Geographical background
A few facts about one of Metro Vancouver’s most diverse cities.
Burnaby is a city in British Columbia, Canada and is located in the centre of Metro Vancouver. It is the third-largest city in the province, with over 249,000 residents.
The city of Burnaby got its name from Burnaby Lake, which was named in honour of Robert Burnaby, who had explored the region around the lake in 1859. Robert Burnaby, a merchant and businessman, was active in various community affairs and helped develop much of the West Coast.
One of the unique characteristics of Burnaby is that it has one of the highest open-space-to-resident ratios in North America, with 25% of the land designated to parks and open spaces. Residents who ride their bikes in the summer will notice this immediately as their is ample space to explore, especially around Deer Lake Park.
Culturally rich and diverse, roughly 54% of residents have a primary language that is neither English nor French — Canada’s two official languages.
Two of B.C.’s largest post-secondary institutions, Simon Fraser University and the British Columbia Institute of Technology, are based in Burnaby. Simon Fraser has an especially beautiful campus, definitely worth exploring.
Burnaby is home to Metropolis at Metrotown, B.C.’s largest and Canada’s fifth-largest shopping centre. One of the excellent aspects of this mall is its proximity to transit, specifically the SkyTrain as it sits adjacent this service.
Celebrities who call Burnaby home
Singer Michael Bublé, actors Michael J. Fox and Carrie-Anne Moss, Brad Loree, ice hockey player Joe Sakic — he will always be a Nordiques first and foremost, national team soccer player Christine Sinclair and many others call Burnaby their hometown.
City division
Metrotown is the regional city centre and Burnaby’s downtown. Brentwood, Lougheed and Edmonds are its municipal town centres.
