New Westminster, British Columbia is a small city located in the province of British Columbia in Canada. The city has a total population of 54,207 (2001 Census).

Geography

New Westminster is located at . 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 easter tip of Lulu Island, adjacent to Richmond. Amongst New Westminster's natives are actor Raymond Burr and race car driver Greg Moore.

History

New Westminster is the oldest city in western Canada and was the capital of British Columbia between 1858 and 1866. In 1860, the city became the first incorporated city west of the Great Lakes. It was a major outfitting point for prospectors coming to the Klondike gold rush.

Victoria, the capital of Vancouver Island, replaced New Westminster as the capital of the new amalgamated province of British Columbia, which joined Canadian Confederation in 1871. With the completion of the trans-continental railway in 1886, trade began to shift to nearby Vancouver. New Westminster remained an important industry and transportation centre, and has retained the nickname "Royal City".