If you've ever walked, driven, or cycled around New Westminster, you may have noticed something unusual about the city's street signs.
In many parts of the city, the street name is accompanied by a smaller sign identifying the neighbourhood.
You might see signs for Sapperton, Moody Park, Brow of the Hill, Queen's Park and other historic neighbourhoods.
But have you ever wondered why those neighbourhood names are there?
The answer goes back to a community initiative that began around the late 1990s.
How the Neighbourhood Signs Started
In approximately 1999, the City of New Westminster provided $4,000 in seed funding to each of the city's neighbourhood residents' associations to create signage that would identify and celebrate their individual neighbourhoods.
The idea was simple: give each neighbourhood an opportunity to create its own identity on the streets of New Westminster.
Different neighbourhoods chose different approaches.
Queen's Park used its funding to create large signs at important entry points into the neighbourhood.
Brow of the Hill and Moody Park chose a different approach. Instead of installing large entrance signs, they created smaller placards that could be placed above the existing street-name signs.
This is the style that many people recognize today.
The McBride-Sapperton Residents' Association eventually decided to follow the same approach as Brow of the Hill and Moody Park, using its funding to create neighbourhood placards that would be installed above existing street-name signs.
So those small signs aren't simply another way of telling you where you are.
They are the result of a community-driven effort to give New Westminster's neighbourhoods their own identity and visibility.
Why Put Them Above the Street Signs?
There is something particularly clever about using the existing street signs.
Rather than replacing the city's street-name system, neighbourhood associations could add their own identity to it.
The result is a two-part sign:
Street name → Where exactly are you?
Neighbourhood name → What community are you in?
It's a small design choice, but it gives residents and visitors a much stronger sense of place.
Sapperton's Story
For Sapperton, the neighbourhood sign carries an especially long history.
The name Sapperton is connected to the Royal Engineers who arrived in New Westminster in the 1850s. The soldiers were known as "Sappers," and the settlement that developed around them became known as Sappers' Town, eventually becoming Sapperton.
The Royal Engineers played an important role in the early development of the colony, including surveying and building roads.
Although the Royal Engineers eventually left, their name remained part of the community.
Today, more than a century and a half later, the name Sapperton is still displayed on the streets.
The neighbourhood placard therefore connects a modern street corner with a name that reaches back to the earliest days of New Westminster.
Each Neighbourhood Had Its Own Idea
The neighbourhood signage program was never simply about making every neighbourhood look identical.
In fact, the different approaches demonstrate the opposite.
Queen's Park chose large signs at key entrances.
Brow of the Hill and Moody Park created smaller placards for existing street-name signs.
McBride-Sapperton eventually chose the placard approach as well.
And Downtown received separate special funding to upgrade all of its existing street-name signs with a design intended to resemble old-fashioned street signs.
Each neighbourhood could therefore express its own character while still being part of the same city.
A Community Project That Took Time
The idea didn't happen overnight.
According to the history documented by the McBride-Sapperton Residents' Association, there were years of discussion with little movement on the neighbourhood signage program.
Eventually, in a February 2005 executive meeting, the McBride-Sapperton Residents' Association began putting together ideas for how its neighbourhood signage could move forward.
That is an interesting part of the story because it shows that these signs weren't simply something the City installed one day.
They involved residents, neighbourhood associations, funding, planning and years of discussion.
What looks like a simple little sign above a street name actually represents a community effort.
More Than Just a Street Sign
Today, we often take these signs for granted.
We see "Sapperton" or "Moody Park" and simply continue on our way.
But the signs are reminders that New Westminster isn't just one uniform community.
It is made up of neighbourhoods with their own histories, identities and stories.
The neighbourhood signage program gave residents a way to make those identities visible.
And because the signs were placed directly into the everyday streetscape, they became something that everyone could experience—not just the people who lived there.
Look Up Next Time You're Walking Through New Westminster
The next time you are walking, driving or cycling through New Westminster, take a moment to look at the street sign.
Look beyond the street name.
Look at the neighbourhood name above it.
That little placard may represent years of community discussion and planning, a local residents' association, and an effort dating back to the late 1990s to make New Westminster's neighbourhoods more visible.
It's a small piece of the city's history hiding in plain sight.
And that's one of the things we love about New Westminster.
Sometimes, you don't have to visit a museum to find history.
You just have to look up.
Inspired by New Westminster
At Kingspear Designs, we love turning the landmarks, streets, bridges and neighbourhoods of New Westminster into locally made designs.
Because the best souvenirs aren't always about where you've been—they can also be about where you call home.
Made in New Westminster. Inspired by the Royal City.