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New Westminster This page is about the city of New Westminster, British Columbia. For electoral districts whose ridings include that name, please see New Westminster (electoral districts). is a small city located in the province of British Columbia in Canada. The city has a total population of 54,656 (2001 Census).

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New Westminster is located at 49°13′N 122°54′W. New Westminster is part of the Greater Vancouver metropolitan area on the Burrard Peninsula, on the north bank of the Fraser River. The city is 19 km (12 miles) southeast of the Vancouver city proper, adjacent to Burnaby and Coquitlam and across the river from Surrey. A small portion of New Westminster called Queensborough is located on the eastern tip of Lulu Island, adjacent to Richmond. The total land area is 15.3 square kilometers.

In 1859, New Westminster was selected as the first capital of the new colony of British Columbia by Queen Victoria, who named the city after her favourite part of London. From this naming by the Queen, the City gained its nickname, "The Royal City", and became the first incorporated city in Western Canada. A year later it became the first City to have an elected municipal government. It became a major outfitting point for prospectors coming to the Klondike gold rush.

In 1866, the colonies of British Columbia and Vancouver Island united as "British Columbia" with New Westminster as capital. However, Victoria, located across the Strait of Georgia on Vancouver Island, soon replaced New Westminster as the capital of the newly amalgamated colony of British Columbia (and became the provincial capital when British Columbia joined the Canadian Confederation in 1871). With the completion of the trans-continental railway in 1886, trade began to shift to nearby Vancouver. Nonetheless, New Westminster weathered the loss, and remained an important industry and transportation centre.

While always having a mix of industrial sectors, the economy of New Westminster has evolved over the years, from a reliance on the primary resources of lumber and fishing in the 1800s, to heavy industry and manufacturing in the first half of the 1900s, to retail from the mid 1950s to the '70s, to professional and business services in the '90s, and finally to high tech and fiber optic industry in the early 2000s.

Amongst New Westminster's natives are actor Raymond Burr, race car driver Greg Moore, and magician Leon Mandrake.

Douglas College, a major community college has campuses in New Westminster and Coquitlam. The college has an enrollment of 12,000 students and offers degrees, associate degrees, two-year career and University Transfer programs to local, national and international students.

The Justice Institute of British Columbia offers training to municipal police forces, fire departments, provincial corrections, court services and paramedics with the British Columbia Ambulance Service. The Institute operates a Centre for Conflict Resolution, a Centre for Leadership and Community Learning, Executive Programs, a Public Safety Seminar Series and the Aboriginal Leadership Diploma Program.

Secondary education is provided at New Westminster Secondary School.

"The Pattullo Bridge (upper centre) connects New Westminster (left) with Surrey (right) across the Fraser River. Queensborough is in the lower left of the photo." The Pattullo Bridge (upper centre) connects New Westminster (left) with Surrey (right) across the Fraser River. Queensborough is in the lower left of the photo.

There are no freeways within New Westminster’s city limits, although the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1) is accessible from nearby Burnaby and Coquitlam.

The Queensborough Bridge (part of Route 91A) connects Queensborough to mainland New Westminster, while the Pattullo Bridge (part of Routes 1A and 99A) links New Westminster with Surrey.

Public transportation is provided by Translink. Along with a number of bus routes, the city is also served by the following stations on the Skytrain system: