Whalley

Whalley is a amongst the town centres in Surrey, British Columbia. Amongst all of the town centres, it is the most densely inhabited. Whalley is likewise considered to be the commercial centre of Surrey. It is home to the SFU or Simon Fraser University campus, it is the only town centre in Surrey to be serviced by the SkyTrain stations of King George, Gateway, Surrey Central and Scott Road. Next to the Town Centre of Newton, Whalley is the second most populated community according to the City of Surrey Population Estimates and Projections.

Settlers within the region began pre-empting the land in what is presently Whalley, as early as the 1880s. Nels Peter Anderson arrived during the year 1896, using a Hudson's Bay Company ship traveling through Cape Horn. This man, who was born in Sweden in the year 1855, jumped ship in New Westminster, changed his name to Sandell and proceeded to homestead the NW corner of Townline Road or 96 Avenue and this later turned into 128th Street or Sandell Road.

The Surrey Council requested a grant during the year 1908, to build a road from the old Fraser Bridge in South Westminster up Peterson Hill to the present 108 Avenue. The new road interfered and cut off a portion of the Old Yale Road. This portion was known as "Snake Hill" due to its dangerous and steep curves. After some time, this route ultimately became part of the King George Highway which passes through Whalley.

In the year 1925, Arthur Whalley moved his family from a farm within Cloverdale to the place within the present Whalley, when they bought a 3-acre triangle of land. This place is a the intersection of 108 Avenue or Ferguson Road, which was to become the future King George Highway and Grosvenor Road. The Whalley family spent their first wintertime inside tents on the location after having the land cleared. They eventually built a service station that comprised a soft drink stand, some tourist cabins and a small general store. The family home was built at the rear of the station and this initial family home has since been moved.