Surrey

Sister cities

• Taicang
• Zhuhai
• Kōtō

History

Surrey was incorporated in 1879 and sits upon the lands of a number of Indigenous nations, namely the Katzie and the Kwantlen (who speak Halkomelem) and the Semiahmoo, who speak the North Straits Salish language, similar to the Saanich people. When Englishman H.J. Brewer looked across the Fraser River from New Westminster and saw it was reminiscent of his native County of Surrey in England, the settlement of Surrey was placed on the map. The area then comprised forests of Douglas fir, fir, red cedar, hemlock, blackberry bushes, and cranberry bogs. A portion of present-day Whalley (named after Harry Whalley, who owned and operated a gas bar at the bend in King George Blvd, (formerly King George Highway) at 108 Avenue, "Whalley's Corner") was used as a burial ground by the Kwantlen (or Qw'ontl'en) Nation. Settlers arrived first in Cloverdale and parts of South Surrey, mostly to farm, fish, harvest oysters, or set up small stores. Once the Pattullo Bridge was erected in 1937, the way was open for Surrey to expand. In the post-war 1950s, North Surrey's neighbourhoods filled with single-family homes. Surrey, not yet a city, became a bedroom community, absorbing commuters who worked in Burnaby or Vancouver. In the 1980s and 1990s, the city witnessed unprecedented growth, as people from different parts of Canada and the world, particularly Asia, began to make the municipality their home. In 2013, it was projected to surpass the city of Vancouver as the most populous city in BC within the following 10 to 12 years.

Geography

The city is characterized by low population density urban sprawl, typical of North American cities, which includes areas of residential housing, light industry and commercial centres and is prone to strip development and malls. Approximately or 27 percent of the land area is designated as part of the Agricultural Land Reserve and can only be used for farming. The city is mostly hills and flatland, with most of the flatland in Tynehead, Hazelmere, the south of Cloverdale, and Colebrook. Surrey has an oceanic climate (Cfb) typical of the inter-coastal Pacific Northwest: rainy, wet winters, often with heavy rainfall lasting into early spring. Winters are chilly but not frigid. Summers are mild and sunny, and autumns are cool and cloudy.

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  89,250
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  78,826
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  78,353
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  61,084
• Spotted Towhee

  Pipilo maculatus Swainson, 1827 · Aves
  60,417
• Northern Flicker

  Colaptes auratus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  58,179
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  56,843
• Anna's Hummingbird

  Calypte anna (R.Lesson, 1829) · Aves
  50,118

Most recent

• M 2.56 — 2026-09-12
  2 km E of Mount Vernon, Washington
• M 2.56 — 2026-05-29
  7 km ENE of Ferndale, Washington
• M 2.7 — 2026-04-27
  5 km N of Anacortes, Washington
• M 2.7 — 2026-01-26
  12 km WSW of Anacortes, Washington
• M 2.7 — 2025-10-21
  10 km SE of Salt Spring Island, Canada
• M 2.6 — 2025-09-18
  14 km SW of Cowichan Bay, Canada