A Little History
Taking the title of British Columbia’s third-largest city, you can find Burnaby located in the Lower Mainland region, and at the geographic centre of the Metro Vancouver area.
Incorporated in 1892 and named after Robert Burnaby, a Freemason, explorer and legislator, the City of Burnaby developed as an agricultural area supplying nearby markets. Later, it evolved into an important transportation corridor between Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and the Interior.
Officially becoming a city in 1992, and with a population of over 250,000 people, the city has experienced an influx of interest with resident numbers growing extensively since the 2000s. This may be due to the city’s beautiful, natural surroundings and diverse culture, with roughly 54% of residents speaking a language that isn’t either of Canada’s national languages; English or French.
Over time, larger metropolitan centres such as Vancouver and New Westminster influenced the growth of Burnaby as they themselves expanded, but with the establishment of Simon Fraser University – as well as the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) – Burnaby became much more urban in its own right.
What Can I Find Here
Split into four town centres – Brentwood to the Northwest, Loughleed to the Northeast, Metrotown to the Southwest, and Edmonds to the Southeast – the City of Burnaby has been wonderfully designed so that residents in each township can easily walk or bike where they need to go. Becoming a destination accessible by Skytrain back in 2002, when the Millennium Line started to serve North Vancouver, this enabled residents to connect directly to not just downtown Vancouver, but many other locations within the Metro Vancouver region.
Can you believe there are over 200 parks in this city! That’s right, those who live here get to enjoy a large amount of parkland as Burnaby has one of the highest open-space-to-resident ratios in North America, designating 25% of its land to parks and open areas.
When it comes to housing, there are many options including high-rise towers, medium-sized walk-ups, and townhouses, with something to suit everyone in this growing community. With condos and apartments popping up in many corners, make sure to check out our Stilhavn listings page to see what’s currently available!
Events & Festivals
When the weekends roll around, there’s no need to even leave this city, as there are many places to explore and events and festivals held here.
If you’re a shopaholic, look no further than Metrotown, Canada’s fifth-largest shopping centre. Or, if you prefer spending more time with nature, head to Burnaby Mountain for breathtaking views of the Burrard Inlet and the Vancouver Skyline – where you may also catch sightings of deer, bald eagles or smaller forest animals.
If music is more your jam, the Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival is held in early August at Deer Lake (check the link for restrictions), or the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra come out to provide a free outdoor concert at the same park in mid-July.
Not one to miss out on festivals either, you can catch Hat’s Off Day, a giant street festival held in early June, or Nikkei Matsuri, a fantastic Japanese festival held in September during Labour Day weekend.
Life in Burnaby
It’s fair to say that the quality of life in Burnaby is pretty great – lots of nature, lots of trails lots of parks and lots of people. With a low pollution index, a low property price to income ratio plus a high climate and health care index, Burnaby might just be the perfect location to consider home.
With the Metro Vancouver market remaining very competitive for buyers, make the house-hunting process less stressful with the help of one of our market experts. Our Stilhavn REALTORS® are committed to guiding you through the process and take pride in curating the best strategy to get the results you want.
Together, let’s find your Burnaby havn.
