From Panorama Ridge to Tynehead to East Clayton, Surrey has become home to practically dozens of cities within cities.
With more than half a million people living in Surrey, each of these communities has created its own identity.
With our series we call "Neighbourhoods," we are coming to your area simply because we want to tell its story.
Recognizing that every one is unique, both in their character and in the challenges they face, our series will look at each area's struggles and triumphs.
This ongoing feature will showcase Surrey's dozens of neighbourhoods through stories, photos and video. Click on the map below to access them.
To share your neighbourhood's story, email us at edit@thenownewspaper.com with the subject line "Neighbourhoods."
GREEN TIMBERS — A stroll through Green Timbers Urban Forest can bring a sense of tranquility.
It's one of the city's largest natural areas, boasting over 450 acres of wetlands, lakes, grassland meadows and nature trails all nestled within a second growth forest, and is known as the birthplace of reforestation in the province.
The forest, located in the 14600-block of 100th Avenue, was once spread over 5,000 acres, which visitors from as far away as California came to see. The last giant trees of the old growth forest were felled in 1930, and parts of the forest were replanted in the province's first effort at reforestation. The inaugural plantation occurred on March 15, 1930. A forest nursery and forestry training and education centre were also established.
After a large area of forest was cleared to develop a sports stadium around 1986, a group of citizens formed the Green Timbers Heritage Society (GTHS) to lobby against the development.
There was a public outcry to save the 42 acres that had been cleared, and the society spearheaded a public referendum to save the land in 1988, which passed with 86 per cent. Then in 1996, a second referendum passed with 95 per cent and saw a further 53 acres north of 100th Avenue added to the forest.
The land that had been cleared was then instead transformed into a meadow, which now provides habitat for snakes, birds, coyotes and small mammals. Since then, hundreds of trees have been planted there, including about 30 indigenous plant species that are new to the forest.
Jim Foulkes and Peter Maarsman, members of the GTHS, say they will continue to fight to preserve the forest. Maarsman said the forest has been described as "our Stanley Park" and emphasized the value in having natural areas.
"When we were kids we all had forests. And we spent a lot of time in the forest. It was fantastic education. And they've done a study now on kids around the world and they find that kids don't get into forests anymore," Maarsman said.
Foulkes said there's always pressure on such lands, adding that he'll continue to fight to preserve thick, natural forested area.
"With the city growing and growing, it's hard to keep large properties untouched.... I see it slowly depleting," Foulkes said, pointing to the larger park developments such as the RCMP headquarters, but also smaller things like road expansions. "It's been whittled away - acreage here, acreage there."
In recent years, the park has seen some larger developments within the forest's limits. In 2005, it was announced that a 500,000-square-foot RCMP E-Division Headquarters building would be built in Green Timbers, on approximately 35 acres.
And in 2011, the 188,000-square-foot Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and Surgery Centre opened, built on 5.8 acres.
And the City of Surrey has plans for rapid transit along Fraser Highway, which could impact the forest.
Jaime Boan, Surrey's transportation manager, said the city initiated a study in 2006 to review options to upgrade Fraser Highway through Green Timbers.
But Boan said TransLink requested the review be put on hold in 2008 until the Surrey Rapid Transit Alternatives study was complete. Boan said at the time, the Green Timbers Urban Forest advisory committee said it would support four travel lanes and rapid transit, but only if the footprint was contained within 27 metres, along with some other conditions.
Don Luymes, Surrey's manager of community planning, said if rapid transit goes into that area, he anticipates some redevelopment.
"There's some pockets of larger, older properties that, if rapid transit is built along Fraser Highway, I would imagine that there would be pressure for some increase in housing there.... But overall, I would say that area is quite stable."
He said the area north of Green Timbers, between the forest and 104th Avenue, is in a bit more transition.
"There's more redevelopment applications, there's a couple of car dealerships in there that I foresee redeveloping."
Luymes then pointed to the west side of the park, saying it's an area with a number of large institutions, and thus, a large number of employees. He mentioned the Surrey Nature Centre, which offers up a plethora of educational programming, as well as the school district's headquarters, the outpatient centre, RCMP headquarters and Sophie's Place.
"There are thousands of workers there," Luymes said. "In the last five years, there's been a large increase in the number of people working inside of what you would think of as Green Timbers forest. There's real potential for giving people opportunities to have a place to walk and recreate close to their workplace."
BEAUTIFUL SETTING
But all this talk of Green Timbers forest, what is it like to live nearby? Steve and Sandy Moreno have lived across the street from Green Timbers Urban Forest, at roughly 148th Street and 96th Avenue, since 1996. Sandy said the couple likes how close their condo is to Guildford Town Centre and, of course, how close it is to the forest.
"I take the grandchildren in there to see the ducks, and my girlfriend down the hall from me, we walk there every morning.
"It's a beautiful setting."
Bonnie Kane, Sandy's sister-in-law, lived in the area for five years until she moved to North Delta in 2010.
"We loved the area," she said. "We loved the park, loved the walking, we were close to Guildford (Town Centre) and we were close to the freeway."
Kane said she loved living across the street from the forest.
"When you're sitting there in the forest, the closer you get to the entrance you can begin to hear the cars zooming by, and you just want to turn around and go back in. But eventually, you have to get back to reality," she said with a chuckle.