Pitt Meadows
| Pitt Meadows | ||
|---|---|---|
| City | ||
| City of Pitt Meadows | ||
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| Motto: "Prosperity Through Endeavour" | ||
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| Country | Canada | |
| Province | British Columbia | |
| Region | Lower Mainland | |
| Regional District | Metro Vancouver | |
| Incorporated | April 23, 1914 | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | John Becker | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 86.51 km2 (33.40 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 8 m (26 ft) | |
| Population (2011) | ||
| • Total | 17,736 | |
| • Density | 205.0/km2 (531/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | PST (UTC-8) | |
| Postal code | V3Y | |
| Area code(s) | 604, 778, 236 | |
| Website | Official website | |
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Pitt Meadows is a city in southwestern British Columbia, Canada and a member municipality in Metro Vancouver. Incorporated in 1914, it has a land area of 85.38 square kilometres and a population of 18,200 (as of 2014). The City could achieve a population of 21,000 by 2021, with approximately 8,000 dwelling units in the urban area.
Aboriginal people resided in the Pitt Meadows area approximately 1000 years ago. James McMillan explored the area in 1874. 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 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, British Columbia.
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 major Fraser River Flood event flooded many acres of land in the spring of 1894.
Pitt Meadows reverted to unorganized territory from 1892 until it was separately incorporated as a municipality in 1914. The Municipality takes its name from the Pitt River and Pitt Lake, which were possibly named after former British Prime Minister William Pitt. 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.
During World War II, Pitt Meadows lost servicemen included: 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 in the Fraser valley after cool weather through mid-May allowed an unusually large snowpack to accumulate, and a sudden shift to warm temperatures caused a fast melt.
A highway bridge was constructed in 1957 over the Pitt River.
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Wikipedia