New Westminster is the oldest incorporated city in western Canada, established in 1860 as the capital of the Colony of British Columbia before Victoria assumed that role. It sits on the north bank of the Fraser River between Burnaby to the west and Coquitlam to the east, and is one of the most compact and densely built cities in Metro Vancouver. The city has undergone significant residential intensification over the past two decades, driven by its SkyTrain connectivity and relative affordability.
Downtown and the Riverfront
Columbia Street is the historic commercial main street, running east from the SkyTrain station along a ridge above the river. Several blocks of early twentieth-century brick storefronts remain intact, giving the downtown a heritage character that is relatively rare in the region. The Westminster Quay and River Market complex sits directly on the waterfront below the bluff, with a public boardwalk along the Fraser and views across to the flat farmland of Surrey and Delta. The city is also home to the Anvil Centre, a performing arts and conference facility on Columbia Street near the waterfront.
Neighbourhoods
Sapperton, in the eastern part of the city near the Pattullo Bridge approach, is one of the oldest neighbourhoods and was historically associated with the Royal Columbian Hospital and the brewery industry. The hospital remains a major regional medical centre. Queensborough, on Lulu Island south of the Fraser, is an outlying part of New Westminster that was historically industrial and is now a mixed residential and commercial area with newer townhouse developments. The uptown residential areas climbing the hillside above Columbia Street have a mix of older character homes and newer mid-rise buildings, with Queen’s Park, a large heritage park with sports fields and an arboretum, anchoring the central residential area.