New Westminster
New Westminster | |
|---|---|
City | |
From top, left to right: New Westminster skyline; SkyTrain Expo Line; Anvil Centre; Pattullo Bridge; New Westminster Secondary School | |
|
Flag Logo | |
| Nickname: "New West" | |
Location of New Westminster in Metro Vancouver | |
| Coordinates: 49°12′25″N 122°54′40″W / 49.20694°N 122.91111°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | British Columbia |
| Regional district | Metro Vancouver |
| Founded | 1858 |
| Renamed | July 20, 1859 |
| Incorporated | July 16, 1860 |
| Founded by | Richard Clement Moody |
| Named after | City of Westminster |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor-council government |
| • Body | New Westminster City Council |
| • Mayor | Patrick Johnstone |
| • Councillors |
|
| • MP | Jake Sawatzky (Lib.) |
| • MLA | |
| Area | |
• Total | 16.03 km2 (6.19 sq mi) |
| • Land | 15.62 km2 (6.03 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 60 m (200 ft) |
| Population (2021) | |
• Total | 78,916 |
• Estimate (2023) | 88,945 |
| • Density | 5,052.4/km2 (13,086/sq mi) |
| • Private Dwellings | 37,737 |
| Time zone | UTC−08:00 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−07:00 (PDT) |
| Forward sortation area | |
| Area codes | 604, 778, 236, 672 |
| Website | newwestcity |
New Westminster (colloquially known as New West, hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓: sӽəyəməɬ) 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 in 1858 by Richard Clement Moody as the capital of the Colony of British Columbia, and served as such until the mainland and Vancouver Island colonies were merged to form the new Colony of British Columbia in 1866. It was the British Columbia mainland's largest city from its foundation until the first decade of the 20th century, when it was surpassed in population by Vancouver.
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.