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.
Surrey is also home to the Fraser River island of Barnston Island, a designated unincorporated area that falls into the Greater Vancouver Regional District Electoral Area A.
History
Surrey was incorporated in 1879. When Englishman H.J. Brewer looked across the Fraser River from New Westminster and saw a land reminiscent of 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 move to Surrey each month.
Government and politics
Surrey is governed by an eight-member City Council and a seven-member School Board. The current Mayor of Surrey is Doug McCallum. The last elections were held in November 2002, and conservatives won the Mayor's seat, and a majority on both the Council and School Board.
In the recent 2005 provincial elections, the New Democratic Party of British Columbia won 4 of Surrey's seats, all of them in the more urbanized north and center of the city, while the BC Liberal Party won three seats in the more rural east and south.
In the Canadian House of Commons (2004 elections), the Conservative Party of Canada holds 3 of Surrey's 4 seats, while one is vacant, held by the late independent Chuck Cadman. In May 2005, Cadman drew national attention to himself and his riding by casting the one vote that saved Prime Minister Paul Martin's Liberal minority government in a motion of confidence.
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, BNSF Railway, and Southern Railway of British Columbia systems are still active and stretch across Surrey to eastern provinces and southward into the United States.
The Fraser Surrey Docks on the Fraser River service more than 400 deep sea vessels annually, over 2 million tons of cargo from around the world pass through the terminal. It is the largest facility of its kind on the west coast of North America.
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.
With numerous easy access and exit routes, Surrey, once branded the car theft capital of North America, saw a 20 per cent drop in 2004 in car theft thanks to the Bait Car Program.
Demographics
As of 2001, the population of Surrey is approximately 347,825 (up from 304,477 in 1996), a 14.2% increase. In 2004, the City of Surrey estimated that the city's population officially reached approximately 400,000. 127,015+ people are members of visible minorities, with around 114,000 of these being immigrants.
Racial Profile
- 63.7% White
- 21.8% South Asian
- 4.7% Chinese
- 2.9% Filipino
Religious Profile
- 27.0% Protestant
- 16.2% Roman Catholic
- 16.2% Sikh
- 6.4% other Christian
- 2.9% Muslim
- 2.8% Hindu
Events
Every summer, Surrey hosts the Canada Cup International Women's Fastpitch Tournament. It began in 1993 as an international women's fastpitch developmental tournament to help teams prepare for the Olympics by facing top calibre competition. Many teams now regard the Canada Cup as one of the premier tournaments in the world, and instrumental as they prepare for World Championship and Olympic competition. The event continues to be a fan favorite with gate attendance reaching over 91,000 for the 2004 nine-day tournament.
Once a year the Surrey town centre of Cloverdale hosts the Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair. Begining in 1888, the event welcomes North America's top cowboys to Canada's third largest rodeo. It has become much more than a rodeo featuring 150 acres of family oriented entertainment including agricultural/horticultural exhibits, a western tradeshow, parade, community stages, and the Pacific Northwest Firefighter Combat Challenge.
The Surrey Eagles hockey team plays at the South Surrey Arena in Surrey. They are one of the seventeen teams in the regional British Columbia Junior Hockey League (BCJHL). The Eagles have won the BCJHL championship, Fred Page Cup, in 1997, 1998 and 2005. The Eagles have won the western championship, Doyle Cup, in 1997 and 1998. The Eagles won the national championship, Royal Bank Cup, in 1998. The BCJHL is the British Columbia chapter of the Canadian Junior A Hockey League.
Miscellaneous
Also known as the City of Parks, Surrey has over 5,400 acres (22 km2) 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, as well as the Surrey Campus of Kwantlen University College.
In 2002, Surrey also had the distinction of being the city with the most stolen cars in North America. However, the numbers have, dropped due to increased police pressure from programs such as The Bait Car Program and the Integrated Municipal Provincal Auto Crime Team (IMPACT).
Surrounding municipalities
| ' | North: New Westminster, Coquitlam | |
| West: Delta | Surrey | East: Langley Township, City of Langley, Fraser Valley, Greater Vancouver A |
| South: White Rock, Semiahmoo, Blaine, Washington |
Reference
Adopted from City of Surrey Official Website Surrey city home page
Adopted from Statistics Canada [1] [2]
- Canada Cup Official webpage.
- Softball City Home of the Canada Cup International Women's Fastpitch Tournament
- Cloverdale Rodeo Official webpage.
- Surrey Eagles Official webpage.
- British Columbia Junior Hockey League Official webpage.
- Canadian Junior 'A' Hockey League Official webpage.