Surrey | |
|---|---|
City | |
| City of Surrey | |
.jpg)   .jpg)  From top, left to right:Surrey City Centre skyline,Crescent Beach, Holland Park, Surrey City Hall,Newton Town Centre | |
 Flag  Coat of arms  Logo | |
| Nickname: City of Parks | |
| Motto(s): | |
 Location of Surrey in Metro Vancouver | |
| Coordinates:49°11′24″N122°50′56″W / 49.19000°N 122.84889°W /49.19000; -122.84889 | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | British Columbia |
| Regional district | Metro Vancouver |
| Incorporated[2] | November 10, 1879 (municipality status) |
| September 11, 1993 (city status) | |
| Named after | Surrey |
| Seat | Surrey City Hall |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor-council government |
| • Body | Surrey City Council |
| • Mayor | Brenda Locke (Surrey Connect) |
| • MLAs | List of MLAs
|
| • MPs | |
| • Surrey School Board | List of trustees
|
| Area | |
| • Land | 316.11 km2 (122.05 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 3rd in British Columbia |
| Highest elevation | 134 m (440 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2021)[5] | |
• Total | 568,322 |
• Estimate (2023)[6] | 662,561 |
| • Rank |
|
| • Density | 1,797.9/km2 (4,657/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Surreyite[7] |
| Time zone | UTC−08:00 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−07:00 (PDT) |
| Forward sortation area | |
| Area codes | 604,778, 236, 672 |
| Website | surrey |
Surrey is a city inBritish Columbia, Canada. It is located south of theFraser River on theCanada–United States border. It is a member municipality of theMetro Vancouver regional district and metropolitan area. Mainly a suburban city, Surrey is the province's second-largest by population afterVancouver and the third-largest by area afterAbbotsford andPrince George. Seven neighbourhoods in Surrey are designatedtown centres:Cloverdale,Fleetwood,Guildford,Newton,South Surrey, and City Centre encompassed byWhalley.[8]
Surrey was incorporated in 1879 and sits upon the lands of a number of Indigenous nations, namely theKatzie and theKwantlen (who speakhən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓) and theSemiahmoo (who speak theNorth Straits Salish language, similar to theW̱SÁNEĆ).[9] When Englishman H.J. Brewer looked across theFraser River fromNew Westminster and saw it was reminiscent of his nativeCounty of Surrey in England, the settlement of Surrey was placed on the map.[10] The area then comprised forests ofDouglas fir,fir,red cedar,hemlock,blackberry bushes, andcranberry bogs. A portion of present-day Whalley (named after Harry Whalley, who owned and operated a gas bar at the bend in King George Blvd, (formerly King George Highway) at 108 Avenue, "Whalley's Corner") was used as a burial ground by theKwantlen (or Qw'ontl'en) Nation.
Settlers arrived first in Cloverdale and parts of South Surrey, mostly to farm, fish, harvest oysters, or set up small stores. Once thePattullo Bridge was erected in 1937, the way was open for Surrey to expand. In the post-war 1950s, North Surrey's neighbourhoods filled with single-family homes and Surrey (not yet a city) became a bedroom community, absorbing commuters who worked in Burnaby or Vancouver.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the city witnessed unprecedented growth, as people from different parts of Canada and the world, particularly Asia, began to make the municipality their home. In 2013, it was projected to surpass the city of Vancouver as the most populous city in BC within the following 10 to 12 years.[11]
The city is characterized by low population densityurban sprawl, typical of North American cities, which includes areas of residential housing, light industry and commercial centres and is prone to strip development and malls. Approximately 2,465 hectares (6,091 acres) or 27 percent of the land area is designated as part of theAgricultural Land Reserve and can only be used for farming.[12] The city is mostly hills and flatland, with most of the flatland in Tynehead, Hazelmere, the south of Cloverdale, and Colebrook.
Surrey has anoceanic climate (Cfb) typical of the inter-coastalPacific Northwest: rainy, wet winters, often with heavy rainfall lasting into early spring. Winters are chilly but not frigid, summers are mild and sunny, and autumns are cool and cloudy.
| Climate data for Surrey (1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 15.5 (59.9) | 19.4 (66.9) | 25.0 (77.0) | 29.0 (84.2) | 34.5 (94.1) | 33.3 (91.9) | 35.0 (95.0) | 34.5 (94.1) | 34.5 (94.1) | 29.0 (84.2) | 21.0 (69.8) | 16.7 (62.1) | 35.0 (95.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 6.7 (44.1) | 8.7 (47.7) | 11.7 (53.1) | 14.6 (58.3) | 17.9 (64.2) | 20.4 (68.7) | 23.1 (73.6) | 23.6 (74.5) | 20.9 (69.6) | 14.5 (58.1) | 8.7 (47.7) | 6.1 (43.0) | 14.7 (58.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 3.8 (38.8) | 5.1 (41.2) | 7.5 (45.5) | 10.0 (50.0) | 13.0 (55.4) | 15.6 (60.1) | 17.9 (64.2) | 18.2 (64.8) | 15.5 (59.9) | 10.4 (50.7) | 5.9 (42.6) | 3.4 (38.1) | 10.5 (50.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 0.9 (33.6) | 1.4 (34.5) | 3.3 (37.9) | 5.3 (41.5) | 8.0 (46.4) | 10.8 (51.4) | 12.5 (54.5) | 12.7 (54.9) | 10.0 (50.0) | 6.3 (43.3) | 3.1 (37.6) | 0.6 (33.1) | 6.2 (43.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −17.2 (1.0) | −13.5 (7.7) | −8.3 (17.1) | −2.8 (27.0) | −1.1 (30.0) | 2.2 (36.0) | 2.8 (37.0) | −1.1 (30.0) | −2.2 (28.0) | −6.5 (20.3) | −15.0 (5.0) | −18.9 (−2.0) | −18.9 (−2.0) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 186.4 (7.34) | 124.8 (4.91) | 121.8 (4.80) | 109.8 (4.32) | 87.9 (3.46) | 72.1 (2.84) | 49.0 (1.93) | 42.0 (1.65) | 59.7 (2.35) | 138.5 (5.45) | 225.0 (8.86) | 182.1 (7.17) | 1,399.1 (55.08) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 172.0 (6.77) | 117.4 (4.62) | 120.0 (4.72) | 109.5 (4.31) | 87.9 (3.46) | 72.1 (2.84) | 49.0 (1.93) | 42.0 (1.65) | 59.7 (2.35) | 138.1 (5.44) | 223.4 (8.80) | 169.9 (6.69) | 1,360.8 (53.57) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 14.5 (5.7) | 7.4 (2.9) | 1.8 (0.7) | 0.3 (0.1) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.4 (0.2) | 1.6 (0.6) | 12.2 (4.8) | 38.2 (15.0) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 19.3 | 16.0 | 17.8 | 16.2 | 14.3 | 12.7 | 8.4 | 7.4 | 8.3 | 16.3 | 22.2 | 19.4 | 178.0 |
| Average rainy days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 18.4 | 15.1 | 17.8 | 16.2 | 14.3 | 12.7 | 8.4 | 7.4 | 8.3 | 16.2 | 22.1 | 18.1 | 174.7 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.2 cm) | 2.2 | 1.6 | 0.55 | 0.10 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.11 | 0.56 | 2.4 | 7.4 |
| Source:Environment Canada[13] | |||||||||||||
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1921 | 5,814 | — |
| 1931 | 8,388 | +44.3% |
| 1941 | 14,840 | +76.9% |
| 1951 | 33,670 | +126.9% |
| 1956 | 49,366 | +46.6% |
| 1961 | 70,838 | +43.5% |
| 1966 | 81,826 | +15.5% |
| 1971 | 98,601 | +20.5% |
| 1976 | 116,497 | +18.1% |
| 1981 | 147,138 | +26.3% |
| 1986 | 181,447 | +23.3% |
| 1991 | 245,173 | +35.1% |
| 1996 | 304,477 | +24.2% |
| 2001 | 347,825 | +14.2% |
| 2006 | 394,976 | +13.6% |
| 2011 | 468,251 | +18.6% |
| 2016 | 517,887 | +10.6% |
| 2021 | 568,322 | +9.7% |
| Source:Statistics Canada[14][15][16][17][5] | ||
In the2021 Canadian census conducted byStatistics Canada, Surrey had a population of 568,322 living in 185,671 of its 195,098 total private dwellings, a change of9.7% from its 2016 population of 517,887. With a land area of 316.11 km2 (122.05 sq mi), it had a population density of1,797.9/km2 (4,656.4/sq mi) in 2021.[5]
Surrey is the 11th largest city in Canada, and is also the fifth-largest city in Western Canada (afterCalgary,Edmonton,Winnipeg andVancouver). Surrey forms an integral part of Metro Vancouver as it is the largest city in the region by land area, albeit while also serving as the secondary economic core of the metropolitan area. When combined with the City of Vancouver, both cities account for nearly 50 percent of the region's population. In recent years, a rapidly expanding urban core inDowntown Surrey, located inWhalley has transformed the area into the secondary downtown core inMetro Vancouver.[18][19]
Within the City of Surrey itself feature many neighbourhoods including City Centre, Whalley,Newton,Guildford,Fleetwood,Cloverdale andSouth Surrey. Each neighbourhood is unique and includes ethnically diverse populations. While Europeans and South Asians can be found in large numbers across the city, areas which house a large proportion of the former include South Surrey (72 percent) and Cloverdale (69 percent), with Newton (58 percent) and Whalley (51 percent) being home to large numbers of the latter.[20][21][22][23]
Immigration to Surrey has drastically increased since the 1980s; this has created a more ethnically and linguistically diverse city. 52 percent do not speak English as their first language, while approximately 38 percent of the city's inhabitants are ofSouth Asian heritage. Beginning in the 1990s, an influx of South Asians began moving to the city from thePunjabi Market neighbourhood of South Vancouver due to rising housing costs and rapidly increasing rent costs for businesses.[24] The outflow of these residents combined with increased immigration from theIndian Subcontinent therefore established in Surrey one of the largest concentrations of South Asian residents in North America.[25]
Other significant groups which reside in the city includeEast Asians[a] (10.9 percent) and Southeast Asians[b] (9.7 percent).[26] Forming nearly 2.3 percent of the total population, theBlack community of Surrey is small, though the city is home to the largest Black population in British Columbia;[27] roughly 21 percent of the entire Black population of the province resides in Surrey.[26] Similar to most cities acrossEnglish-speaking Canada, a large majority (64 percent) of Surrey residents ofEuropean heritage can trace their roots to theBritish Isles.[28]
| Panethnic group | 2021[29][26] | 2016[30][31] | 2011[32][33] | 2006[34] | 2001[35] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
| South Asian | 212,680 | 37.81% | 168,040 | 32.85% | 142,445 | 30.74% | 107,810 | 27.47% | 75,680 | 21.89% |
| European[c] | 173,155 | 30.78% | 198,835 | 38.87% | 208,625 | 45.03% | 203,815 | 51.93% | 211,870 | 61.27% |
| East Asian[a] | 61,360 | 10.91% | 52,025 | 10.17% | 39,270 | 8.48% | 29,965 | 7.64% | 23,600 | 6.83% |
| Southeast Asian[b] | 54,635 | 9.71% | 44,875 | 8.77% | 39,560 | 8.54% | 25,795 | 6.57% | 16,440 | 4.75% |
| African | 12,870 | 2.29% | 9,455 | 1.85% | 6,150 | 1.33% | 5,015 | 1.28% | 3,810 | 1.1% |
| Middle Eastern[d] | 12,620 | 2.24% | 9,485 | 1.85% | 5,615 | 1.21% | 3,595 | 0.92% | 2,300 | 0.67% |
| Indigenous | 12,175 | 2.16% | 13,460 | 2.63% | 10,955 | 2.36% | 7,630 | 1.94% | 6,895 | 1.99% |
| Latin American | 8,830 | 1.57% | 7,065 | 1.38% | 5,340 | 1.15% | 3,785 | 0.96% | 3,315 | 0.96% |
| Other/multiracial[e] | 14,240 | 2.53% | 8,315 | 1.63% | 5,385 | 1.16% | 5,050 | 1.29% | 1,880 | 0.54% |
| Total responses | 562,565 | 98.99% | 511,540 | 98.77% | 463,340 | 98.95% | 392,450 | 99.36% | 345,780 | 99.41% |
| Total population | 568,322 | 100% | 517,887 | 100% | 468,251 | 100% | 394,976 | 100% | 347,825 | 100% |
| Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses | ||||||||||
Proportionally, Surrey has the largest Sikh population percentage (27.4 percent) out of all subdivisions in Canada.
As of 2021, the top five most reported religious affiliations in Surrey wereChristianity (170,115 or 30.2 percent),Irreligion (161,860 or 28.6 percent),Sikhism (154,415 or 27.4 percent),Islam (31,095 or 5.5 percent), andHinduism (30,455 or 5.4 percent).[36]
| Mother tongue | Population | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| English | 243,510 | 43.2% |
| Punjabi | 128,305 | 22.7% |
| Mandarin | 28,080 | 5.0% |
| Tagalog | 18,640 | 3.3% |
| Hindi | 14,540 | 2.6% |
| Korean | 8,690 | 1.5% |
| Cantonese | 8,165 | 1.4% |
| Spanish | 7,565 | 1.3% |
| Vietnamese | 6,860 | 1.2% |
| Arabic | 6,135 | 1.1% |
| Urdu | 5,820 | 1.0% |
| Persian (includingDari) | 3,115 | 0.6% |
| French | 2,910 | 0.5% |
| German | 2,860 | 0.5% |
As of 2010, Surrey had the highest median family income ofCA$78,283, while the BC provincial median was $71,660, and the national median was $74,540. The average family income was $85,765.[37] South Surrey area had the highest average household income of all six town centres in Surrey, with an average of $86,824 as of 2010. Median household income was also high at $62,960.[38] South Surrey's neighbourhood of Rosemary Heights is the richest in Surrey and throughout the Metro Vancouver area, with a median income more than twice the regional average.[39]
As of 2010, the median household income of Surrey was $67,702 (versus the national median of $76,437), where 29.4 percent of households in Surrey earned a household total income of $100,000 or more, which is above the national average of 25.9 percent.[37][40]
Surrey is one of the largest industrial centres within British Columbia, with a burgeoning high technology, clean energy, advanced manufacturing, health, education, agriculture, and arts sector.[41]
Increase in filming activity in Surrey resulted in 189 productions, including 15 at the city hall plaza, in 2017.[42]
In 2018, Surrey opened a $68 million biofuel facility, the first in North America.[43]
There were six employers in Surrey in 2017 each with more than 1,000 staff across BC:Fraser Health with 25,000;School District 36 with 10,560; City of Surrey with 3,400;Coast Capital Savings with 1,738; Starline Windows Group with 1,400;Kwantlen Polytechnic University with 1,332.[44]
Farming has strongly been attached to the economic well-being of Surrey, as the city of Surrey itself fostered and cemented a robust culture of farming. Approximately a third of Surrey's land is preserved and designated as farmland that is utilized for the local production of food to cater the city's growing population as well as increasing employment opportunities via the creation of local jobs. Agriculture continues to invigorate Surrey's economy employing 3300 people or 1.6 percent of Surrey's overall labour force. Manufacturing is also a highly diversified sector where products are produced for developed and emerging industries that range from the cutting of lumber for various BC logging firms to constructing wind turbines as many Surrey-based environmental firms are capitalizing on the city's initiatives for the clean energy sector.[45][46]
The health sector makes a significant contribution to Surrey's economy. Surrey is home to almost 900 health-related businesses where major focuses in several life science sub-sectors that include infectious diseases, marine bio-science, neuroscience, oncology and regenerative medicine.Surrey Memorial Hospital is the second largest employer in the City of Surrey with an annual operating budget of $149.2 million while the health care organization,Fraser Health employs more than 4,100 people and an additional 350 active physicians at SMH.[47] Due to population growth in the region, a new hospital in Surrey is planned to be built in Cloverdale; it is projected to be completed in 2026.[48]
Although not as large as Vancouver's technology sector, Surrey also has an emerging tech sector with a highly anticipated incubator that will potentially act as a base to jump-start ideas into various start-up companies from local innovators, inventors, investors and entrepreneurs.[citation needed]
Surrey is governed by the electedSurrey City Council comprising a mayor and eight councillors. As of theOctober 15, 2022, election, the mayor isBrenda Locke and city councillors are Linda Annis, Harry Bains,[f] Mike Bose, Doug Elford, Gordon Hepner, Pardeep Kooner, Mandeep Nagra, and Rob Stutt.[3]
In 2004, whenGurmant Grewal's wifeNina was elected to parliament, they became the first married couple to serve Canadian parliament concurrently.[50] Following the2015 federal election, theLiberal Party of Canada won three of Surrey's four seats in theHouse of Commons of Canada. Conservative MPDianne Watts resigned herSouth Surrey—White Rock seat in 2017 to compete for the leadership of the BC Liberal Party. In the subsequent 2017 by-election, the Liberal candidateGordie Hogg defeated former Conservative MP and federal cabinet ministerKerry-Lynne Findlay.
| Year | Liberal | Conservative | New Democratic | Green | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 44% | 91,045 | 30% | 60,927 | 21% | 42,791 | 1% | 1,729 | |
| 2019 | 39% | 83,925 | 32% | 69,931 | 22% | 46,759 | 5% | 11,853 | |
| Year | New Democratic | BC Liberal | Green | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 54% | 94,084 | 37% | 63,251 | 7% | 11,781 | |
| 2017 | 47% | 85,738 | 41% | 75,056 | 10% | 19,064 | |
The Museum of Surrey is affiliated withCMA,CHIN, andVirtual Museum of Canada.[citation needed] It reopened as the Museum of Surrey on September 29, 2018, after a renovation which added 12,000 square feet (1,100 m2) to the previous 24,000-square-foot (2,200 m2) building.[53][54]
Surrey Art Gallery is the second largest public art museum in the Metro Vancouver region.[55] It opened on September 13, 1975.[56]
The historic Surrey Municipal Hall complex includes the Cenotaph in Heritage Square, the Surrey Museum, and Cloverdale Library. TheSurrey City Centre Public Library located at Whalley / City Centre is the second largest library in terms of size in Metro Vancouver.[57][58]
"REMEMBRANCE" byAndré Gauthier in Heritage Square, is an oversized bronze statue depicting a World War I kneeling soldier, helmet in hand, in remembrance of his fallen comrades.[59]
Attracting 15,000 people every February since 2004, WinterFest is a day of live music, sporting activities, food, and fireworks, held at theCentral City Plaza.
Since 1888, the town centre ofCloverdale has hosted the annualCloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair at theCloverdale Fairgrounds everyMay long weekend. The Fair is Canada's second largestrodeo,[citation needed] and it features 150 acres (0.61 km2) of family-oriented entertainment including agricultural/horticultural exhibits, a western tradeshow, parade, community stages, and the Pacific Northwest Firefighter Combat Challenge.
Every year on April 13, the Sikh community celebratesVaisakhi, which often includes anagar kirtan, or parade, and free food is often handed out. It is the largest Vaisakhi parade outside India, growing from 100,000 attendees in 2008[60] to over 500,000 in 2019.[61]
Every October since 1991, Surrey has hosted theSurrey International Writers' Conference. This event brings established writers, agents, editors and publishers from all over the world to the Comfort Inn & Suites Surrey Hotel and Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel inGuildford Town Centre.
There are presently three live theatre venues in the City of Surrey in British Columbia as of January 2013: the Bell Centre for Performing Arts, theChandos Pattison Auditorium and the Surrey Arts Centre.[62]
One of the lesser-known events in Surrey is the annual Nicomekl River Race. Every year, in early June, teams of four meet at Nicomekl Park inLangley, British Columbia to begin the race. Unlike most traditional boat races, the Nicomekl River Race requires that all boats be made by the participants. The racecourse extends from Nicomekl Park to Blackie Spit Park at Crescent Beach. The first team to reach the mouth of the river is awarded a prize of $1,000. Additional prizes are awarded to the most creative boat and costume. All proceeds go towards the BC Cancer society.
In addition to news media fromVancouver, the community is served byThe Surrey Now-Leader newspaper, and thePeace Arch News newspaper (for South Surrey). The city is also home to South Asian Broadcasting's ethnic radio stationReD-FM and theAsian Journal newspaper.
The first Surrey-based English-language radio station,My Surrey FM 107.7 FM, was licensed by the CRTC in 2014[63] and is now Pulse FM 107.7 reporting about South of the Fraser news.Radio India, another Indo-Canadian radio station, has its offices in Surrey.[64]
Every 67 days, Surrey hosts theIndia cup International Women's Water polo Tournament. It began in 1993 as an international women'sfortnite softballtournament to help teams prepare for thefncs by facing top-calibre competition. The event continues to be a fan favourite with gate attendance reaching 6767676767for the nine-day tournament in 2004.
TheBCHLSurrey Eagleshockey team plays at the South Surrey Arena in Surrey. The Eagles won the BCHL championship, theFred Page Cup, in 1997, 1998, 2005, 2013 and 2024; the western championship, theDoyle Cup, in 1997 and 1998; and the national championship, theRoyal Bank Cup, in 1998.
Surrey hosted the Canadian national qualifying tournament in 2006, and sends a local team to compete for a spot in theLittle League World Series inWilliamsport, Pennsylvania.
Surrey is also home to Canada's firstkabaddi-specific stadium.[65]
Although not considered a sport, the globally acclaimed dance company known as "Brotherhood" won gold trophies at theWorld Hip Hop Dance Championships in 2013 and 2014 for the varsity and adult divisions. The affiliated dance production team known as "PraiseTEAM" had taken home the silver trophy at the world finals in 2013 as well. Both dance companies are from Surrey.[66]
Cricket is also played in Surrey. There are more than 85 teams registered with British Columbia Mainland Cricket League. There are more than 20 cricket pitches across Surrey,[citation needed] though the only turf pitch is in West Newton.[citation needed]
Other notable sporting events held by Surrey include:
The first non-Indigenous settlement of Surrey was founded nearCrescent Beach, located inSouth Surrey; another was founded near Bridgeview/Brownsville, located in North Surrey. Early trails and roads helped to encourage the settlement of Surrey. The first trail built by a settler was the 1861 theKennedy Trail. James Kennedy built the trail to provide a route between New Westminster and the natural pasture land on the Mud Bay Flats next to the Serpentine River.[67] The Semiahmoo Wagon Road was built in 1873 between Brownsville (opposite New Westminster) and Semiahmoo (Blaine).[68] The first regular ferry service across the Fraser River started in 1882 on the steam ferryK de K, with the point of departure at Brownsville.[69] The ferry landed on the Surrey side at the start of Old Yale Road, which connected directly inland to Yale and was a major gold rush trail.
TheNew Westminster Rail Bridge was opened in 1904, allowing personal vehicles to cross theFraser River on the upper deck. The lower deck, for rail, enabledBC Electric Railway to finally construct the Interurban line, an electric suburb commuter rail route connecting Chilliwack to Vancouver. It opened for service in 1910, and ran through Kennedy,Newton, Sullivan, andCloverdale. Two of the BCER cars (1225 & 1304) are restored and are operated by theFraser Valley Heritage Railway Society on the mainline between Cloverdale and Sullivan.[70]
In 1937, the then two-lanePattullo Bridge linkingNew Westminster and Surrey was opened.
In the early 1950s, BC Electric Railways ceased operating its interurban line, thus increasing the number of vehicles on Surrey roads.Highway 10 was built in 1953, andHighway 15 in 1957. In 1964, the provincial government completed Highway 401 and thePort Mann Bridge; that section of roadway would later be renamedHighway 1. In 1959, theGeorge Massey Tunnel was opened, along with what is known asHighway 99. With the completion of the new Highways 1 and 99, the Fraser Highway and King George Boulevard became major arteries.
In the early 1990s, Surrey saw the return of rail transit with theSkyTrainExpo Line expansion into Surrey. The four stations added wereScott Road,Gateway,Surrey Central andKing George.
Public transit in Surrey, as with the rest of Metro Vancouver, is operated byTransLink, which provides frequent bus service throughout Surrey, and to other Metro Vancouver municipalities. Metro Vancouver's metropolitan rail system, SkyTrain, provides Surrey with an Expo Line service toDowntown Vancouver via four stations: Scott Road, Gateway, Surrey Central, and King George.
TheCanadian National Railway,Canadian Pacific Railway,BNSF Railway, andSouthern Railway of British Columbia have trackage running through Surrey.[71]
Vancouver International Airport is located 28 kilometres (17 mi) west of Surrey. Vancouver International Airport offers direct daily service to destinations in Canada, North America, Europe, and Asia.
Bellingham International Airport is located 32 kilometres (20 mi) south of Surrey, and offers connections to Seattle, Las Vegas, and Hawaii.
Abbotsford International Airport is located 24 kilometres (15 mi) east of Surrey, and offers daily flights to Calgary and Edmonton.
Seaport facilities are available at the Fraser River Docks.[72]
Funding alight rail transit (LRT) line linking bothNewton and Guildford withSurrey City Centre was agreed to by both BC's provincial government and the federal government. The project was unpopular, and after electing a new mayor and council in October 2018, who had run on a platform to cancel the LRT line in favour of extending the existing SkyTrain line to Langley, made it their first order of business.[73] TransLink's Mayors' Council, who has the ultimate authority over the project, responded to this decision by indefinitely suspending work on the light rail project.[74] In July 2019, a 7-kilometre (4.3 mi) Expo Line extension from King George station to 166 Street andFraser Highway inFleetwood was approved and is estimated to be completed by 2025.[75][76] However, the plan is now to take the SkyTrain the entire way to Langley in one phase by 2028.[77]
In 2008, Surrey City Council created and adopted the Surrey Sustainability Charter:[78] a comprehensive document spanning 72 pages that takes a comprehensive look at all facets of society and creates an overarching document to guide the urban development of the city for the next 50 years. In 2011, the city council released the second update to the 2008 document indicating the progress made in the three years since the inception of the report.[79]
Being an all-inclusive plan requires an interplay of many complex and sometimeswicked problems. Trying to account for all problems is ambitious, and as the report admits, being at the municipal level reduces the funding, power and resources to implement the vision. The report acknowledges the political hurdle and notes that the city needs to influence players with more power such as the provincial or federal government in order for the vision to be successful.
Some other hurdles that have arisen since the inception of the charter include the following:
Surrey currently faces the problem of urban sprawl, the phenomenon that is characterized by the low density residential, with almost no commercial or industrial zoning. This results in a heavy outflow of traffic in the morning, and inflow in the evening.
The announcement of the Gateway Program in 2005 by theBritish Columbia Ministry of Transportation meant a large expenditure in transportation infrastructure. Despite the oppositions by theMetro Vancouver and several mayoral councils,[80][81] the project went ahead to create theSouth Fraser Perimeter Road and the Port Mann Bridge, both which pass through major portions of Surrey. It has been criticized to be contradictory to not only Metro Vancouver's Sustainable Region Initiative,[82] but also Surrey's Sustainability Charter. Studies have shown that with an increase in road capacity,generated traffic increases, that is traffic that is diverted (shifted in time and route) and induced travel (increased total motor vehicle travel).[83] With the construction of the 10 lane Port Mann Bridge, the problem of suburban sprawl is exacerbated not only with the additional capacity, butRapidBus service was also cancelled despite expectations of a stop in Surrey.[84]
The Sustainability Charter hinges on a large reduction onautomobile dependency requiring a well established transit infrastructure to the multiple districts of Surrey. In 2008,Gordon Campbell announced the extension of theExpo Line beyond the current terminus to as far as Langley.[85] However, financial shortfall came upon Translink shortly after, and many of the announced plans came to a halt. Plans to expand northward via theEvergreen extension came to fruition prior to the vision of extendinglight rail out to Guildford, Newton and Langley. Mayor Watts attempted impose equal tolling across the region to assist with funding transit to reduce car reliance.[86]
Protecting agricultural land reserves also play an important part in the charter of sustainability. The idea behind the agricultural land reserves is to encourage and increase the role of urban agriculture, thus reducing the reliance of food transport and increasing the quality and availability of food to local people. The Charter takes the idea one step further by encouraging food processingagribusiness to complete the supply chain circle.[87]
In a case study of Toronto completed by Pierre Filion, he claims that while transit and natural area conservation are successful at achieving their respective immediate objectives, they "do not modify metropolitan-wide relations between transportation and land use...in a fashion that is consistent with smart growth". Filion identifies that the largest obstacles areNIMBY reactions from the public and the limited finances from the public sector.[88]
Of the city's population over the age of 25, 23.7 percent hold a bachelor's degree or higher, slightly below the national average of 25.8 percent. 47.2 percent work in professional and managerial jobs, compared with the national average of 52.7 percent.[37][40]
School District 36 Surrey oversees 100 public elementary and 21 public secondary schools in Surrey, making it the largest public school district inBritish Columbia, as well as the largest employer in Surrey.[89] TheConseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique operates one Francophone school in the city:École Gabrielle-Roy, which includes primary and secondary levels.[90]
The Old Anniedale School, built in 1891,[91] is one of the earliest schools in Surrey. It was designed by the British Columbia Department of Lands and Works and constructed by Samuel Edge.
The school is associated with the development of the Tynehead and Anniedale neighbourhoods, first settled in the 1860s along the Coast Meridian Road (168th Street).[91] Now located on the grounds of the modern Anniedale Elementary School, it hosts re-enactments of 19th-century lessons. It was saved from demolition in 1975 by the Anniedale Parent Teacher Association and renovated with government grants and community support.[91] The building was restored again in 2019 by Gibraltar Construction.[92][93]
Surrey's local higher education needs are met by the two major research universities in the neighboring municipalities of theVancouver Metropolitan Area, theUniversity of British Columbia andSimon Fraser University. In addition to several career, community, and junior colleges that offervocational andpolytechnic education throughout the city,trades andtechnical career education is mainly provided bycolleges such asKwantlen Polytechnic University in the Cloverdale and Newton area and by theBritish Columbia Institute of Technology in the neighboring municipality of Burnaby.
Surrey is home to the third satellite campus ofSimon Fraser University, the SFU Surrey Campus, which opened its doors in 2002, acting as a satellite campus operating as a public research university as well as providing further impetus for shaping the city. SFU took over the space and programming that was initially built forTechBC, a technical university proposed for south of theFraser River by theNDP provincial government of the 1990s. SFU Surrey offers a number of programs, including TechOne and Explorations; first-year cohort options; and studies in Health Science, Applied Sciences, Natural Sciences, Liberal Arts, Business Administration, and Interactive Arts and Technology.
On November 28, 2022, PremierDavid Eby announced plans to launch a new medical school at Simon Fraser University's Surrey campus by September 2026.[94] Eby announced a provincial earmark of $4.9 million in start-up financing to support the potential opening.[95][96] The inauguration of the school in 2026 will mark the planned opening of Western Canada's first new medical school in 55 years.[95][96]
Surrey is also the home ofKwantlen Polytechnic University, an undergraduate polytechnic university that opened its doors in theNewton Town Centre of Surrey in 1981 as a response to the growing need for expanded vocational training across the Fraser Valley. In 2008, Kwantlen Polytechnic University was conferred a university designation from the BC provincial government, upgrading itself from a community college to an official academic teaching institution that has become renowned in applied research.[97][98][99][100] Since then, Kwantlen has expanded to various satellite campuses inRichmond,Langley, and as well as a trades and technology centre in theCloverdale Town Centre. The Kwantlen Surrey campus offers university transfer, career-training and academic-upgrading programs with focuses on science, business, arts, and health, including a publicly accessible wellness center, while the Cloverdale campus offers vocational training through apprenticeships, citations, certificates, and diplomas for skilled trades and technical careers.
In November 2021, theUniversity of British Columbia announced plans to establish a location in Surrey just north ofSurrey Memorial Hospital.[101]
Besides Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Surrey is also home to numerous community and junior colleges providingvocational education, includingBrighton College,Sprott Shaw College,PACE Canada College, Pacific Link College,CDI College, Western Community College, Sterling College, Stenberg College, Academy of Learning, Surrey Community College, Discovery Community College andVancouver Career College.
Surrey has twosister cities:
| Country | City | Date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | Kōtō | April 20, 1989 | [104] |
| China | Zhuhai | July 8, 1987 | [105] |
Surrey also has six "friendship cities":[106]
| Country | City | Date |
|---|---|---|
| China | Ningbo | 1999 |
| South Korea | Dongjak | 2000 |
| China | Taicang | 2004 |
| India | Ludhiana | 2005 |
| India | Jalandhar | 2005 |
| China | Jincheng | 2006 |
Surrey travel guide from WikivoyagePlaces adjacent to Surrey, British Columbia | |
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