New Westminster

New Westminster
City
The City of New Westminster
From top, left to right: New Westminster skyline; Expo Line; Queens Park; New Westminster pier; New Westminster Court House; the SkyBridge, a cable-stayed bridge located over the Fraser River between New Westminster and Surrey; Poplar Island and Fraser River
Flag of New Westminster
Nickname: 
"New West"[1]
Location of New Westminster in Metro Vancouver
Location of New Westminster in Metro Vancouver
Coordinates: 49°12′25″N 122°54′40″W / 49.20694°N 122.91111°W / 49.20694; -122.91111
CountryCanada
ProvinceBritish Columbia
Regional districtMetro Vancouver
Founded1858
RenamedJuly 20, 1859
IncorporatedJuly 16, 1860
Founded byRichard Moody
Named forCity of Westminster
Government
 • TypeMayor-council government
 • BodyNew Westminster City Council
 • MayorPatrick Johnstone
 • Councillors
  • Ruby Campbell
  • Tasha Henderson
  • Jaimie McEvoy
  • Nadine Nakagawa
  • Paul Minhas
  • Daniel Fontaine
 • MPPeter Julian (NDP)
 • MLA
Area
 • Land15.62 km2 (6.03 sq mi)
Elevation
60 m (200 ft)
Population
 (2021)[2]
 • Total78,916
 • Estimate 
(2023)[3]
88,945
 • Density5,052.4/km2 (13,086/sq mi)
 • Private Dwellings
37,737
Time zoneUTC−08:00 (PST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−07:00 (PDT)
Forward sortation area
Area codes604, 778, 236, 672
Websitenewwestcity.ca Edit this at Wikidata

New Westminster (colloquially known as New West) is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It was founded by Major-General Richard Moody as the capital of the Colony of British Columbia in 1858 and continued in that role until the Mainland and Island colonies were merged in 1866. It was the British Columbia Mainland's largest city from that year until it was passed in population by Vancouver during the first decade of the 20th century.

It is located on the banks of the Fraser River as it turns southwest towards its estuary, on the southwest side of the Burrard Peninsula and roughly at the centre of the Greater Vancouver region.

  1. ^ Granger, Grant (March 1, 2012). "'Gastown-type potential' for Downtown New West: Fung". New Westminster News Leader. Archived from the original on January 29, 2013. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference 2021census was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Services, Ministry of Citizens'. "Population Estimates - Province of British Columbia". www2.gov.bc.ca. Archived from the original on July 3, 2024. Retrieved July 4, 2024.