Where to Stay in Delta, British Columbia

What is Delta known for?

Delta is known for its flat, fertile farmland, one of the most important agricultural areas in Greater Vancouver, and the Agricultural Land Reserve keeps most of it for farming. Burns Bog lies in North Delta. Its 40 square kilometres of wetland are important for wildlife.

Delta is also a major transportation hub of the Lower Mainland, with the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal in Tsawwassen.

What are the main landmarks in Delta?

Several houses in Delta carry heritage listings. The John McKee Residence has a heritage designation, and others, among them the Thomas Kerr Residence, the Bishop Residence and the Guichon Residence, are listed in a community heritage register. The Ladner Leisure Centre and the Sungod Recreation Centre are among its recreation centres, and BC Hydro's Arnott Substation in Delta is the mainland terminal of the southern power links to Vancouver Island.

What is the history of Delta?

Before European settlement, the Tsawwassen First Nation of the Coast Salish lived on Delta's flatlands and shores. In 1791 the Spanish explorer Francisco de Eliza sighted the land, took it for an island and named it Isla de Cepeda. James Kennedy, the first European settler, pre-empted land in 1860 in what later became Annieville, and Thomas and William Ladner began farming the area named after them in 1868.

Farming and fishing helped the community grow. In 1879 the area became a municipality, the Corporation of Delta, with the village of Ladner as its administrative centre. Its geography kept Delta isolated.

The George Massey Tunnel to Richmond, opened in 1959, the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal in 1960 and the new route of Highway 99 in 1962 ended that isolation. The Alex Fraser Bridge followed in 1986, and on 22 September 2017 the Corporation of Delta became the City of Delta.

Where is Delta?

Delta lies on the Fraser Lowland, south of the south arm of the Fraser River, about 27 km south of Vancouver and 22 km north of the US border at Peace Arch. Delta has water on three sides. The Fraser River runs to the north, the Strait of Georgia lies to the west and Boundary Bay to the south.

Richmond on Lulu Island lies to the north, New Westminster to the north-east, Surrey to the east and Point Roberts to the south. Annacis Island, Deas Island and Westham Island belong to the city. So does a peninsula on the east side of the Fraser River, which can only be reached through Surrey.

What is Delta like?

Delta has many minor sports teams, ringette among them. The Tour de Delta held one-day races for men from 2001 and for women from 2011, and at its peak it was the largest cycling event in Canada, until it ended in 2019. The Delta Triathlon starts from the Ladner Leisure Centre and sells out each year in April.

Delta Public Schools runs the city's English-language schools, and the école du Bois-joli is its French-language primary school.

What is the climate of Delta?

Delta is relatively dry and sunny for Metro Vancouver, and it receives nearly 40% less precipitation than downtown Vancouver. The climate is warm-summer Mediterranean. In the Köppen system it is Csb, with cooler summers and milder winters than other places on the border with the United States.

Its winters are among the mildest in Canada, and the difference between day and night temperatures is among the lowest. Tsawwassen calls itself the sunniest place in Metro Vancouver.

How do you get to Delta?

Most vehicles leaving Vancouver for the United States pass through Delta. Highway 99 comes from Richmond through the George Massey Tunnel, and Highway 91 and the Alex Fraser Bridge link North Delta with New Westminster and Richmond. Highway 10 runs east to Surrey and Langley, and Highway 17 leads to the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal, with car ferries to Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands.

TransLink runs the buses. Delta has no rapid transit, though the SkyTrain in Surrey comes within 3 km of the city, and Boundary Bay Airport serves private aircraft and flying lessons.