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Surrey, British Columbia
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British Columbia

Surrey

From County of Surrey to Metro Vancouver's second city

Surrey in brief

Katzie, Kwantlen, and Semiahmoo nations lived on the lands south of the Fraser long before incorporation in 1879. Englishman H.J. Brewer thought the view from New Westminster looked like his native County of Surrey, and the name stuck among Douglas fir, cedar, and cranberry bogs.

Cloverdale and South Surrey drew early settlers; Whalley grew later around a gas bar bend on King George Boulevard. Surrey is now B.C.'s second-largest city by population, with town centres from Newton to Guildford and oddball stops like Redwood Park's faerie village.

Drawn from Wikipedia, Atlas Obscura, Atlas Obscura.

Permits, tax, radon & more for Surrey

Open the live numbers for Surrey. Each link goes to the original topic page for this city.

PermitsBrowseBuilding permits overviewTaxBrowseProperty tax overviewInternetInternet for SurreyRadonRadon for SurreyHazardsHazards for SurreyWaterWater quality for Surrey

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When Surrey moves in a ranking, posts new permit figures, or lands in a study, get a short note. A few sends a year, only when something changes.

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#7
City Score rank
96%
City Score
1
Owned lists in score

City Score over time

The green line averages OpenStats-owned rankings (radon, permit value, mill rates). Grey dots mark every published placement across all studies below.

0%25%50%75%100%201420152017201820212026
OpenStats City ScoreIndividual published rankings

Rankings for Surrey

Each study below is its own ranking. Where a study has more than one edition for this city, the chart shows standing across those years only.

Composite · OpenStats

OpenStats City Score

OpenStats

Average standing across OpenStats-owned rankings built from public data (currently radon, building permit value, and residential mill rates). Each placement is scored from 0–1 within its edition, then averaged. External livability lists stay on hometown pages as separate published appearances.

Single edition · 2026

#7
Published · 2026 · of 125
Score 0.957

Only one published edition places Surrey in this study so far. Open the edition for method notes and the full table.

Original source · Full edition

Health · OpenStats

OpenStats Highest Indoor Radon

OpenStats

Communities ranked by Health Canada survey mean indoor radon (Bq/m³). Rank 1 is the highest mean.

Single edition · 2026

#112
Published · 2026 · of 117
Score 35.4

Only one published edition places Surrey in this study so far. Open the edition for method notes and the full table.

Original source · Full edition

Livability

Maclean's Best Communities

Maclean's

Successor-style municipal livability ranking published by Maclean's for 2019 and 2021 (no 2020 edition).

Single edition · 2021

#182
Published · 2021 · of 415

Only one published edition places Surrey in this study so far. Open the edition for method notes and the full table.

Original source · Full edition

Worth knowing in Surrey

Distinctive local notes and places, each linked to its source.

  • Surrey is a city in British Columbia, Canada.

    Wikipedia

  • It is located south of the Fraser River on the Canada–United States border.

    Wikipedia

  • It is a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver regional district and metropolitan area.

    Wikipedia

  • Mainly a suburban city, Surrey is the province's second-largest by population after Vancouver and the third-largest by area after Abbotsford and Prince George.

    Wikipedia

Places to see

1001 Steps Park

Despite the name, a little over 200 steps drop about 130 feet from a Surrey residential street to a secluded beach under the rail line.

Related guides

Indoor radonBuilding permitsMill ratesNatural hazardsBroadbandWater hardnessConstruction PulseStudies

More places in British Columbia

All British Columbia cities