Why we love our Burnaby, BC community!

The city of Burnaby is located in the Lower Mainland the British Columbia Canada. This coastal city is east of Vancouver with Richmond to the Southwest, New Westminster and Surrey located to the southeast, and Coquitlam to the east. Burnaby which is a member of Metro Vancouver was incorporated in 1892 and received the city status in 1992. The British Columbia gold rush starting in 1858 known as the Fraser Canyon gold rush brought thousands of American miners to the region. Military forces assisted the royal engineers in taking land from indigenous people and logging permits were given to settlers which led to the decimation of South Burnaby forests. Settlers were given a piece of land to clear and build their homes through a process called pre-emption of which the indigenous people were excluded. 

As the urban centers of New Westminster and Vancouver were expanding the growth of Burnaby was greatly influenced. Resource sectors in the 1970s sharply declined with a rise in the technology sector, manufacturing plants were replaced by film production studios. The Burrard peninsula Is largely taken up by New Westminster, Burnaby and Vancouver with Burnaby's elevation maxing out at 1210 ft on Burnaby mountain down to sea level on the water's edge of the peninsula. Throughout the area there are many parks (Kensington Park Central Park, and Robert Burnaby Park), rivers (Bruette River and Still Creek), and lakes (Deer Lake, Burnaby Lake, and Squint Lake). 

Burnaby is known for its rainy winters and cool dry summers which can be identified as an oceanic climate with an average annual rainfall of 75.62 inches in the summer and 35.2 inches of snow in the winter. The economy and Industry in Burnaby are thriving with residential areas classified as high density that are serviced by two rapid transit lines. Technology leading organizations such as D-wave systems, Electronic Arts Canada, and Ballard Power Systems all have their headquarters in Burnaby. Petroleum companies Chevron Corporation and Petro-Canada operate refineries along the Burrard Inlet. 

Burnaby has a population estimated at approximately 250,000 which brings it into the top three highest populated centres in British Columbia even though it only makes up 4% of the Metro Vancouver District land area. The population is very diverse with 65% being a visible minority primarily of Asian descent and the remaining being European Canadian. 

The public school system caters to nearly 25,000 students with 8 secondary schools and 41 elementary schools and is also the home of the British Columbia School for the Deaf. The British Columbia Institute of Technology, and the Simon Fraser University both make their homes in Burnaby accommodating nearly 80,000 full and part-time students. 

The Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Center, the Museum of archaeology and ethnology, and the Burnaby public library are some of the many arts and cultural facilities located in Burnaby. You will also find art galleries, the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, a community theatre and 70 km of urban trails and bike routes throughout Burnaby for the outdoor enthusiast. Burnaby British Columbia is a premium coastal city that has proven to be a safe clean community to raise a family or as a candidate for retirement.