Burnaby occupies the geographical centre of Metro Vancouver, sitting between the City of Vancouver to the west and Coquitlam to the east, with New Westminster to the south. The city covers a mix of forested hills, residential neighbourhoods, commercial corridors, and an industrial sector along Still Creek and the Fraser riverfront. It is home to two major post-secondary institutions and serves as a significant employment hub with a growing office and technology sector.
Commercial Centres and Transit
Metrotown, in the south, is anchored by the Metropolis at Metrotown shopping centre and has become one of the densest residential clusters in the region, with condominium towers rising on nearly every available parcel around the SkyTrain station. The Brentwood neighbourhood to the north is undergoing a similar transformation, with major towers completed or under construction reshaping the skyline. The older, established parts of Burnaby in North Burnaby along Hastings Street and areas like Capitol Hill have a quieter post-war suburban character with bungalows and neighbourhood commercial strips.
Parks and Institutions
Burnaby Mountain, rising at the northern edge of the city, is forested and provides a clear visual boundary with Coquitlam. Simon Fraser University sits on its summit, surrounded by a small community and some commercial services, with trails connecting down through the forest to the regional greenway below. Burnaby Lake, near the centre of the city, is a regional park with wetland trails and a nature sanctuary used year-round. Deer Lake Park in the south holds a small lake, a rose garden, and the Burnaby Village Museum, an outdoor heritage site that recreates a 1920s-era community and draws school groups and families throughout the year.