White Rock is a city in

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, Canada, and a member municipality of the

Metro Vancouver Regional District The Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD), or simply Metro Vancouver, is a Canadian political subdivision and corporate entity representing the metropolitan area of Greater Vancouver, designated by provincial legislation as one of the 2 ...

. It is bordered by

Semiahmoo Bay Semiahmoo Bay ( ) is the southeastern section of Boundary Bay on the Pacific coast of North America in British Columbia, Canada. The bay is named for the Semiahmoo First Nation, who originally occupied the area. The Semiahmoo Peninsula borders ...

to the south and is surrounded on three sides by

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

. To the southeast across a footbridge lies the

Semiahmoo First Nation Semiahmoo First Nation ( ) is the band government of the Semiahmoo people, a Coast Salish subgroup. The band's main community and offices are located on the Semiahmoo Indian Reserve which is sandwiched between the boundary of White Rock, Br ...

, which is within the borders of Surrey. Semiahmoo Bay and the Southern

Gulf Islands The Gulf Islands is a group of islands in the Salish Sea between Vancouver Island and the British Columbia Coast, mainland coast of British Columbia. Etymology The name "Gulf Islands" comes from "Gulf of Georgia", the original term used by Geor ...

in the

Strait of Georgia The Strait of Georgia () or the Georgia Strait is an arm of the Salish Sea between Vancouver Island and the extreme southwestern mainland coast of British Columbia, Canada, and the extreme northwestern mainland coast of Washington, United Stat ...

are also to the south. White Rock is named for a large white boulder on its beach near the promenade, a

glacial erratic A glacial erratic is a glacially deposited rock (geology), rock differing from the type of country rock (geology), rock native to the area in which it rests. Erratics, which take their name from the Latin word ' ("to wander"), are carried by gla ...

that migrated south during the last glaciation. The 486-ton granite boulder was kept white by shellfish-eating seabirds whose

guano Guano (Spanish from ) is the accumulated excrement of seabirds or bats. Guano is a highly effective fertiliser due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant growth. Guano was also, to a le ...

covered the rock so much that 19th-century sailors used it as a beacon. It is now kept white through monthly applications of white paint by the city parks department and has been a graffiti target. The

White Rock Pier White Rock Pier is a pier in White Rock, British Columbia. The pier has a sign identifying it as Canada's longest pier. However, the title is disputed with the Quai de Portneuf in Portneuf, Quebec, which is built in the same manner as the long ...

is located nearby.

History

Early history

The Straits Salish people dominated the region from

Boundary Bay Boundary Bay is a shallow bay situated on the Pacific coast of North America on the Canada–United States border between the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. state of Washington. Geography Boundary Bay is bounded to the east ...

in the north to Birch Bay in the south (in the U.S.).

permanent encampments were known to exist between 1791, the first European contact, and the 1850s, the beginnings of European settlement. These were located along the waterfront at the eastern and western limits of the present City of White Rock. The Semiahmoo people also constructed forts as lookouts for raiders from the northern first nations; one is located in the Ocean Park area. The

Oregon boundary dispute The Oregon boundary dispute or the Oregon Question was a 19th-century territorial dispute over the political division of the Pacific Northwest of North America between several nations that had competing territorial and commercial aspirations in ...

culminated in the

Oregon Treaty The Oregon Treaty was a treaty between the United Kingdom and the United States that was signed on June 15, 1846, in Washington, D.C. The treaty brought an end to the Oregon boundary dispute by settling competing American and British claims to ...

of 1846, which settled the outstanding border issues between Great Britain and the United States. Previously, these issues had been put on hold through a shared occupancy agreement of the Oregon territory by the two nations in the

Treaty of 1818 The Convention respecting fisheries, boundary and the restoration of slaves, also known as the London Convention, Anglo-American Convention of 1818, Convention of 1818, or simply the Treaty of 1818, is an international treaty signed in 1818 betw ...

. In turn, the International Boundary Survey Commission began in 1857 to set the boundary between the United States and British North America, roughly along the 49th parallel, which runs through Semiahmoo Bay and Boundary Bay to

Point Roberts A point is a small dot or the sharp tip of something. Point or points may refer to: Mathematics * Point (geometry), an entity that has a location in space or on a plane, but has no extent; more generally, an element of some abstract topologica ...

, Washington. The Semiahmoo Trail still exists in White Rock and

South Surrey South Surrey is a community within the City of Surrey, British Columbia, located on the Semiahmoo peninsula in the southern portion of the City of Surrey, sharing a border with the City of White Rock. Neighbourhoods of South Surrey include Cresc ...

, running from the site of the Boundary Commission Camp at the estuary of the Campbell River, overland to Mud Bay north of Crescent Beach. An 1865 survey map calls this route the "Telegraph Trail". During the real-estate boom of the 1980s and 90s, the City of Surrey preserved much of the trail, extending it from 20 Avenue to the Nicomekl River. On 148 Street, a specially constructed "Semiahmoo Trail" pedestrian overpass keeps the trail intact.

Modern history

The modern history of White Rock is directly tied to the railway linking British Columbia to Washington state, which runs along the shore of Semiahmoo Bay to the border. The rail is currently owned by

BNSF Railway BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three Transcontinental railroad, transcontine ...

and runs alongside the promenade at the beach. This was originally the Great Northern line, and it opened up White Rock and Crescent Beach to tourists from Vancouver and New Westminster in the early 1900s. The border crossing closest to White Rock (at Douglas, Surrey, and

Blaine, Washington Blaine is a city in Whatcom County, Washington, Whatcom County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. The city's northern boundary is the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. border; the Peace Arch international monument straddl ...

) was officially opened in 1908, and the

Peace Arch The Peace Arch () is a monument situated near the westernmost point of the Canada–United States border in the contiguous United States, between the communities of Blaine, Washington and Surrey, British Columbia, Surrey, British Columbia. Cons ...

at the border crossing was constructed in the 1920s. In 1913, the present railway station was opened, and the Fox and Hunter Shingle mill began operation. The Campbell River Mill also opened to the east, bringing a minor boom in the local economy. The now-famous pier was opened in 1914 to provide a deep-water mooring facility. In the 1950s, White Rock residents began to feel isolated from the then–District of Surrey, where development was being concentrated elsewhere, particularly in North Surrey and Cloverdale. On April 15, 1957, a special warrant from the Government of British Columbia created the City of White Rock within its present boundary. In the 1950s, Peace Arch Hospital opened and continues as a major employer in the city and health facility for the region. Development was concentrated near the waterfront until the 1960s and 1970s. Many small cliffside dwellings were affordable to those unable to pay the cost of living closer to Vancouver. White Rock gained a reputation for being a retirement centre, as it features the lowest rainfall in the Metro Vancouver region, while benefitting from the influence of the ocean, keeping both summers highs and winter lows bearable. The development of Highway 99 and the opening of the Deas Island Tunnel (now the

George Massey Tunnel The George Massey Tunnel (often referred to as the Massey Tunnel) is a highway traffic tunnel in the Metro Vancouver region of southwestern British Columbia carrying British Columbia Highway 99, Highway 99 beneath the south arm of the Fraser Ri ...

) created a second boom for the White Rock area, providing a more convenient commuter route to Vancouver. No longer dependent upon the railway, development crept up the hillside. In the 1980s, the City of Surrey designated

as a

town centre A town centre is the commerce, commercial or geographical centre or core area of a town. Town centres are traditionally associated with shopping or retail. They are also the centre of communications with major public transport hubs such as train ...

comparable to

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, England, around south-west of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The nam ...

, Cloverdale, and

Newton Newton most commonly refers to: * Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist * Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton Newton may also refer to: People * Newton (surname), including a list of people with the surname * ...

. The Semiahmoo Mall opened in Surrey on the north side of 16 Avenue (the south side of which is North Bluff Road within White Rock). In 1979, chartered accountant Tom Kirstein and architect Chip Barrett organized an annual sandcastle competition, which became internationally famous. The event took advantage of the long, sandy beach exposed at low tide, giving enough time for entrants to construct elaborate displays. Prizes of up to $10,000 were awarded, and crowds of 150,000 were estimated at the competition's height. In 1987, the contest was ended because of security costs and concerns. In 2008, a group of local high school students (Sara Woodward, Jorden Abernethy, Daniel Fowler, Michael Vanderpolder, and Tasha Svenson) and members of the community (Spenser Bolen, Michael Nolan, Trixie Nolan, and Lisa Nolan) launched a Sandcastle Competition revival. This competition drew 40,000 guests and over 70 teams. The 1970s saw the White Rock/South Surrey area develop into a suburban bedroom community of the Lower Mainland. A real-estate boom in the area drew many young families to homes marketed to young professionals, a process that intensified in the mid-1990s. Today, many parts of the community resemble the type of suburban development seen across North America. Some cliffside cottages have given way to large homes, and multimillion-dollar properties have appeared in the area. Uptown White Rock has been the site of significant new developments in recent years, with medium-rise condos becoming more prominent. The City of White Rock's fire department was located half a block north of its city limits until the early 1990s, when a new firehall was built across from City Hall. The White Rock Little League team played in the

2007 Little League World Series The 2007 Little League World Series was a baseball tournament held August 17 through August 26 in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Eight teams from the United States and eight from throughout the world competed to decide the winner of the 61st i ...

. On December 20, 2018, during a severe windstorm, the White Rock Pier was severed when sailboats broke free from the attached marina and crashed into the pier destroying a 30-metre section. At least 15 boats sank and several were wedged underneath the pier's pilings. Replacement plans call for a new pier that could be built by the end of August 2019, with an early cost estimate that is projected to be over $5 million. As of May 2, 2019, the cost estimate for a rebuild to modern seismic standards is $16.2 million. On August 28, 2019, the pier re-opened to the public although certain elements such as lighting have yet to be completed. Darryl Walker has been mayor since 2018.

Geography

The boundaries between White Rock and Surrey are Bergstrom Road (136 Street) to the west, North Bluff Road (16th Avenue) to the north, Stayte Road (160 Street) to the east, and 8th Avenue to the south. The area south of 8 Avenue from Stayte Road westward to where 8 Avenue meets the water is the Semiahmoo Indian Reserve and lies within the bounds of the City of Surrey (though it is governed separately). The Surrey neighbourhoods of Ocean Park and Crescent Beach lie immediately to the northwest.

Climate

White Rock has a moderate climate, with average daily high temperatures of 23 degrees

Celsius The degree Celsius is the unit of temperature on the Celsius temperature scale "Celsius temperature scale, also called centigrade temperature scale, scale based on 0 ° for the melting point of water and 100 ° for the boiling point ...

in summer and 6 degrees Celsius in winter. White Rock's climate is moderate year-round. Because the city is set away from the Coast Mountains, it sees less fog, fewer rainy days and shorter snowfalls. Meteorological statistics show that White Rock does, in fact, receive 20 percent more sunshine than does Vancouver. Temperatures average in summer and in winter. Annual rainfall averages .

Demographics

In the

2021 Canadian census The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canada, Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, whic ...

conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...

, White Rock had a population of 21,939 living in 10,735 of its 11,541 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 19,952. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

Ethnicity

Religion

According to the 2021 census, religious groups in White Rock included: *

Irreligion Irreligion is the absence or rejection of religious beliefs or practices. It encompasses a wide range of viewpoints drawn from various philosophical and intellectual perspectives, including atheism, agnosticism, religious skepticism, ...

(9,855 persons or 47.6%) *

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

(8,875 persons or 42.8%) *

Sikhism Sikhism is an Indian religion and Indian philosophy, philosophy that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent around the end of the 15th century CE. It is one of the most recently founded major religious groups, major religio ...

(905 persons or 4.4%) *

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

(245 persons or 1.2%) *

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

(205 persons or 1.0%) *

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

(160 persons or 0.8%) *

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

(115 persons or 0.6%) *Other (360 persons or 1.7%)

Annual events

Every year in July, the city hosts the Tour de White Rock, a bicycle road race that attracts over 150 local and international riders. In 2005, the event was part of the

Canadian Cycling Association The Canadian Cycling Association (CCA), branded as Cycling Canada (CC) ( French: ''Cyclisme Canada'' (''CC'')) is the national governing body of cycle racing in Canada. Role Cycling Canada is a National Sport Organization whose main reason for be ...

's national Road Race Series. Every year during the first weekend of August, the Spirit of the Sea Festival is held on White Rock beach. It usually includes a parade, fireworks, music stages, a sandcastle competition, and various other beach-related activities. The festival began in 1949.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Transportation in White Rock largely revolves around the automobile. Highway 99 is a freeway that links the White Rock area with Vancouver to the north and U.S.

Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels thro ...

, via the Peace Arch border crossing, to the south. King George Highway ( Highway 99A) links the Peace Arch border with

Surrey Central station Surrey Central is an elevated station on the Expo Line of Metro Vancouver's SkyTrain rapid transit system. The station is located in the Whalley / City Centre district of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, just east of the North Surrey Recrea ...

and

New Westminster New Westminster (colloquially known as New West) is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It was founded by Major-General Richard Moody as the cap ...

via the soon-to-be-replaced

Pattullo Bridge The Pattullo Bridge is a through arch bridge that crosses the Fraser River and links the cities of New Westminster and Surrey in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia. It was named in honour of Thomas Dufferin Pattullo, the 22nd Premier of British ...

. Johnston Road (152 Street) links White Rock to Guildford and the

Trans-Canada Highway The Trans-Canada Highway (Canadian French, French: ; abbreviated as the TCH or T-Can) is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the A ...

(Highway 1). Most of White Rock's bus routes run through the

White Rock Centre White Rock Centre is an on-street bus exchange located on the border between White Rock and Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. It is the southernmost transit hub in the Metro Vancouver region and the nearest to the Canada–United States border. As ...

transit exchange. From there, the 351 and 354 buses, which previously ran to downtown Vancouver, now terminate at Bridgeport station in

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

; Vancouver-bound passengers have to transfer onto the

Canada Line The Canada Line is a rapid transit line in Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, that is part of the SkyTrain (Vancouver), SkyTrain system. The line is owned by TransLink (British Columbia), TransLink and InTransitBC and is operated by SN ...

rapid transit line. Only one route serving the area, the 352 Ocean Park/Bridgeport Station express bus, does not run through White Rock Centre, instead terminating near the South Surrey Athletic Park. The 321, 345, and 394 buses provide service to North Surrey, notably to

Surrey Central Surrey Central was a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, used in the 1997 and 2000 elections to elect a Member of Parliament for the 36th and 37th Parliaments, respectively. The electoral district was created, in 1996, a ...

and

King George King George may refer to: People Monarchs ;Bohemia *George of Bohemia (1420-1471, r. 1458-1471), king of Bohemia ;Duala people of Cameroon * George (Duala king) (late 18th century), king of the Duala people ;Georgia *George I of Georgia (998 or ...

Skytrain stations, and the 375 service runs through White Rock Centre from just north of the

border crossing to

Guildford Town Centre Guildford Town Centre is a shopping mall located in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. It opened on November 8, 1966, and is owned by Ivanhoé Cambridge, a Quebec-based real estate company. It is the largest mall in the Lower Mainland south of the F ...

. The 531 bus runs from White Rock Centre to Willowbrook Mall in Langley. Community Shuttle routes, the 360, 361, 362, and 363, service local communities within White Rock and South Surrey.

has a single-track main line through White Rock that runs the length of the White Rock beach promenade. The city itself has no train service; however, this rail line is a major corridor for goods transported between the ports of Vancouver and the continental U.S., as well as for the

Amtrak Cascades The Amtrak ''Cascades'' is a passenger train route in the Pacific Northwest, operated by Amtrak in partnership with the U.S. states of Washington (state), Washington and Oregon. It is named after the Cascade Range, Cascade mountain range that ...

passenger service between Seattle and Vancouver via Bellingham, Washington. The

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company () is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue a ...

and the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

(CPR) also have

trackage rights Railway companies can interact with and control others in many ways. These relationships can be complicated by bankruptcies. Operating Often, when a railroad first opens, it is only a short spur of a main line. The owner of the spur line may c ...

along the line. Goods transported on the corridor include Canadian

softwood Scots pine, a typical and well-known softwood Softwood is wood from gymnosperm trees such as conifers. The term is opposed to hardwood, which is the wood from angiosperm trees. The main differences between hardwoods and softwoods is that the sof ...

lumber, coal, paper products, and general merchandise. The CPR runs regular

potash Potash ( ) includes various mined and manufactured salts that contain potassium in water- soluble form.

trains along the line to the Canpotex export terminal in Oregon.

Notable people

* Andy Anderson, skateboarder *

Jeff Bandura Jeff Mitchell Joseph Bandura (born April 2, 1957) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played 2 games in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers during the 1980–81 season. The rest of his career, which lasted fr ...

, hockey player * Hilary Caldwell, Olympic swimmer * Paul Campbell, actor from ''

Battlestar Galactica ''Battlestar Galactica'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Glen A. Larson. It began with the original television series in 1978, and was followed by a short-run sequel series, '' Galactica 1980'', a line of book adaptat ...

'' * Desirée Dawson, singer and winner of the 2016 ''Searchlight'' talent contest *

Jason Garrison Jason John Maxwell Garrison (born November 13, 1984) is a Canadians, Canadian professional ice hockey Defenceman, defenseman currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Chicago Wolves in the American Hockey League (AHL ...

, journeyman National Hockey League defenseman *

Colton Gillies Colton Gillies (born February 12, 1989) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger. He spent time playing for both the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets in the National Hockey League, NHL. Gillies spent the last five years of ...

, former left winger for the

Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. The Blue Jackets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern C ...

* Christine Girard, Olympic weightlifter *

Gigi Saul Guerrero Gigi Saul Guerrero (born February 27, 1990) is a Mexican filmmaker and actress. She is known for creating and directing the 2017 horror web series ''La Quinceañera'', and for her work on the 2019 series ''The Purge'' and '' Into the Dark''. Ear ...

, filmmaker and actress * Andrew Hammond, goaltender for the

Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. The Avalanche compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Con ...

Ellie Harvie Elinor Anne Harvie (born April 7, 1965) is a Canadian actress who portrayed Morticia on '' The New Addams Family''. Later, she starred as Dr. Lindsey Novak in ''Stargate SG-1'' and ''Stargate Atlantis''. Early life and career Harvie was the you ...

, actress *

Gordon Hogg Gordon "Gordie" Hogg (born August 24, 1946) is a Canadian politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for South Surrey—White Rock in the House of Commons of Canada from 2017 to 2019, as a member of the Liberal Party of Canada. H ...

, former

BC Liberal BC United (BCU), known from 1903 until 2023 as the British Columbia Liberal Party or BC Liberals, is a provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party has been described as conservative, neoliberal, and occupying a centre-right ...

MLA for

Surrey-White Rock Surrey-White Rock is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada. During the 2008 re-distribution of riding boundaries, Surrey-White Rock kept the majority of its existing region. Demographics ...

(1997–2017) and

Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada (LPC; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''. and generally sits at the Centrism, ...

MP for South Surrey-White Rock (2017–2019). * George Frederick Ives, supercentenarian and last surviving

Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic an ...

veteran. *

Jim Hughson Jim Hughson (born October 9, 1956) is a retired Canadian sportscaster, best known for his play-by-play of the National Hockey League. He was the lead play-by-play commentator for the ''NHL on Sportsnet'' from 2014 to 2021 and ''Hockey Night in C ...

, sportscaster *

Moose Johnson Thomas Ernest "Moose" Johnson (February 26, 1886 – March 25, 1963), also known as Ernie Johnson, was a Canadian ice hockey player whose professional career spanned from 1905 to 1931. He was a member of four Stanley Cup winning teams betwe ...

, left-winger and defenseman for the

Montreal Wanderers The Montreal Wanderers were an amateur, and later professional, ice hockey team based in Montreal. The team played in the Federal Amateur Hockey League (FAHL), the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association (ECAHA), the National Hockey Association ...

and member of the

Hockey Hall of Fame The Hockey Hall of Fame () is a museum and hall of fame located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) records, memorabilia and National Hockey Le ...

Riall Johnson Riall Salud Johnson (born April 20, 1978) is a Canadian former professional gridiron football player. Early life Riall grew up in Lynnwood, Washington, where he attended Mariner High School. At Mariner he was considered one of the top footba ...

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

player *

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, National Football League player *

Ra McGuire Ramon Wayne "Ra" McGuire (pronounced "Ray"; born June 13, 1950) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and founding and longtime member of the rock band Trooper. McGuire performed with Trooper and musical partner Brian Smith from 1975 until their ...

, singer and founder of the Canadian rock group Trooper *

Arnold Mikelson Arnold Mikelson (1922-1984) was a Latvian artist who specialized in wood carvings. Starting in 1947, he was chief designer for Royal Crown Derby Porcelain of England, before working as an architectural draftsman for a number of years. In the late ...

, wood sculptor *

Gabrielle Miller Gabrielle Sunshine Miller (born November 9, 1973) is a Canadian actress who, since the start of her career in 1993, has appeared in many television films and series episodes, including leading roles in two of Canada's most popular concurrently-r ...

, actress * Jim Mullin, President,

Football Canada Football Canada is the governing body for gridiron football in Canada headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario. Football Canada focuses primarily its own Canadian form of the sport, and is currently the world's only national governing body for Canadia ...

, broadcaster *

Gordon Rice Gordon Allen Rice (born 1933) is a Canadian artist. Biography, education Gordon Rice was born on 27 September 1933 in Los Angeles, California and educated at Los Angeles City College, University of California, Berkeley, University of California, ...

, artist *

Hannah Simone Hannah Simone (born 3 August 1980) is a British-Canadian actress from London, television host, and former VJ and fashion model. She portrayed Cece Parikh on the Fox sitcom ''New Girl''. Early life Simone was born in London to a British India ...

, actress on the television series ''

New Girl ''New Girl'' is an American television sitcom created by Elizabeth Meriwether and produced by 20th Century Fox Television for Fox that aired from September 20, 2011, to May 15, 2018. The series revolves around quirky teacher, Jessica Day ( Zo ...

'' *

Cobie Smulders Jacoba Francisca Maria "Cobie" Smulders (born April 3, 1982) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her starring role as Robin Scherbatsky in the CBS series ''How I Met Your Mother'' (2005–2014) and as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Maria Hill in th ...

, actress known for playing

Robin Scherbatsky Robin Charles Scherbatsky Jr. is a fictional character created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas for the CBS television series ''How I Met Your Mother'', portrayed by Cobie Smulders. Robin is the on and off love interest of Ted Mosby ( Josh R ...

in the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

sitcom ''

How I Met Your Mother ''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom created by Craig Thomas (screenwriter), Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005, to March 31, 2014, follows main char ...

'' *

Jewel Staite Jewel Belair Staite (born June 2, 1982) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her roles as Kaylee Frye in the series ''Firefly'' (2002–2003) and its follow-up movie '' Serenity'' (2005), and as Jennifer Keller on science fiction television ...

, actress on the television series ''

Firefly The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glowworms for their conspicuous production ...

'' *

Colten Teubert Colten Teubert (born March 8, 1990) is a Canadian-German former professional ice hockey defenceman and current head coach of the Hampton Roads Whalers USPHL Elite team. He most notably played for the Edmonton Oilers in the National Hockey League ...

, hockey player *

Reece Thompson Reece Daniel Thompson (born 22 November 1988) is a retired Canadian actor. Thompson started his acting career as a child actor by voice acting in several animated television series and minor roles on television shows before transitioning to f ...

, actor *

Daniel Wesley Daniel Wesley (born December 30, 1981) is a Canadian alternative rock musician from White Rock, British Columbia. Biography Singer and guitarist Wesley was born in 1981 in White Rock and raised in Brookswood, British Columbia, singing in choi ...

, rock/reggae musician

White Rock in television and film

Scenes from the boxing film ''

Knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, ...

'' were filmed in White Rock. Portions of the 1965 film '' The Railrodder'' starring

Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent films during the 1920s, in which he performed physical comedy and inventive stunts. He frequently ...

were filmed in White Rock. Much of the 1982 movie ''Big Meat Eater'' was filmed near and around the White Rock waterfront. The

USA Network USA Network (or simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It was launched in 1977 as Madison Square Garden Sports Network, one of the first national sports ...

's detective comedy ''

Psych ''Psych'' is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks for USA Network. The series stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened o ...

'' was also filmed in White Rock, though the series is set in Santa Barbara, California. There is also a brief scene in '' Leaving Normal'' filmed at the White Rock waterfront. Scenes from ''

The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The original series aired from September 10, 1993, to Ma ...

'' were also filmed here, as were scenes from the

Steven Seagal Steven Frederic Seagal ( ; born April 10, 1952) is an American actor, producer, screenwriter, martial artist, and musician. A 7th-Dan (rank), dan Black belt (martial arts), black belt in aikido, he began his adult life as a martial arts instru ...

movie '' Driven to Kill''. An episode of the FX

dramedy Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

series '' Better Things'' from its second season titled "White Rock", that originally aired on November 9, 2017, had scenes that were filmed in White Rock. The Hallmark movie ''Like Cats & Dogs'' had many city scenes filmed here, as well as scenes on the public pier. K-pop girl group ''

Twice Twice (; Japanese language, Japanese: トゥワイス, Hepburn romanization, Hepburn: ''Tuwaisu''; commonly stylized in all caps) is a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group is composed of nine members: Nayeon, Jeongyeon ...

'' features local White Rock gelato shop Ocean Rock Cafe on Marine Drive as well as the historic pier and railway in their 2018 music video '' Likey''.

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* * {{authority control Beaches of British Columbia Cities in British Columbia Populated places in Greater Vancouver