A city is a classification of municipalities used in the Canadian province of British Columbia. British Columbia's Lieutenant Governor in Council may incorporate a community as a city by letters patent, under the recommendation of the Minister of Communities, Sport and Cultural Development, if its population is greater than 5,000 and the outcome of a vote involving affected residents was that greater than 50% voted in favour of the proposed incorporation.[1]
British Columbia has 52 cities that had a cumulative population of 3,327,824 and an average population of 63,997 in the 2016 census. British Columbia's largest and smallest cities are Vancouver and Greenwood with populations of 631,486 and 665 respectively. The largest city by land area is Abbotsford, which spans 375.55km2, while the smallest is Duncan, at 2.07km2.
The first community to incorporate as a city was New Westminster on July 16, 1860, while the province's newest city is Mission, which was redesignated from a district municipality to a city on March 29, 2021.
__TOC__
Name | Corporate name | Regional district[2] | Incorporation date | Population (2021)[3] | Population (2016)[4] | Change (%) | Area (km2) | Population density | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Abbotsford, City of | City --> | December 12, 1995 | 153,524 | 141,397 | 8.6 | 375.33 | 409.0 | |||
Armstrong, City of | City --> | March 31, 1913 | 5,323 | 5,114 | 4.1 | 5.22 | 1020.0 | |||
Burnaby, City of | City --> | September 22, 1892 | 249,125 | 232,755 | 7.0 | 90.57 | 2750.7 | |||
Campbell River, City of | City --> | June 24, 1947 | 35,519 | 32,588 | 7.6 | 144.38 | 246.0 | |||
Castlegar, City of | City --> | January 1, 1974 | 8,338 | 8,039 | 3.7 | 19.67 | 419.6 | |||
Chilliwack, City of | City --> | Fraser Valley | April 26, 1873 | 93,203 | 83,788 | 11.2 | 261.34 | 356.6 | ||
Colwood, City of | City --> | June 24, 1985 | 18,961 | 16,859 | 12.5 | 17.66 | 1073.6 | |||
Coquitlam, City of | City --> | Metro Vancouver | Metro Vancouver | July 25, 1891 | 148,625 | 139,284 | 6.7 | 122.15 | 1216.7 | |
Courtenay, The Corporation of the City of | City --> | January 1, 1915 | 28,420 | 25,599 | 10.8 | 32.42 | 876.7 | |||
Cranbrook, The Corporation of the City of | City --> | November 1, 1905 | 20,499 | 20,047 | 2.3 | 31.97 | 641.2 | |||
Dawson Creek, The Corporation of the City of | City --> | May 26, 1936 | 12,323 | 12,178 | 1.2 | 26.72 | 461.1 | |||
Delta, City of | City | Metro Vancouver | Metro Vancouver | September 22, 2017[5] | 108,455 | 102,238 | 6.1 | 179.66 | 603.7 | |
Duncan, The Corporation of the City of | City --> | March 4, 1912 | 5,047 | 4,944 | 2.1 | 2.06 | 2444.5 | |||
Enderby, The Corporation of the City of | City --> | North Okanagan | March 1, 1905 | 3,028 | 2,964 | 2.2 | 4.26 | 710.4 | ||
Fernie, The Corporation of the City of | City --> | East Kootenay | July 28, 1904 | 6,320 | 5,249 | 17.1 | 15.11 | 418.3 | ||
Fort St. John, City of | City --> | Peace River | December 31, 1947 | 21,465 | 20,155 | 5.9 | 32.67 | 656.9 | ||
Grand Forks, The Corporation of the City of | City --> | April 15, 1897 | 4,112 | 4,049 | 1.6 | 10.37 | 396.4 | |||
Greenwood, The Corporation of the City of | City --> | Kootenay Boundary | July 12, 1897 | 702 | 665 | 5.6 | 2.42 | 290.2 | ||
Kamloops, City of | City --> | October 17, 1967 | 97,902 | 90,280 | 8.4 | 297.93 | 328.6 | |||
Kelowna | Kelowna, City of | City --> | May 4, 1905 | 144,576 | 127,380 | 13.5 | 211.85 | 682.4 | ||
Kimberley, City of | City --> | East Kootenay | March 29, 1944 | 8,115 | 7,425 | 9.3 | 60.51 | 134.1 | ||
Langford, City of | City --> | Capital | December 8, 1992 | 46,584 | 35,342 | 31.8 | 41.43 | 1124.4 | ||
Langley, City of | City --> | Metro Vancouver | Metro Vancouver | March 15, 1955 | 28,963 | 25,888 | 11.9 | 10.18 | 2845.2 | |
Maple Ridge, City of | City --> | Metro Vancouver | Metro Vancouver | September 12, 2014[6] | 90,990 | 82,256 | 10.6 | 267.82 | 339.7 | |
Merritt, City of | City --> | Thompson-Nicola | April 1, 1911 | 7,051 | 7,139 | -1.2 | 26.04 | 270.7 | ||
Mission, City of | City --> | Fraser Valley | March 29, 2021[7] | 41,519 | 38,833 | 7.7 | 226.98 | 182.9 | ||
Nanaimo, City of | City --> | December 24, 1874 | 99,863 | 90,504 | 10.3 | 90.45 | 1104.1 | |||
Nelson, The Corporation of the City of | City --> | Central Kootenay | March 18, 1897 | 11,106 | 10,572 | 5.1 | 11.93 | 930.6 | ||
New Westminster, The Corporation of the City of | City --> | Metro Vancouver | Metro Vancouver | July 16, 1860 | 78,916 | 70,996 | 11.2 | 15.62 | 5052.4 | |
North Vancouver, The Corporation of the City of | City --> | Metro Vancouver | Metro Vancouver | August 10, 1891 | 58,120 | 52,898 | 9.9 | 11.83 | 4913.0 | |
Parksville, City of | City --> | Nanaimo | June 19, 1945 | 13,642 | 12,514 | 9.5 | 14.52 | 939.5 | ||
Penticton, The Corporation of the City of | City --> | January 1, 1909 | 36,885 | 33,761 | 9.3 | 44.03 | 857.3 | |||
Pitt Meadows, City of | City --> | Metro Vancouver | Metro Vancouver | April 25, 1914 | 19,146 | 18,573 | 3.1 | 86.34 | 221.7 | |
Port Alberni, City of | City --> | October 28, 1967 | 18,259 | 17,678 | 3.3 | 19.66 | 928.9 | |||
Port Coquitlam, The Corporation of the City of | City --> | Metro Vancouver | Metro Vancouver | March 7, 1913 | 61,498 | 58,612 | 4.9 | 29.16 | 2108.7 | |
Port Moody, City of | City --> | Metro Vancouver | Metro Vancouver | March 11, 1913 | 33,535 | 33,551 | 0.0 | 25.85 | 1297.3 | |
Powell River, The Corporation of the City of | City --> | October 15, 1955 | 13,943 | 13,157 | 6.0 | 28.91 | 482.4 | |||
Prince George, City of | City --> | March 6, 1915 | 76,708 | 74,003 | 3.7 | 316.74 | 242.2 | |||
Prince Rupert, City of | City --> | March 10, 1910 | 12,300 | 12,220 | 0.7 | 66.00 | 186.4 | |||
Quesnel, City of | City --> | March 21, 1928 | 9,889 | 9,879 | 0.1 | 35.35 | 279.8 | |||
Revelstoke, City of | City --> | March 1, 1899 | 8,275 | 7,547 | 9.4 | 41.28 | 200.5 | |||
Richmond, City of | City --> | Metro Vancouver | Metro Vancouver | November 10, 1879 | 209,937 | 198,309 | 5.9 | 128.87 | 1629.0 | |
Rossland, The Corporation of the City of | City --> | Kootenay Boundary | March 18, 1897 | 4,140 | 3,729 | 11.0 | 59.72 | 69.3 | ||
Salmon Arm, City of | City --> | Columbia Shuswap | May 15, 1905 | 19,432 | 17,706 | 9.7 | 155.19 | 125.2 | ||
Surrey, City of | City --> | Metro Vancouver | Metro Vancouver | November 10, 1879 | 568,322 | 517,887 | 9.7 | 316.11 | 1797.9 | |
Terrace, City of | City --> | December 31, 1927 | 12,017 | 11,643 | 3.2 | 57.33 | 209.6 | |||
Trail, City of | City --> | Kootenay Boundary | June 14, 1901 | 7,920 | 7,709 | 2.7 | 34.90 | 226.9 | ||
Vancouver, City of | City --> | Metro Vancouver | Metro Vancouver | April 6, 1886 | 662,248 | 631,486 | 4.9 | 115.18 | 5749.9 | |
Vernon, The Corporation of the City of | City --> | North Okanagan | December 30, 1892 | 44,519 | 40,116 | 11.0 | 96.43 | 461.7 | ||
Victoria, The Corporation of the City of | City --> | Capital | August 2, 1862 | 91,867 | 85,792 | 7.1 | 19.45 | 4722.3 | ||
West Kelowna, City of | City --> | Central Okanagan | June 26, 2015[8] | 36,078 | 32,655 | 10.5 | 122.09 | 295.5 | ||
White Rock, The Corporation of the City of | City --> | Metro Vancouver | Metro Vancouver | April 15, 1957 | 21,939 | 19,952 | 10.0 | 5.17 | 4240.6 | |
Williams Lake, City of | City --> | Cariboo | March 15, 1929 | 10,947 | 10,753 | 1.8 | 33.12 | 330.5 | ||
Total cities | - | - | - | 3,327,824 | 3,133,081 | 4.5 | 4263.15 | 1081.81 | ||
Kaslo held city status between 1893 and 1959,[9] having been the first incorporated city in the Kootenay region. It was reincorporated to village status in 1959.[10] Sandon held city status between 1898 and 1920.[11] Phoenix held city status between 1900 and 1919.[12]
As of the 2021 census, nine towns – Comox, Creston, Ladysmith, Oliver, Osoyoos, Qualicum Beach, Sidney, Smithers and View Royal – meet the requirement of having populations greater than 5,000 to incorporate as a city. Also, 21 district municipalities meet the minimum population requirements to incorporate as a city.