Surrey, British Columbia - Definition and Overview

Surrey is a Canadian City in the province of British Columbia (BC). It is one of the cities within the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD), and geographically, it is at the center of the larger region known as the Lower Mainland of BC.

Six town centres make up Surrey: Fleetwood, Whalley, Guildford, Newton, Cloverdale, and South Surrey.

History

Surrey was incorporated in 1879 When Englishman H.J. Brewer looked across the Fraser River from New Westminster and saw a land as reminiscent as his native County of Surrey in England, the modern city of Surrey was born. THe area then comprised of forests of Douglas-fir, fir, redcedar and hemlock, all basically untouched. Logging began, settlement took place, and Surrey started to take shape. The City of Surrey is one of Canada's fastest growing major cities. In September of 1993, Surrey officially became a city. Currently the second largest city in British Columbia. Approximately 800 people each month move to Surrey.

Transportation

Transportation overall has played a major role in the development of Surrey. The first regular ferry service across the Fraser River was started in 1882 on the steam ferry "K de K" with the point of departure at Brownsville. The Canadian National Railway, Burlington Northern Railway, and Southern Rail of BC rail systems are still active and stretch across Surrey to eastern provinces and southward into the United States. Surrey Fraser Docks, service many deep sea vessels, transporting cargo from around the world, and is considered BC's largest and most active terminal. Public transport connects Surrey's centres to each other as well as to other Lower Mainland cities and municipalities. Skytrain has four stations within Surrey, and reaches Vancouver within 35 minutes.

Also known as the City of Parks, Surrey has over 5,400 acres (22 km&sup2) of passive and active parks, 15 golf courses and driving ranges, including the Northview Golf & Country Club, home to the former Air Canada Championship. Approximately 35% of the land designated as agricultural and still being actively farmed today.

Surrey is also home to the Surrey Campus of Simon Fraser University.

Relative Location

Reference

Adopted from City of Surrey Official Website Surrey city home page (http://www.city.surrey.bc.ca/default.htm)