The Cityhood of Burnaby is located between Vancouver and Port Moody, Coquitlam with New Westminster on the southeast. Further north boundary is the Burrard Inlet and the River Fraser on the south. Voted by Maclean’s Magazine in 2009 as the “Best Run City in Canada”, this once agricultural community is now a bustling green city with a highly-sustainable local economy.Geography
Land area is 98.6 km2, which is about 4% of the Greater Vancouver region. Burnaby boasts of having the one of the widest lands dedicated for parks and green space in the country. With 200 parks scattered around, green space makes about 25% of all Burnaby’s land area, as well as the highest park to resident ratio in BC.
The highest point is Burnaby Mountain, which summit is at 1,200 ft above sea level. Terrain is diversified to hills, valleys, plains and forest areas. The city boasts of highly-conserved bodies of water such as the freshwater lakes, Burnaby Lake and Deer lake, as well as Barnet Marine Park, a salt water beach.
Climate in Burnaby is mild, very similar to Vancouver’s. The city gets 2,000 hours of sunshine yearly and average annual rainfall of 147 cm.
People
In 2010, Burnaby has an estimate of 223,000 people. This makes the city the 3rd to the largest city in BC in terms of population-about 10% of the province’ over-all population. There are an est. of 2,275.6 people in every square kilometer, making Burnaby one of the most dense city in the region.
Religion and ethnic groups are diverse, mainly because of migrants from US, Italy, China, Taiwan, South Korea and the former Yugoslav. According to 2006 census, about 54% of the population has a mother tongue that is neither English nor French.
Education
Burnaby is home to Simon Fraser University, located on top of Burnaby Mountain as well as the British Columbia Institute of Technology which offers a wide range of courses and highly specialized career training. School District 41 administers all 8 elementary and 8 secondary public schools from kindergarten to Grade 12 -with English and French immersion. School services and educational programs with provincial and regional relevance.
Industry
Burnaby offers a very diversified local economy, it is home to major industries such as Telus, Electronic Arts, Creo, and Ballard Power Systems. Strong sectors include film, telecommunications, life science, new media, tourism and retail. Heavy industries such as Chevron and petroleum refineries are operating on the shores of the Burrard Inlet. Film production companies, TV networks, rapid transit, real estate companies thrive stably as well.
Commercial centers also something to beast in this city. BC’s largest and Canada’s second largest commercial mall, the Metropolis at Metrotown is located in Burnaby.
Real Estate Market
Benchmark pricing of single family homes and townhouses in the city has decreased slightly, while the prices for condos rose up. New listings has increased decently in both detached homes and condos, townhouses declined at the same time. Sales-open listings ratio remain under 50%.
Generally, Burnaby is a well-administered city, with lots of opportunities for those who seek a more dynamic career or lifestyle. Why not try to pay Burnaby a visit to see more things the city boasts of.
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