Whalley, British Columbia
| Whalley, British Columbia | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Whalley, British Columbia | |
| Coordinates: 49°11′55″N 122°51′02″W / 49.19861°N 122.85056°W | |
| Country |
 Canada |
| Province |
 British Columbia |
| Region | Lower Mainland |
| Regional District | Metro Vancouver |
| City | Surrey, British Columbia |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Dianne Watts |
| • MP (Fed.) | Jasbir Sandhu (NDP) |
| • MLA (Prov.) | Bruce Ralston (NDP) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 95,433 |
|
25,602 in city centre June 2009 | |
| Time zone | PST (UTC-8) |
Whalley is a town centre / city centre of Surrey, British Columbia. It is the commercial centre of Surrey and is the most densely populated of all the town centres. It is the only town centre in Surrey to be serviced by the SkyTrain (Scott Road, Gateway, Surrey Central and King George stations) and is home to the SFU Surrey campus within the Central City Shopping Centre, the main shopping center in Whalley.
Based on City of Surrey Population Estimates and Projections, Whalley is the second most populous community in Surrey next to Newton Town Centre.[1]
History
As early as the 1880s, people began settling what is now present-day Whalley.[2]
The municipal council in 1908 requested a grant to construct a roadway from Fraser Bridge to present-day 108 Avenue. This provided a much safer path to the river compared to the steep, winding Old Yale Road, and the new road later became part of the King George Highway.[2]
In 1925, Arthur Whalley moved his family from Cloverdale to a three-acre triangle of land at the future intersection of Ferguson Road (108 Avenue), Grosvenor Road and the King George Highway. After clearing the land and spending their first winter in tents, they built a service station, which included a general store, soft drink stand, and tourist cabins.[2]
The community officially adopted the name of Whalley in 1948, after the board of trade held a contest to rename what had become known as “Whalley’s Corner”. “Binnieville” had also been recommended, in honour of Tom Binnie, a local real estate and insurance broker who had fostered Whalley’s growth as a commercial centre.[2]
In the mid-20th century, Whalley saw numerous debates regarding its secession from Surrey to become a separate city or municipality. In 1976, Metro Vancouver (then known as the GVRD) identified Whalley as one of four regional town centres, sparking off revitalization of the town centre.[3] The City of Surrey adopted the “Whalley-Guildford Plan” in 1985, proposing high-density commercial development along 104 Avenue between the Whalley and Guildford areas.[3]
Government
Whalley is represented in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia by the Surrey-Whalley riding and in the Canadian House of Commons by the Surrey North riding. Jasbir Sandhu is Whalley's Member of Parliament, and Bruce Ralston is the MLA.
Culture
Events
Attracting 15,000 people every February since 2004, WinterFest is a day of live music, sporting activities, food, and fireworks, held at the Central City Plaza.
Due in part to having one of British Columbia's youngest populations, with nearly one-third of all citizens under 18,[citation needed] Surrey has become known for its annual Children's Festival,[citation needed] which began 2004. The free, multi-day festival features circus and clay arts, world rhythm music and movement, popular children's performers, storytelling sessions, and a parade.
In 2008, the City, thanks to the federal government's designation of Surrey as Canada's Cultural Capital for the year,[citation needed] put on a three-day multicultural festival. The Fusion Festival celebrated over 60 different cultures through food, music, and dance. The event attracted 60,000 attendees,
Whalley/city centre is also home to the cities Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Festival. Previously held at Holland park it was moved to Central city mall plaza. Whalley also welcome the annual parade of lights in 2011 which use to only be held in Cloverdale
Climate
| Climate data for Whalley | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 15.6 (60.1) |
19.5 (67.1) |
24.5 (76.1) |
29.5 (85.1) |
37 (99) |
34.4 (93.9) |
36.7 (98.1) |
35 (95) |
36 (97) |
29 (84) |
19 (66) |
16.5 (61.7) |
37 (99) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 5.7 (42.3) |
8.1 (46.6) |
10.8 (51.4) |
13.9 (57) |
17.3 (63.1) |
19.6 (67.3) |
22.9 (73.2) |
23.2 (73.8) |
20.2 (68.4) |
14.7 (58.5) |
8.6 (47.5) |
5.7 (42.3) |
14.2 (57.6) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −0.3 (31.5) |
1.1 (34) |
2.5 (36.5) |
4.7 (40.5) |
7.7 (45.9) |
10.2 (50.4) |
12.1 (53.8) |
12.5 (54.5) |
9.9 (49.8) |
6.4 (43.5) |
2.4 (36.3) |
0.2 (32.4) |
5.8 (42.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −21.7 (−7.1) |
−14 (7) |
−12.2 (10) |
−2.8 (27) |
−1.7 (28.9) |
2.2 (36) |
5.6 (42.1) |
4.4 (39.9) |
0.6 (33.1) |
−4 (25) |
−17.5 (0.5) |
−20.6 (−5.1) |
−21.7 (−7.1) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 187.7 (7.39) |
169.2 (6.661) |
143.2 (5.638) |
115.4 (4.543) |
88.9 (3.5) |
73.9 (2.909) |
53.7 (2.114) |
53.8 (2.118) |
71 (2.8) |
131.8 (5.189) |
231.8 (9.126) |
228.3 (8.988) |
1,548.5 (60.965) |
| Source: Environment Canada[4] | |||||||||||||
 |
New Westminster, Burnaby |
New Westminster, Coquitlam |
Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam | |
| New Westminster, Richmond |  |
Guildford | ||
| ||||
 | ||||
| Delta | Newton | Fleetwood |
See also
References
- ↑ "Surrey Population Estimates and Projections". City of Surrey. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Whalley". Community Profiles. City of Surey. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Surrey Central Transit Village Planning Process" (PDF). City of Surrey. 2005-01-06. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
- ↑ Environment Canada—Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000, accessed 29 March 2010
External links
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Coordinates: 49°11′55″N 122°51′02″W / 49.19861°N 122.85056°W