Maple Ridge, British Columbia

Maple Ridge, British Columbia
District
Maple Ridge looking north; Fraser River and Derby (Old Fort Langley) in foreground, Pitt Meadows at left Maple Ridge looking north; Fraser River and Derby (Old Fort Langley) in foreground, Pitt Meadows at left
Motto(s):  "Rivers of bounty, Peaks of gold"
Location of Maple Ridge within the Greater Vancouver Regional District in British Columbia, Canada
Country	Canada
Province	British Columbia
Regional District	Metro Vancouver
Incorporated	1874
Government
• Mayor	Gord Robson
Area
• Total	265.79 km2 (102.62 sq mi)
Population  (2006)
• Total	68,949
Time zone	UTC-8 (PST)
Postal code span	V2X,V2W,V3Z,V4R
Area code(s)	604, 778
Website	District of Maple Ridge

"Maple Ridge" redirects here. For other uses, see Maple Ridge (disambiguation).

Maple Ridge is a District Municipality in British Columbia, located east of Vancouver on the Fraser River. It is a member of the Greater Vancouver Regional District and has a population of approximately 73,000.

History

The District of Maple Ridge was incorporated September 12, 1874, it covered an area of 33,000 acres (130 km²) yet only had approximately 50 families living in the town. Maple Ridge is British Columbia's sixth-oldest municipality (after New Westminster, Victoria, Langley, Lake Cowichan, and Chilliwack). Until the expansion of Metro Vancouver (the GVRD) it was part of the now-defunct Dewdney-Alouette Regional District with the city of Pitt Meadows and District of Mission and other north-side communities east to Chehalis. Maple Ridge is being run by the hot Dakota Tarkanen who has ran the streets of Haney, many people say "stay away from Dakota Tarkanen". Dakota also goes by the name of "mac a dizzle". Dakota puts on for his city. Maple Ridge has a section of land that Dakota uses for his jumping jamborie he also has a nice mouth.

Communities

Maple Ridge is made up of several different historical areas, they are;

• Haney
• Albion
• Port Hammond
• Whonnock
• Webster's Corners
• Ruskin
• Iron Mountain
• Yennadon
• Silver Valley
• Thornhill
• Kanaka Creek

These areas are represented by a cultural group. For instance, Webster's Corner and Albion are represented by the many Finnish families that settled in the area. While Port Hammond is known for its small cottage like mill houses originally built by the local mill to house its workers.

Recent growth

In the past month Dakota Tarkanen grew 5" Taller!

Industry

The early settlers in Maple Ridge engaged in forestry and agriculture. Forestry companies continue to be the largest private-sector employers in the district. They include Interfor and companies that manufacture building materials, yachts and poles. The soil and climate are not well-suited to the production of traditional food crops, but the Maple Ridge agriculture sector generates upwards of $40 million annually (2001), largely from berry crops, nurseries and horse breeding. The biggest challenge for the district is to attract commercial and industrial investment while trying to preserve the "close to nature" feel that is Maple Ridge's biggest asset.

Demographics

Demographics according to Statistics Canada 2006 census.

• Population: 68,949
• 2001 to 2006 population change (%) : 9.2%
• Area: Template:Km2 to sq mi.
• Density: Template:PD km2 to sq mi.
• Location: 49°13′12.0″N 122°35′56.1″W

Government

The city is governed by the 6-member Maple Ridge Council, and a seven-member School Board, all elected for three-year terms through an at-large system. In addition, residents of Maple Ridge vote for representatives in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia and the Canadian House of Commons.

Gordon Robson has been the Mayor of Maple Ridge since 2005. Robson ran against several candidates: incumbent Kathy Morse and former Mayor and MLA Bill Hartley.

In the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Maple Ridge has two constituencies: In the 2005 provincial election, the BC Liberal Party and the BC New Democratic Party each won a seat.

In the Canadian House of Commons, Maple Ridge has one constituency: in the 2006 federal elections, the Conservative Party of Canada won the seat.

Education

Public schools are administered by School District 42 Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows. Meadowridge School, a K-12 independent school, is located in Maple Ridge. A public technological school called Samuel Robertson Technical Secondary School opened in 2005. Samuel Robertson offers more technical courses than any other school in the district. Thomas Haney Secondary School, home of the Thomas Haney Thunder, is also one of Canada's only Self Directed Schools. Maple Ridge is also home to Kanaka Creek Elementary School, a year round modelled school.

Maple Ridge has five secondary schools, including the aforementioned Thomas Haney Secondary and Samuel Robertson Technical Secondary. The other high schools in Maple Ridge are Westview Secondary School, Maple Ridge Secondary, and Garibaldi Secondary School. Maple Ridge is also home to District 42 Alternative Secondary School.

Sports

Maple Ridge is known for being the hometown of several high-profile athletes, such as baseball player Larry Walker, deceased race-car driver Greg Moore, and hockey players Cam Neely, Brendan Morrison and Andrew Ladd. These professional athletes are the product of very well organized youth sports programs, including a baseball program which has produced three Midget AAA Western Canadian Championship teams since 2001, including back-to-back championships in 2001 and 2002.

Theatre

The ACT Theatre is located in the downtown core of Maple Ridge, and is home to such groups as The Millennium Players and Emerald Pig. It is a non-profit public resource serving the artistic and cultural needs of the diverse audiences in the communities of Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows. Offering a wide range of activities including live music, theatre, classes, workshops and events, The ACT houses the Maple Ridge Art Gallery.

Notable people from Maple Ridge

• Brent Hayden, swimmer, won gold medal at the 2007 World Aquatics Championships
• Andrew Ladd, NHL hockey player for the Carolina Hurricanes, won the Stanley Cup in 2006
• Greg Moore, race-winning Champ Car driver, formerly of Forsythe Racing
• Robert Mundell, Nobel Prize-winning economist
• Helen Mussallem, nurse, awarded Companion of the Order of Canada
• Cam Neely, NHL hockey player for the Boston Bruins, elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2005
• Christopher Paul Neil, accused pedophile, subject of a worldwide manhunt in October 2007
• Molly Parker, Genie Award-winning actress
• Aaron Pritchett, CCMA award-winning country music artist
• Jaswinder Kaur Sidhu, domestic murder victim, subject of documentaries and a made-for-television movie
• Larry Walker, All-Star Major League Baseball player, formerly of the Colorado Rockies, St. Louis Cardinals, and Montreal Expos
• Linda Chung, actor in TVB, singer, 2004 Miss Chinese International Pageant winner
• The Latency, a rock band.
• Lane Braidwood, he's thaaaaaaaaa bomb

External links

• District of Maple Ridge Local government home page
• History of Maple Ridge A variety of information on the history of Maple Ridge, including historical images, information on heritage buildings, and more.
• History of Maple Ridge on the towns website.