Surrey, BC - The Jewel in the Crown of British Columbia

You might have never heard of Surrey, British Columbia before. But chances are, you might have heard a lot of good things about its twin city Vancouver. Located only 20 kilometers away from the city limit of Vancouver in the middle of what British Columbians refer to as Lower Mainland right by the Fraser River, if you want to call Surrey "the heart" of the region, now it's the best time to do so. Report shows that by 2030, Surrey will surpass Vancouver to become British Columbia's largest city as defined by population. 

The official municipal slogan of Surrey: "The Future Lives Here"

Whether the name of the metro area will remain as "Vancouver", or will it change to "Surrey", it doesn't really matter. What matters is, Surrey is growing fast. It's becoming a major player in the region and even in the country, and it's simply one of the the best cities to showcase diversity and Canada's multiculturalism policy.

King George Skytrain Station from Central City Shopping Center

Surrey Central is the hub where all the actions are: It is home to the 6 time Grey Cup Champion B.C Lions of the Canadian Football League. It hosts two university campuses, the city hall, and two Skytrain stations which makes a fast connection between Surrey and the heart of Downtown Vancouver in 40 minutes. When you look around, you will find all the newly constructed residential skyscrapers dominating the skyline of the city. It's evident that Surrey is a booming town.

Residential high rise buildings in Surrey Central

It's hard to imagine that only ten, twenty years ago, Surrey was considered as one of the most dangerous cities in Canada. Drug dealers and gangs were roaming in the city streets. Many were murdered because of the ongoing turf war. The city of Surrey itself was named the "Car Theft Capital of North America" in 2002. The neighborhood of Whalley, where Surrey Central is located, was among the worst in terms of the concentration of crime.As the government and the general public worked together aiming to revitalize the city in the past decade, today Surrey, especially the Surrey Central area, is just as safe as big city downtowns elsewhere in the country.  It shows that the reason why certain cities can successfully get rid of their problems is simply because people made that happen. With the general public and the government willing to support the right revitalization plans and able to attract valuable investments from different sources, I believe any struggling cities, no matter if it's Surrey or Detroit, can be revitalized. 

Central City Tower, the centerpiece of Surrey's revival

The top contributing factor why certain cities like Surrey are able to be revitalized in such a short period of time whereas others have been struggling since 30 years ago is public interests . Without the general public showing any interests in investing their money into that struggling city, whether it's purchasing a house or opening a new business,  it's basically impossible for any revitalization process to take place. Surrey is home to several urban jungles where families can spend evenings or weekends doing all kinds of activities such as jogging, fishing, and cycling in the middle of pristine timber forests. The city also encourages industrial developments across the city and has been an advocate for efficient mass transit and freeway systems, which play a crucial role in connecting Surrey to rest of Lower Mainland. Most of all, Surrey offers the lowest property tax and business tax rates in the country, and housing in Surrey is the most affordable among all cities in the greater Vancouver area. 

Surrey's brand new Surrey Central library branch and city hall

When people start to move in because of affordable real estate, short commute to work, abundant recreational opportunities, and lower taxes; service sector businesses, which constitute a large portion of the Canadian economy will follow in. As more people and businesses come to Surrey, it will be able to generate more tax revenues for the municipal government. The more tax revenue the city generates, the more funding public services like school, the police & fire department, and library will likely receive and thus the quality of services will also likely to improve as well. Because the tax rate is lower than other cities in the same region, it makes the city of Surrey much more competitive and its economy much more sustainable as if the greater Vancouver region is expected to grow, people and businesses will definitely choose a city where they pay less taxes but receive better services. 

A Sikh Temple in Surrey

That partly explains why many people who moved to the Vancouver region from all around the world decided to make Surrey their new home. Surrey has a very dynamic Punjabi community, which constitutes about 1/3 of total population in the city. In certain neighborhoods such as Strawberry Hill and Newton you can see signs written in Punjab, grocery stores selling goods imported from India, and restaurants offering authentic South Asian food. 

An Indian restaurant in Surrey

One thing Surrey impresses me the most is how people of all different backgrounds can live together in peace. As I took a walk in the Strawberry Hill neighborhood, I saw a Sikh Temple, a Mosque, and a Christian church all within walking distances from the neighborhood's busiest intersection. In contrast, in many other parts of the world we see extreme violence happening in places where people worship, or oppositions from the the majority in certain societies on constructions of religious institutions where the minority practices their faith. It's very evident to me that Surrey is a place where people are free to believe, and they can do so peacefully and safely without any disturbance from the others. 

Imported Indian crackers at a local store

Just a few years ago Concord Pacific, a Vancouver based real estate company that was responsible for developing the site of Expo 86 erected giant billboards around the greater Vancouver area claiming that "The Future is Surrey".  I hope the success of Surrey can continue to inspire and make an impact on other cities that had witnessed a period of sharp decline in the past both as an economic model and a social model.  

A magazine targeted at Surrey's South Asian readers for sale at a chain supermarket.