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Community Information: Burnaby

Are you thinking of buying a home in Burnaby? Here is community information to help you.

Burnaby is located on the Burrard Peninsula between Vancouver to the west and New Westminster and Coquitlam to the east.

Over the last century Burnaby has evolved from an agricultural area through a suburban dormitory community to a largely urban city. A convenient location in the geographical centre of Greater Vancouver has attracted many people and businesses to settle here, making Burnaby the most densely populated area in the region.

Demographic information can be found at the City of Burnaby Planning Department Web site.

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Housing and Zoning

Burnaby provides a full range of housing forms, each in a variety of settings. House prices are about the Greater Vancouver average. For detailed information see our Market Tracker.

Each of the city's four residential quadrants has its own town centre with higher density housing in urban setting. The largest area of the city, however, is occupied by single family suburban and single and two-family urban residential neighbourhoods. For information on zoning and planning visit the City's Planning Department site.

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Shopping, Dining and Entertainment

Burnaby has several retail/commercial centers of interest. Hastings Street in North Burnaby is known for Italian restaurants, wedding fashions, and established unique stores. Kingsway, from Boundary through to Edmonds, offers a full range of shops and services. The immense Metrotown Retail and Entertainment Complex is the B.C.'s largest shopping area with over 500 stores and services, 22 cinemas, and the Metropolis Entertainment Centre, spanning three city blocks. Lougheed Mall with 185 shops and services serves needs of the residents of East Burnaby while over 120 shops and services at Brentwood Mall serve residents of the northwest area.

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Parks and Recreation

Burnaby has two large freshwater lakes, naturally forested mountain parkland, an ocean beach, and numerous neighbourhood parks, many with fishbearing rivers and streams. These natural features are complemented with two pitch and putt and two 18-hole golf courses, approximately 24 kilometers of constructed urban trails for cycling and walking, and numerous sport/recreation facilities. For more information visit the City of Burnaby Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services.

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Transportation

With four skytrain stations, four entrances to Trans Canada Highway, and a public bus network that includes express and rapid buses, Burnaby has very good connections within the city and with all parts of the region. The Light Rail Transit project envisions ten stations in the Burnaby area by 2005. For those who prefer cycling as a primary transportation mode, there is a well developed Cycle Road Network.

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Education

Burnaby School District #41 operates forty-seven K-12 schools, the Provincial School for the Deaf and a comprehensive continuing education program.

For a list of schools, visit the Burnaby school district site.
A list of Independent schools can be found at the Federation of Independent School Associations' Web site.
For school rankings, visit the B.C. Ministry of Education site or contact the Burnaby School District for detailed school profiles.

Two major post-secondary institutions are located in Burnaby. For more information visit the Simon Fraser University and British Columbia Institute of Technology Web sites.

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Other Web Sites

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