Visitor information about

The Municipality of Delta

in the Greater Vancouver area

of British Columbia, Canada

The Municipality

The Municipality of Delta is located in the southwest corner of the lower mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is shown in pink at the bottom left of the bottom section of the maps to the left.

The Municipality of Delta is governed by a Mayor and six councilors. It is the only municipal government in the area. There are three Cities or Communities in the Delta Municipality; Ladner, North Delta, and Tsawwassen.

These communities are similar in nature to unincorporated cities in the United States and they are governed by the Delta Municipality. The Population of Delta is over 100,000.

The Delta District is mainly a farming area in the rich soils of the Fraser River Delta. Almost half of the District is farmland and one-fifth of the District is the unique Burns Bog ecosystem.

Delta is a suburban Municipality in the southwest corner of the Greater Vancouver Area. Delta is made up of three urban communities; The historic village of Ladner, the garden community of Tsawwassen, and the “Family Friendly Community” of North Delta.

Delta has a population of over 100,000 people. The district became a Municipality in 1879.

A map of the Delta Area is loading....... How do I find Delta?

The easiest way to find Delta is to take BC Highway-99 from the US Border in Blaine and head north or from Vancouver go south on BC-99 to Exit 28 (BC Ferries / Tsawwassen / Delta). Take Exit 28 and head south as if you were going to the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal. In about 1.2 miles (1.9 KM) you will come to a stop light. Turn right at the stop light and you will be in The offices of the Municipality on the left and downtown Ladner straight ahead. Ladner is 18 miles ( 29KM) from Blaine and 14 miles (22.5 KM) from Vancouver.

Larger version of the Delta Roadmap

A little History

Originally these lands were inhabited by the Tsawwassen Band of the Salish Indians. They were hunter, gatherers and roamed to different areas, up and down the river, mainland, and in the islands, with the season and availability of food. The land that now makes up Delta was first sighted by the Spanish explorer Francisco Eliza. He thought the area was an island and named it Isla Capedia. The gold rush of the 1800’s brought settlers to the area who took note of the fertile soil on their way to the gold fields. Many of those who didn’t make their fortune in the gold fields settled in the area.

In 1868 two brothers, Thomas and William Ladner settled land on Chilukthan slough, a slough off of the Fraser River on the Fraser River Delta. In 1873 William built a wharf so he could send his agricultural products to markets in Victoria, Nanaimo, New Westminster, and other communities by steam boat. Soon farmers from all over the area were using the wharf and a community began to develop around the wharf. The site became known as Ladner’s Landing.

In 1879 the residents of the area joined together and petitioned the provincial government of British Columbia to incorporate. The name “Delta” showed up in 1879 when the Municipality of Delta, which included the communities of Ladner and Tsawwassen, was incorporated and simply comes from the fact that the Municipality is located on the Fraser River Delta.

There are three Communities in the

Corporation of Delta, B.C.

They are North Delta, Ladner, and Tsawwassen.

The Community of North Delta

North Delta is located on a hill east of the unique Burns Bog ecosystem. It is in the far northeastern corner of the district. North Delta is the most densely populated area of the district. It is make up mostly of affordable single family neighborhoods.

North Delta

The Community of Ladner

Ladner lies on the south bank for the Fraser River just south west of Highway 99 where it crosses under the Fraser River through the George Massey Tunnel. Ladner was originally a farming village but because is lies on the lower waters of the Fraser River fishing soon became an important part of the community.

Today Ladner is made up of a historic downtown village surrounded by some modern shopping area. The residences in the community vary widely from the original farm houses, modern apartments and single family dwellings and even some floating houseboats.

Ladner

The Community of Tsawwassen

Tsawwassen lies on the north end of the Point Roberts peninsula. It is the farthest southwest point of the Canadian Mainland. It is a unique spot because it contains the shortest border section between the United States and Canada, it is less than two miles long. On the west side of the peninsula is the Strait of Georgia and two very significant transportation links, the Roberts Bank Superport and the BC Ferries Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal which serves Victoria, the Gulf Islands, and Nanaimo.

Tsawwassen

Boundary Bay Regional Park

This park lies on the eastern shore of the Tsawwassen peninsula. It has one of the best beaches in British Columbia. This is a wonderful place to swim, hike through nature trail, or picnic. There is a beach café, playground, volleyball courts, tennis courts and the historic Cammidge House.

Location: Turn onto 56^th Street from BC Highwy-17 into Tsawwassen go through town to 12^th Avenue. Turn left on 12^th and go to the Boundary Bay Road. Turn right on the Boundary Bay Road the park is just ahead.