Burnaby

Burnaby, city in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Burnaby is located immediately east of Vancouver, between the Burrard Inlet to the north and the Fraser River to the south. It is a residential suburb of the cities of Vancouver and New Westminster. Originally an agricultural and logging community, Burnaby has become an urban center with service, commercial, and industrial sectors. Manufactures include steel, trucks, telecommunications equipment, and processed fish. Major employers include government corporations, electronics and computer software companies, and educational institutions. Burnaby is served by Vancouver International Airport and SkyTrain, Greater Vancouver’s light-rail transit line.

Burnaby is home to Simon Fraser University, located atop Burnaby Mountain. The university is acclaimed for its innovative architecture. The British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) is also located in Burnaby. Downtown Burnaby is the site of Metrotown Retail and Entertainment Complex, one of the largest mall complexes in the Greater Vancouver area. Parks and recreation facilities include Burnaby Lake, Deer Lake, and Central Park. Burnaby’s 8-Rinks Ice Sports Center is among the largest indoor ice rink complexes in the world. Other major features include the Shadbolt Center for the Arts and Burnaby Heritage Village, a re-creation of a turn-of-the-20th-century town.

The original residents of what is now Burnaby were the Coast Salish. European settlers began arriving in the area in the 1850s. Settlement was slow until the 1890s, when the Canadian Pacific Railway was extended through what is now north Burnaby. The city was named for Robert Burnaby, a businessman and legislator who explored and helped develop much of the region in the 1860s. Burnaby incorporated as a municipality in 1892. Burnaby grew rapidly following World War II (1939-1945), and it incorporated as a city in 1992.

Burnaby covers a land area of 88.4 sq km (34.1 sq mi). Population 158,858 (1991); 193,954 (2001).