New Westminster City Guide

New Westminster was founded in 1858 by Colonel Richard Clement Moody as the capital of the Colony of British Columbia - BC's oldest city and the first municipality in the province to hold an elected government. Located on the banks of the Fraser River, the city sits 19 kilometres southeast of Vancouver, adjacent to Burnaby and Coquitlam and across the river from Surrey and Delta. The 2021 Census recorded a population of 78,916, with a 2023 estimate of 88,945. With a density of 5,052 residents per square kilometre across 15.62 square kilometres, New Westminster ranks as the second-densest city in Canada after Vancouver. Six neighbourhoods define the city: Downtown, Uptown, Sapperton, Queens Park, Queensborough, and the West End. Queensborough sits on the eastern tip of Lulu Island adjacent to Richmond, connected by the Queensborough Bridge. Metro Vancouver benchmark prices as of February 2026: all residential $1,100,300 (down 6.8% year-over-year), detached $1,835,900, apartments $708,200, townhouses $1,046,100. Browse all New Westminster listings, explore our market trends analysis, or compare the best neighbourhoods.

New Westminster's housing spans Victorian and Edwardian heritage homes to modern condominium towers, with original structures from the late 1800s still integrated into the cityscape. The oldest heritage home dates to 1862. Rental prices for March 2026 (PadMapper, 174 active listings): studio $1,650, 1-bedroom $1,850, 2-bedroom $2,595, 3-bedroom $3,375. Metro Vancouver benchmark prices (February 2026): detached homes $1,835,900 (down 8.8% year-over-year), apartments $708,200 (down 6.8%), townhouses $1,046,100 (down 5.6%). Active rental listings span Downtown, Brow of the Hill, Sapperton, Uptown, Queensborough, and Victory Heights. Uptown centres on 6th Avenue and Carnarvon Street and houses Royal City Centre mall (built 1978, 50+ stores) alongside Walmart, Save-On Foods, and Safeway. For current pricing trends, see our market trends analysis.

New Westminster feels more like a tight-knit community than a city, built around its riverside boardwalk, parks, and festivals. Westminster Quay (built 1986) features a 2-mile waterfront boardwalk leading to Pier Park (2012) with an urban beach, basketball court, and concert venue. The River Market hosts 12 restaurants and 12 shops. Every May the Hyack Festival begins with a parade and ends in a street party; in July Uptown Live! showcases local artists and musicians. Queens Park covers 75 acres - the first established public park in British Columbia, enjoyed since 1887. It features Queens Park Arena, a 2,000-spectator ball stadium, off-leash dog area, children's spray park, outdoor fitness circuit, and a seasonal petting farm. Moody Park (est. 1863, 23.78 acres) offers a 2,439 square meter off-leash area, basketball and tennis courts, and a pool. The city operates 8 recreational centres alongside 30 neighbourhood parks and 13 community parks.

New Westminster is served by TransLink across five SkyTrain Expo Line stations: 22nd Street, Braid, Columbia, New Westminster, and Sapperton. Bus routes cover the full city and the Q to Q Ferry connects the Quay to Queensborough on Lulu Island. New Westminster also contains a portion of Vancouver's Central Valley Greenway - a dedicated cycling pathway running from the Fraser River to False Creek in downtown Vancouver. For drivers, Highway 1 is accessible via Burnaby and Coquitlam interchanges, connecting west to Vancouver and east to the Fraser Valley via the Port Mann Bridge. The Pattullo Bridge links to Surrey; the Queensborough Bridge connects to Richmond and via the Alex Fraser Bridge to Delta. The original street grid, designed for horse-drawn carts, gives older neighbourhoods a walkable character.

School District 40 operates New Westminster Secondary School (the city's single high school with International Baccalaureate), three middle schools, and ten elementary schools. Douglas College anchors post-secondary education in the downtown core with 14,000 enrolled students and programs spanning degrees, associate degrees, and University Transfer options. The Justice Institute of British Columbia provides training for police, fire, corrections, and paramedics, and operates the Aboriginal Leadership Diploma Program. The Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine (BINM) - the only Naturopathic medical school in western Canada - and the West Coast College of Massage Therapy (WCCMT) are also located here. SFU, BCIT, and UBC are accessible by SkyTrain.

Royal Columbian Hospital in Sapperton serves a population equal to a third of British Columbians. A $1.49 billion multi-phase transformation is underway to create a state-of-the-art critical care facility - no other centre in BC matches its scope of services. The Fraser River Discovery Centre on Westminster Quay explores BC's early history and the Fraser River ecosystem. The New Westminster Salmonbellies - one of Canada's oldest professional lacrosse teams with 24 Mann Cup championships - play at Queens Park Arena, also the location of the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame. Shopping spans Royal City Centre (Uptown, 50+ stores), Shops at New West (Downtown, 41 stores), and Columbia Street's independent retail strip. The city's diverse population - European 50%, East Asian 14%, South Asian 10%, Southeast Asian 10% - shapes a multicultural restaurant and cultural scene across all neighbourhoods.