The City of New Westminster is situated in the centre of the Lower Mainland. It is attractively located on a hillside overlooking the Fraser River. The City centre slopes down from Royal Avenue to the waterfront offering excellent views up-river to the Golden Ears Mountains, southeast to Mount Baker and down-river towards Richmond and Delta, and the Strait of Georgia. The Downtown section of New Westminster, with its sloping streets, waterfront views and heritage buildings reminds one of San Francisco.

The City of New Westminster was the first capital of British Columbia. The fortunes of the City have ebbed and flowed during its 125 year history, but today New Westminster is an important industrial City with many of its local industries based on forest products. The City also has a strong public sector component as it is the seat of the New Westminster Law Courts and the location for the Land Title Office for the Lower Mainland.

New Westminster's Royal Columbian Hospital is the third largest hospital in the Lower Mainland serving residents from Burnaby to Hope. It is a major referral centre specializing in trauma, obstetrical, cardio-vascular and critical care.

Douglas College is one of the largest colleges in the Lower Mainland with over 10,000 students in credit programs which equates to 4,200 full-time equivalent students on an annual basis. The college also provides non-credit community response to over 24,000 adults who participate in part-time vocational or personal enrichment programs. The college has a strong orientation to social services, health sciences, business and university transfer students.

These facilities have naturally led to the creation of a professional support sector because of the City's central location.

New Westminster also serves as a major distribution centre for goods throughout British Columbia.

New Westminster, by British Columbia standards, is a venerable City. Although the Great Fire of 1898 destroyed one-third of the City, some early buildings remain and these vestiges of its historic roots now contribute immensely to the character of the City. It is also the setting for some fine contemporary architecture. The extensive public landscaping and the pride that private property owners take in the care of their homes contribute to the overall beauty of the City.

The City of New Westminster offers a variety of housing types ranging from the large historic homes of Queens Park to executive style condominiums located along the banks of the Fraser River. A riverfront esplanade flanks these units and provides pedestrian access to a festival market and a hotel at one end and a marine park at the other. The introduction of multiple residential units set in a series of lagoons adds to the attractive water front living available in the City.

New Westminster, a city roughly six square miles in area, is renowned throughout the region for the quality, creativity and innovation of its recreational programs, parks and garden displays and draws substantial participation from surrounding communities.

New Westminster has a diverse selection of cultural events and groups within its boundaries, and being centrally located within the Greater Vancouver Metropolitan area, an even greater selection of events is available in very close proximity. The cultural element is a growing dimension of the New Westminster lifestyle.

In Uptown New Westminster, Cambridge Western Leasehold has replaced the Old Woodward's store with an urban shopping centre containing about 340,000 sq. ft. of retail space to be built and about 140,000 sq. ft. of office space. This is a major addition to one of the City's key commercial areas.

The Downtown core is also undergoing significant revitalization. A major street beautification and widening program has been completed. A business improvement area is now in place actively promoting Downtown New Westminster. A Facade Improvement Program is also underway offering incentives to restore the facades of the turn of the century buildings on Columbia Street.

The City of New Westminster is one of the fastest changing communities in British Columbia. With the introduction of Skytrain connecting the City to Vancouver and Surrey, it has become the community of choice for many young professional families.

The development of the waterfront and the recent commercial/residential redevelopment of the B.C. Penitentiary lands are examples of how B.C.'s original capital city is experiencing a renaissance in development and new directions for residential, commerce and industry.