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Home > Travel Canada > Canada Destinations > Surrey, British Columbia (City)
Surrey, British Columbia (City)
Canada is a country in the northern half of North America. Surrey is a Canadian city in the province of British Columbia that is within the GVRD Greater Vancouver Regional District and geographically it is at the centre of the larger region known as the Lower Mainland of BC. It is the province's second-largest city by population, surpassed only by Vancouver. Six town centres make up Surrey namely Fleetwood, Whalley, Guildford, Newton, Cloverdale and South Surrey. 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 forests of Douglas-fir, fir, redcedar, hemlock, blackberry bushes, and cranberry bogs. A portion of present-day Whalley was used as a burial ground by the Kwantlen Nation.
Settlers arrived first in Cloverdale and parts of South Surrey, mostly to farm, fish, harvest oysters, or set up small stores. Once the Pattullo Bridge was erected in 1937, the way was open for Surrey to expand. In the post-war fifties, North Surrey's neighbourhoods filled with single family homes and Surrey became a true bedroom community, absorbing commuters who worked in Burnaby or Vancouver. Surrey is governed by an eight-member city council and a seven-member school board.
Transportation overall has played a major role in the development of Surrey. The Canadian National Railway, BNSF, Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Railway, Southern Railway of British Columbia systems are still active and stretch across Surrey to eastern provinces and southward into the United States.
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 favourite with gate attendance reaching over 93,000 for the 2004 nine-day tournament. Today, one can also learn about its history, from its earliest times and gain enthusiasm in its natural beauty and populace. Surrey enjoys a very positive reputation with worldwide travelers.
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