid transit facilities like the SkyTrain, rapid and efficient commuting has increased impressively.

Geography
Situated near the heart of Greater Vancouver, comprising several suburban neighbourhoods, the bulk of the municipality is on the north bank of the Fraser River. A separate neighbourhood is located on the eastern portion of Lulu Island (Queensborough), across from Surrey. Coquitlam and Burnaby are in the north and northwest respectively, bordering the northern aspect of the city.

Zoning and Architecture
New Westminster has an interesting breakdown of land-use, reflecting its historical importance and changes. The city honours its history, with a staggering number of heritage buildings. What is distinctive about this is that these fixtures are part of the living city, actually in use in both residential and commercial sectors. Western Canada’s oldest city is a boon to architecture enthusiasts, with its mix of Victorian, Edwardian, Tudor and Gothic Revival structures. Post-war detached homes and modern condominiums reflect contemporary growth trends.

The city is a comprised of a mix of commercial industrial and residential development, with 350 acres of green space and parkland integrated throughout. Much of the old heavy industrial sector has yielded to high-tech firms, though manufacturing firms, logging transport and a rail yard still line sections of the Fraser River shoreline.
            
Shops and Services
Westminster Quay is a vibrant public market that sells farm-fresh produce, crafts and other items. It is under renovation at present, scheduled for reopening late in 2009, when the new management promises to reveal a revitalized centre.

Antique shops flourish on 12th Street and Front Street commercial districts. Locally known as “Antique Alley” and “Vintage Row,” these districts are havens for rare treasures from Victorian fixtures and rare books to vintage 60’s memorabilia, usually in restored or mint condition. This is a collector’s Mecca.

Royal City Centre mall provides New West’s residents with their domestic necessities with its drug stores, apparel, supermarkets and so forth.

Parks and Recreation
Public Parkland & Trails
48 parks comprise nearly 10% of New West’s land. Most parks are urban facilities with plentiful picnic tables, pathways, sports fields and tennis courts. Glenbrook Ravine at Jamieson Court near Richmond Street has almost 14 acres of beautifully wooded trails that wind past pools, native plants and wildlife.

Recreation
A well-established network of community centers, pools, and arenas endow New Westminsterites of all ages and abilities with a myriad of ways to stay active and healthy.

Century House provides people aged 50+ with drop centre in schedules and activities ranging from canasta to hiking, all for an annual fee of $15.

Culture and Events
Galleries & Museums
In a modern city where the very stuff history lives on in its fixtures, there are some excellently curated museums where the details of colonial living can be observed. One of these is the 1865 Irving House, which is maintained by the New Westminster Museum and Archives. It is a perfectly preserved “show room” of the 19th century, and gives visitors a chance to experience how the finest house in Western Canada was in its day.

Adjacent to the Irving House, the New Westminster Museum and Archives is a joint facility located within a heritage site on Royal Avenue. It houses local treasures and the city’s early records. It has school programs and an excellent online exhibition page.

The Samson V Maritime Museum located on the riverfront is the last of the Fraser River paddlewheel fleet. This operational steam powered sternwheeler, recreates the trip to Fort Langley that carried miners, liquor, gold and other accoutrements of BC’s early pioneering days.

Theatre
Raymond Burr Theatre Originally a twin cinema theatre, The Burr, built by native son and Hollywood star Raymond Burr, now hosts vaudeville revival, burlesque and comedy shows.

Massey Theatre Opened in 1949, this 1260 seat venue is home to musicals, orchestra and contemporary performances. It is also a venue for community and student performances, competitions and cultural events.

Events
New Westminster has over 60 annual events. The most notable is the Hyack Festival, put on by volunteers of the community organization of the same name.  The weeklong series of events includes an Antique Fair, May Day and the traditional Anvil Battery. This unique ceremony centers around the ignition of a powder charge on an anvil, a ritual started in 1860, when there were no cannons to perform the traditional “21 gun” salute at ceremonies.

Schools, Services and Sustainability Links
New Westminster’s School District Number 40 has nine elementary schools, two middle schools and one secondary school.

School Board Initiatives
The District has been granted a second StrongStart BC location as of March. This free early learning initiative is available for all children 5 years and under. Children accompanied by a caregiver may attend on a drop-in basis, to participate in family literacy activities. Activities include stories, music and dramatic play, designed to holistically foster development for kindergarten preparation.

Nearby Post-Secondary institutions are Simon Fraser University and a Douglas College campus.

A comprehensive set of helpful links to community resources is under construction, so please check back soon.

Transportation
Bikeways
New Westminster has mixed use bicycle/pedestrian routes covering nearly the entire mainland area and the Queensborough neighbourhood. There is a proposed route along Columbia Street East and alongside the Brunette River in Sapperton.

The town is connected to the GVRD through the SkyTrain, which enables a 25-minute commute to Downtown Vancouver. A SkyTrain line also runs from Columbia Station to King George Station in North Surrey. There will be a light rail train to Coquitlam that is expected to open in 2014. Regular and community buses provided by Translink service the city and its outlying neighbourhoods.

Roads
There are many routes to New Westminster. Highway 1, though it does not go directly past, can be accessed via Brunette Avenue at the Burnaby/Coquitlam Border. Marine Way leads to South East Marine Drive and UBC. Kingsway Street leads through Burnaby all the way to East Vancouver.

Two bridges connect New West to the communities on the south bank of the Fraser River. The King George and the Queensborough lead respectively to Surrey and Lulu Island. From Lulu Island, North Delta can be accessed via the Annacis Highway and Alex Fraser Bridge.