Small
At the time of its incorporation in 1914 Pitt Meadows was a small, agriculturally based community with a population of less than 250 individuals. The community existed principally to supply larger urban areas to the west, mostly Vancouver and New Westminster, with produce and dairy products. The municipality’s residents were scattered and many only ventured to the centre of town on a monthly, or even less regular, basis. Today Pitt Meadows boasts a population of more than 16,000 residents and has evolved into a thriving bedroom community with a continued agricultural presence.
This exhibit is based on the Pitt Meadows Museum’s Harris Road indoor walking tour and is intended to introduce the viewer to a variety of buildings and sites, some that predate the incorporation of Pitt Meadows and others that were constructed early in the municipality’s existence. Due to the efforts of the municipal government, private individuals, businesses and community groups many of these buildings have been preserved as viable businesses, community spaces and natural places. In many cases the evolution of the building’s use has been the contributing factor of its preservation. This exhibit is the story of what they were, what they meant to the community, what they are now and how they evolved and survived. It is also the story of some of the buildings that did not survive and gave way to parks, malls and parking lots.
