Pitt Meadows
Pitt Meadows is a city within Metro Vancouver in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Incorporated in 1914, it currently has a land area of with an estimate population of 19,498 as of 2024. The city received its name from the Pitt River and Pitt Lake. Pitt Meadows is one of the cities in British Columbia including Electoral Area A that comprises the Metro Vancouver Regional District.
Pitt Meadows Is 110 Years old. Indigenous Peoples have resided in Pitt Meadows for approximately 1000 years. James McMillan explored the area in 1874. The Municipality of Maple Ridge, which included the Pitt Meadows area, was incorporated in 1874. In 1892, residents of the Pitt Meadows area petitioned for their removal from the District of Maple Ridge. In 1893, the first dyking district was organized; however, the Fraser River Flood of 1894 flooded many acres of land in Pitt Meadows.
In 1914, Pitt Meadows was a small, agricultural community of less than 250 individuals which supplied Vancouver and New Westminster with produce and dairy products. In 1995, Pitt Meadows became a member municipality of Metro Vancouver. In 2007, the District of Pitt Meadows was incorporated as the City of Pitt Meadows. In 2014, Pitt Meadows' centennial occurred.
History
Early settlement
Indigenous Peoples resided in the Pitt Meadows area approximately 1000 years ago. James McMillan explored the area during the 1824 Hudson's Bay Company expedition to the Lower Fraser. Europeans started a settlement known as Bonson's Landing in the area in the 1870s. Early settlers were mostly Anglo-Saxon until after 1910. The municipality takes its name from the Pitt River and Pitt Lake. The river, the lake and the settlement were named for British prime minister William Pitt the Younger. The Municipality of Maple Ridge, which included the Pitt Meadows area, was incorporated in 1874. In 1885, the Canadian Pacific Railway was constructed through Pitt Meadows to Port Moody, and Vancouver soon after.The Pitt Meadows General Store, which was constructed in 1886, was moved to its current location in 1908. A garden has existed since the early years of development on the Site. The store, which contained the community's first Post Office and the first telephone, has been the home of the Pitt Meadows Museum and Archives since June 1998.
In 1892, residents of the Pitt Meadows area petitioned for their removal from the District of Maple Ridge. In 1893, the first dyking district was organized. The Fraser River Flood of 1894 flooded many acres of land in the spring.
Incorporation
Pitt Meadows reverted to unorganized territory from 1892 until it was separately incorporated as a municipality in 1914. In 1914, Pitt Meadows was a small, agricultural community of less than 250 individuals which supplied Vancouver and New Westminster with produce and dairy products. After 1910, many French Canadians and Japanese arrived as settlers.After World War II
During World War II, Pitt Meadows lost servicemen including: Aircraftman 2nd Class William George Bend; Ordinary Seaman John Pastorek and Flight Lieutenant Robert Arnold Samuel Lasser.A large group of Dutch farmers reclaimed much of the low-lying land in Pitt Meadows after World War II. Pitt Meadows joined the Greater Vancouver Water District in 1948.
In 1948, a major flood occurred after cool weather through mid-May allowed an unusually large snowpack to accumulate, and a sudden shift to warm temperatures caused a fast melt.
In 1957, the second Pitt River Bridge, opened. Replacing the first bridge built in 1915. A twin bridge was built to complement the 1957 bridge in 1978.
The Pitt Meadows Regional Airport opened in 1963.
Heritage Preservation Area
A Heritage Preservation Area contains several buildings of significant heritage value, including the old General Store and Hoffman and Sons Garage. Hans Hoffmann, a mechanic, worked in and then ran the family business of Hoffmann and Son Ltd. for almost 45 years. In 1974, Hans began his hobby of collecting and restoring stationary gasoline engines.Cenotaph
In 1990, the Pitt Meadows Cenotaph was constructed "in memory of all those who have served and died for us." The City of Pitt Meadows received funding for the restoration of the Pitt Meadows Cenotaph, in 2009. In 2012, British Columbia formally apologized to the Japanese-Canadian community for the internment of thousands of people during the Second World War. Tosh Suzuki's family spent nine years in Manitoba after being displaced from their Pitt Meadows berry farm.Symbols
The announcement of the Letters Patent for Pitt Meadows, and Grant of Arms, Supporters, Flag and Badge was made on March 12, 2005, in Volume 139, page 688 of the Canada Gazette. The Arms consist of the colours purple and gold, its heron emblem and a band running parallel to the edge of the shield which represents the dykes which protect the lands of the municipality. The crenellated outer edge represents gearwheels and refer to the historic Hoffman garage. The horizontal bands symbolize the CP railway line around which the District grew. The motto is Prosperity through endeavour. The crest coronet represents Golden Ears peaks to the north of the District. The white drops in the crest recall the early dairy industry. The Katzie eagle symbol in the crest recalls the original Aboriginal inhabitants and recreational aviation.Centennial
In 2014, in recognition of Pitt Meadows' centennial, anniversary special festivities and a Community Birthday Party were held. The Mission Folk Music Festival Society will present the 27th and 28th editions of the Mission Folk Music Festival in 2014/2015.Geography
Pitt Meadows is located in the Lower Fraser Valley, east of Vancouver. Most residents live in the urban town centre, which is located on a highland area. 82% of Pitt Meadows is within the Green Zone, lands, including watersheds and 200-year floodplains, forests, wilderness areas, wildlife habitats, wetlands, recreational areas, farms and forestry areas that are fundamental to Metro Vancouver's character and ecology. Pitt Meadows, an agricultural town, is over 68% within a floodplain with 86% of Pitt Meadows lying within the BC Agricultural Land Reserve as protected farmland. Lands designated as environmentally sensitive include wildlife conservation areas such as Pitt-Addington Marsh and Codd Wetland Ecological Conservancy Area, and the banks of the Fraser, Pitt and Alouette Rivers. Other areas of Pitt Meadows that are within the Green Zone include most of the river side of the dikes, municipal parks and greenways.Pitt Meadows is sandwiched on the north side of the Fraser River at its junction with the Pitt River on the west and Maple Ridge on the east. Two arms of the Alouette River run through Pitt Meadows, along with a number of other sloughs and waterways. To the north, Pitt Lake is the largest freshwater tidal lake in the world, connected by the Pitt River to the Fraser River, which is the southern boundary of Pitt Meadows. The Pitt River flows backwards at high tide and has created a delta where it joins Pitt lake. The Thompson Mountain Range rises along the Pitt Meadows's northeast edge. Pitt Meadows is protected from flooding by 64 kilometres of dikes which provide a multi-use trail system alongside the farmland and marshes, and offer views of the mountains to the north. The northern sector of the flood plain, closest to Pitt Lake, presents several challenges to development; it is largely a peat bog containing a large wildlife refuge. The deep peat and bog soil conditions sometimes require considerable fill and/or pre-loading prior to development. On the west side of the Pitt River is Port Coquitlam. Pitt Meadows is located between the rapidly developing communities of Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Maple Ridge, Surrey and Langley.
Climate
Like most of the lower mainland, Pitt Meadows features an oceanic climate, with warm summers and cool, rainy winters.Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Pitt Meadows had a population of 19,146 living in 7,404 of its 7,628 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 18,573. With a land area of, it had a population density of in 2021.Ethnicity
Religion
According to the 2021 census, religious groups in Pitt Meadows included:- Irreligion
- Christianity
- Sikhism
- Islam
- Buddhism
- Hinduism
- Judaism
- Other
Transportation
River
Pitt Meadows is naturally isolated from the rest of the Lower Mainland by the Pitt River and the Fraser River. The major urbanized portion of the Lower Mainland is located on the Burrard Peninsula, on the other side of the Pitt River from Pitt Meadows. The Fraser, Pitt and Alouette Rivers played a pivotal role in the development of Pitt Meadows by providing transportation routes, fishing areas and nourishing flood water to the farm areas. Today, the Fraser River is an extensively used navigation channel for both industrial traffic and recreational use. Although the Pitt River sees less traffic, its foreshore is an important area for log storage. The Alouette River continues to be important to the farming areas.Canadian Pacific Railway
Its first land-based transportation route came in 1885 with the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway through to PortMoody. The main portion of the town of Pitt Meadows is bisected by the CPR mainline. The highway bridge over the Pitt River was opened in 1957. As of 2003, the CPR intermodal yards and distribution centre west of the Pitt Meadows station in the town centre are being expanded.