| Tsawwassen |
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| CATEGORIES ABOUT TSAWWASSEN, BRITISH COLUMBIA | |
| coastal towns in canada | |
| neighbourhoods in delta, british columbia | |
| SHOPPER'S DELIGHT | |
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terminal.]] Tsawwassen is a suburban, mostly residential community in the southwestern part of the Corporation Of Delta , British Columbia , Canada . The name means "looking toward the sea" in the local native language ( Coast Salish ), and is commonly Pronounced or . Tsawwassen provides the only road access to the community of Point Roberts via 56th Street. It is also the location of BC Ferries ' flagship terminal, built in 1959 to provide foot-passenger and Motor Vehicle access from the Lower Mainland to the southern part of Vancouver Island and the Southern Gulf Islands . Because Tsawwassen touches a shallow bank, the ferry terminal is built at the southwestern end of a 3 km-long causeway that juts out into the Strait Of Georgia . The ferry dock and causeway are part of Highway 17 , and the ferry terminal is the largest in North America. Boundary Bay Airport , one of the busiest General Aviation airports in Canada, is located ten minutes away. The Roberts Bank Superport is also located in Tsawwassen. Tsawwassen had a population of 21,090 in the 2001 census.1 Its global position is . LOCATION Tsawwassen is situated on the northern end of a peninsula flanked by the Straight of Georgia to the west and Boundary Bay to the east. Boundary Bay is an important stopover for migratory birds on what is known as the Pacific Flyway . Tsawwassen has recreational access to Boundary Bay at Centennial Park, and there is an extensive bike/foot path running along the edge of the Bay, known as the Dyke. The southern boundary of Tsawwassen is the Border with the United States , following the 49th Parallel of north latitude. To the north, Tsawwassen's nearest neighbour is the town of Ladner , which is also part of the Corporation of Delta. Together, Ladner and Tsawwassen make up the area known as South Delta. Ladner is the site of the Delta Municipal Hall, and both the police station and hospital serving Ladner and Tsawwassen. MAIN STREETS Tsawwassen is divided up into a grid with streets running north/south and east/west. Running east/west are the avenues, numbered with 1st Avenue closest to the Canadian/American border. Running north/south, the streets are numbered following the grid laid out for the municipality of Delta. This grid is part of the greater street grid set out by the British Royal Engineers in the 19th Century. Theoreticaly, 1st Street is located in the middle of the Georgia Strait between Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland. In actual fact the lowest numbered street is 30th Street in the western portion of Ladner to the north. In Tsawwassen the lowest numbered street is 49 Street, the street numbering continues up through the 100's in North Delta . The main arterial street in Tsawwassen is 56th Street, which provides the only legal land access to the hamlet and geographical anomaly of Point Roberts , in Washington , USA (upon which it becomes Tyee Drive). This crossing is the westernmost border crossing on the 49th Parallel between Canada and the USA. 56th Street is the main entrance to Tsawwassen from Highway 17. Along its length 56th Street is home to most of Tsawwassen's commercial areas, including three malls and the supermarkets clustered around 12th Ave (referred to as "downtown Tsawwassen" by residents). In recent years there has been a significant effort to beautify 56th Street, with palm trees, lighting, banners and new buildings. There are also large parks, and a few undeveloped areas along its length, before this road reaches the Canadian-American border. 56th Street runs due north/south for its entire 5.6 km run. South of 12th Ave, the road used to be known as Point Roberts Road. North of 12th Ave, all the way to 28th Ave, it used to be known as Boundary Bay Road. (Boundary Bay Road's name has still been retained as a segment of road at the east end of 12th Ave.) HOLIDAYS In keeping with its reputation as the sunniest spot in the Greater Vancouver Region, every year on the August long weekend (for B.C. Day ), Tsawwassen hosts the Sun Festival, which usually includes a parade, a variety of live music events and activities, such as children's games, food tents, and sporting events. There is often a specific theme to each year's event, and people are encouraged to dress the part. It also celebrates Victoria Day , as with the rest of Canada. NEIGHBOURHOODS AND COMMUNITIES On the southeast side of the peninsula is the community of Boundary Bay, which originated in the 1890's as a seaside summer community for wealthy Vancouverites. Some of the original cottages still stand, many as renovated and updated homes, as well as modern contemporary single family homes and waterfront architectural residences. To the south, "The Bay" as it is referred to by residents, borders on the neighbourhood of Maple Bay in Point Roberts, WA. A Canada/US customs checkpoint joined the two communities until it was closed in the 1970's. Currently, Boundary Bay Road provides the only access route. Other areas within Tsawwassen which have names but are not necessarily distinct communities include:
SCHOOLS Tsawwassen has only one public High School , South Delta Secondary School. The school mascot for SDSS is the Sun Devil. SDSS is well known for its football program, hockey academy, and theatre program. In the past, Tsawwassen also had a separate public Junior High School , Tsawwassen Junior Secondary School. This school was merged with South Delta Senior Secondary in the late 1990s to make South Delta Secondary. For the next few years, students from grades 8 through 12 attended classes in both the Senior (North) and Junior (South) buildings. Recently, the land was sold and the building which formerly housed the Junior High school was demolished to make room for a new housing development. At this time, the North building was expanded to hold all the students. There are several public Elementary School s in Tsawwassen. These include Cliff Drive, Pebble Hill, South Park, English Bluff, Beach Grove, and Boundary Beach Elementary Schools. Southpointe Academy, a private K-12 school, also serves the area. PARKS Tsawwassen is home to many community and regional parks; Boundary Bay Regional Park (home to Centennial Beach) is run by the GVRD . The following parks are maintained by Delta Parks & Recreation, an arm of the municipal government:
The following parks aren't named, per se, but still exist within Tsawwassen's boundaries:
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