In this episode of New West Podcast, host Carla McNeil takes listeners on a thoughtful journey through four of New Westminster’s distinct neighbourhoods — Uptown, Downtown, Sapperton, and Queensborough. Rather than ranking or comparing, this episode explores what gives each area its own personality, rhythm, and sense of belonging.
Through familiar streets, parks, gathering places, and everyday landmarks, the episode reflects on how neighbourhoods shape daily life — how they influence routines, relationships, and the quiet moments that make a city feel like home. Each neighbourhood is presented as a chapter in New Westminster’s shared story, offering its own pace, history, and community spirit.
The tone is calm, reflective, and deeply local, inviting listeners to see their own neighbourhood with fresh eyes — or to explore another part of the city with curiosity and appreciation. This episode is ideal for longtime residents, newcomers, and anyone who loves understanding a city through the places where life actually happens.
🏘️ Featured Neighbourhood Locations
Uptown New Westminster
Moody Park
Address: 701 Eighth Avenue, New Westminster, BC
Why it matters:
A beloved green space at the heart of Uptown, Moody Park reflects the neighbourhood’s everyday rhythm — a place for walks, casual meet-ups, sports, and long-standing routines that anchor community life.
Royal City Centre
Address: 610 Sixth Street, New Westminster, BC
Why it matters:
A practical, well-used hub that mirrors Uptown’s grounded, lived-in feel — where errands, chance encounters, and daily life naturally overlap.
Downtown New Westminster
Columbia Street
Address: Columbia Street, New Westminster, BC
Why it matters:
The historic spine of Downtown, Columbia Street blends heritage architecture with evolving businesses, creativity, and foot traffic — a place where past and present coexist.
Westminster Quay Boardwalk
Address: Quayside Drive, New Westminster, BC
Why it matters:
A defining feature of Downtown life, the boardwalk connects people to the Fraser River and offers space to walk, reflect, and feel the city in motion.
Sapperton
Sapperton Landing Park
Address: 300 Braid Street, New Westminster, BC
Why it matters:
A quiet riverside park that reflects Sapperton’s deep roots and evolving identity — grounded, historical, and closely tied to the land and water.
Fraser Cemetery
Address: 100 Richmond Street, New Westminster, BC
Why it matters:
One of the city’s oldest cemeteries, this space carries the layered history of New Westminster and reinforces Sapperton’s connection to legacy and continuity.
Queensborough
Queensborough Community Centre
Address: 920 Ewen Avenue, New Westminster, BC
Why it matters:
A central gathering place that reflects Queensborough’s strong, self-contained community spirit and focus on family, connection, and shared space.
Port Royal Park
Address: 300 Salter Street, New Westminster, BC
Why it matters:
A waterfront park that captures Queensborough’s openness and relationship with the river — calm, spacious, and quietly defining of the neighbourhood’s character.
Welcome back to the New West Podcast. I’m your host, Carla McNeil, and today we’re taking a slower, more reflective walk through the city — not to compare neighbourhoods or pick favourites, but to listen to their stories. New Westminster may be compact, but it holds a beautiful variety of communities, each with its own rhythm, history, and way of making people feel at home.
In this episode, we’re spending time in four distinct parts of the city — Uptown, Downtown, Sapperton, and Queensborough. Each one offers something different, not better or worse, just different. These neighbourhoods shape how we live our days, where we gather, and how we connect with one another. So let’s explore them the way locals do — with curiosity, appreciation, and a little bit of heart.
In Uptown, Moody Park at 701 Eighth Avenue anchors everyday life. Morning dog walkers, after‑school basketball, and quiet bench conversations give the space a reassuring cadence. Parks teach pace: you move a little slower, you greet familiar faces, and you return without needing a reason. For nearby businesses, that consistency matters—coffee before a lap, noodles after a game, errands wrapped around a stroll. Moody Park reminds us that community isn’t scheduled; it grows from repeated moments shared in public space.
Just a few blocks away, Royal City Centre at 610 Sixth Street keeps Uptown practical and connected. It’s where errands stack naturally—groceries, a prescription, a gift, a quick bite—so chance encounters happen without trying. The centre’s steady foot traffic supports surrounding independents along Sixth Street, turning a to‑do list into a set of micro‑touchpoints that reinforce neighbourhood loyalty over time.
Just a few blocks away, Royal City Centre at 610 Sixth Street keeps Uptown practical and connected. It’s where errands stack naturally—groceries, a prescription, a gift, a quick bite—so chance encounters happen without trying. The centre’s steady foot traffic supports surrounding independents along Sixth Street, turning a to‑do list into a set of micro‑touchpoints that reinforce neighbourhood loyalty over time.
Drop down to Columbia Street in Downtown, and you feel the city’s historic spine. Brick fronts and heritage cornices frame studios, restaurants, and services that keep adapting without losing memory. Columbia rewards walking: narrow storefronts, frequent doorways, and sightlines to the station make exploring easy. For business owners, that translates to discovery—someone lingers at a window, steps inside, and returns next week. It’s a street that asks for attention and gives back in layers the longer you stay on foot.
At the Westminster Quay Boardwalk along Quayside Drive, the Fraser River comes into full view. Joggers, strollers, and lunch‑hour wanderers share a continuous promenade where the city’s motion is audible—water, gulls, light rail, conversation. It’s a reset button: walk, breathe, recalibrate. The boardwalk turns reflection into routine and draws people toward nearby cafes, markets, and small eateries by the river.
Sapperton’s riverside begins at Sapperton Landing Park, 300 Braid Street, where the Brunette-Fraser Greenway folds into calm shoreline. You sense roots here: rail, industry, and stewardship living beside new trails and habitat plantings. It’s a place to notice tides and trains, and how renewal respects what came before. Families, cyclists, and lunch‑break walkers share space easily, reminding us that access to water shapes wellness and decisions about where to pause.
Up the hill, Fraser Cemetery at 100 Richmond Street carries layered city memory. Walking its paths, names and dates place family stories alongside civic milestones, inviting attention. For Sapperton, the cemetery underscores continuity: neighbourhood change held within arcs of time. Visiting encourages respect—move slowly, speak softly, and recognize the care that preserves this solemn landscape.
Across the channel, Queensborough’s Community Centre at 920 Ewen Avenue pulses like a true town square. Gyms, classes, childcare, and gathering rooms knit residents together, while sports fields and the library extend that energy outside. The feeling is self‑contained and proud—families, newcomers, and long‑timers mixing through programs and events. Local shops along Ewen benefit from that circulation: before practice, after a swim, or on a Saturday between lessons and errands.
Downriver, Port Royal Park at 300 Salter Street opens to wide sky and water. Boardwalk loops, playgrounds, and lawns invite unhurried time, with freighters and tugs setting the soundtrack. Here, Queensborough’s relationship with the river feels spacious and restorative. It’s where evening walks become habit, neighbours trade waves, and the pace resets after busy days.
If you’re exploring across neighbourhoods, go slow and let details lead. Walk a new side street. Linger at a mural, a noticeboard, a storefront display. Support a spot you discover—order the special, try the seasonal roast, pick up a small gift. Transit makes it easy: SkyTrain at Columbia, New Westminster, Sapperton, and Braid; frequent buses up Sixth Street; riverside cycling on connected greenways; and bridges linking Queensborough. Be mindful in shared spaces: yield on paths, pack out litter, and notice the history underfoot. Say thanks to volunteers and stewards too.
Neighbourhoods are more than boundaries on a map. They’re the places where we build routines, create memories, and find belonging. And in New Westminster, each neighbourhood offers a different way to feel connected — whether that’s through familiar faces, shared history, creative energy, or a strong sense of community pride.
If this episode inspired you to explore a part of the city you don’t often visit, or to see your own neighbourhood with fresh eyes, I hope you’ll take a walk, start a conversation, or support a local spot along the way.
Thanks for spending this time with me. If you enjoyed today’s episode, follow the New West Podcast, leave a review, or share it with someone who loves this city as much as you do. Until next time, I’m Carla McNeil — appreciating the stories that make New West feel like home.
