New Westminster, city (1991 pop. 43,585), SW British Columbia, Canada, on the Fraser River, part of metropolitan Vancouver. Founded in 1859 as Queensborough, it was the capital of British Columbia until Victoria was made capital after the union of British Columbia and Vancouver Island in 1866. New Westminster is a year-round port, with an excellent harbor that is the base of the Fraser River fishing fleet and a shipping point for grain, lumber, minerals, and canned goods. Among the city's industries are salmon, fruit, and vegetable canneries; distilleries and breweries; oil refineries; paper, lumber, and flour mills; and shipbuilding plants. The city is linked by bridge with Surrey, across the Fraser. Columbia and St. Louis colleges are in the city, as are Anglican and Roman Catholic cathedrals.
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