Moving to White Rock: A Guide to the City by the Sea

White Rock is a small seaside city of its own, right next to South Surrey but with its own council, zoning and taxes. Here is a guide to its waterfront, uptown, housing, schools and transit, and the checks worth making before you buy.

The short version

A small city next to South Surrey

White Rock was incorporated as a city on April 15, 1957. The area began as a station on the Great Northern Railway, and its name comes from a large white rock on the beach that once served as a landmark for passing boats.

Crescent Beach, Grandview Heights, Rosemary Heights and Semiahmoo Town Centre are in South Surrey, which is part of the City of Surrey. Check the property tax notice or the title to see which city a home is in, since it decides the council, zoning and tax rates that apply.

Between White Rock and the border, next to Peace Arch Provincial Park, is the Semiahmoo reserve. The City's community plan notes that the Semiahmoo First Nation occupies 133 hectares along Semiahmoo Bay. This land is not part of the City of White Rock, so if you ever look at a home on it, ask a lawyer how the property is held.

The waterfront

The City's community plan calls the waterfront a regional draw, with the promenade along the shore, the historic pier, and restaurants and shops along Marine Drive. Its two beach areas are West Beach and East Beach.

• The pier. It was first built in 1914 and is 470 metres long. A windstorm on December 20, 2018 badly damaged it, the waterfront and boats in the marina, and the repaired pier reopened in 2019. Beside it, the rebuilt Memorial Park has a wider promenade at the pier entrance, a plaza for performances, new pier washrooms and a sloped lawn.
• The rail line. The BNSF rail line runs along the waterfront beside the promenade, and people cross it to reach the beach at marked crossings. The City added two pedestrian crossings at West Beach in 2015, and in 2018 work began with BNSF on upgrading others under a federally funded rail safety project. Its community plan says it will keep exploring ways to move the line away from the waterfront, citing safety and rising rail traffic.
• Parking. The City runs pay parking along the waterfront on Marine Drive, including the waterfront parkade near Victoria Avenue and Vidal Street.

Uptown and the hillside

Johnston Road is White Rock's high street. The Town Centre straddles it uptown, and the plan concentrates the highest densities and heights in the area bounded by North Bluff Road, Johnston Road, Russell Avenue and George Street. Below Russell Avenue, Johnston Road slopes toward the water. The plan notes that the city's steep topography gives many areas clear views of the water but makes walking between uptown and the beach hard for many people, and public staircases, which it calls Hill Walks, link some streets. On North Bluff Road, the City's Centennial and Ruth Johnson Park has a ball diamond, a basketball court and a playground.

White Rock is compact, with 4,240.6 people per km² in 2021, and its residents are older than Surrey's: the median age was 58.0, compared with 38.4 in Surrey, and 37% of residents were 65 or older. Of its 10,735 occupied homes in 2021:

• Apartments. 41.5% were in buildings under five storeys and 14.7% in buildings of five or more storeys.
• Houses. 24.0% were single-detached houses, and 17.5% were flats in a duplex, one of two homes, one above the other.
• Townhouses. Only 1.4% were row houses.
• Ownership and age. 43% were condominiums, 35% of households rented, and 58% of homes were built before 1991, with about 9% built from 2016 to 2021.

Getting around

• Buses to the Canada Line. Routes 351 and 354 run between White Rock and Bridgeport Station in Richmond by Highway 99, with a stop at the South Surrey Park and Ride. The 354 runs Monday to Friday only and also serves Marine Drive.
• Other buses. Route 321 runs to Newton and Surrey Central, routes 345 and 394 to King George Station, route 375 to Guildford and route 531 to Willowbrook. Routes 360 and 363 serve Peace Arch Hospital.
• The border. The Douglas crossing at the Peace Arch, on Highway 99, and the Pacific Highway crossing, which also handles trucks, are both in Surrey and open 24 hours, with NEXUS lanes.

Schools and health care

White Rock doesn't have its own school district. Surrey Schools, School District 36, serves the cities of Surrey and White Rock and has the largest enrolment in BC. You can find the catchment schools for an address with the district's School Locator or School Boundaries Map. Programs of choice such as Early French Immersion, Montessori, Traditional and Intensive Fine Arts start through a Kindergarten lottery, and others, such as Late French Immersion and International Baccalaureate, are also chosen by lottery.

Peace Arch Hospital, run by Fraser Health on Russell Avenue in White Rock, is open 24 hours a day and provides emergency, surgery and maternity care, with an intensive care unit and CT and MRI scanning.

How White Rock is growing

• The community plan. The Official Community Plan was adopted in 2017 and amended in July 2021 after a review of building heights and density. As of August 2026, it capped new high-rises in the Town Centre at 12 storeys, limited any part of a building within 15 metres of Johnston Road to four storeys, stepped heights down from six to four storeys in the Lower Town Centre, and kept most of the Waterfront Village to three storeys. The plan notes that some existing Town Centre buildings reach 20 storeys. An update could change these limits, so check the City's current plan for any lot you are considering.
• An update in progress. The Province required the City to update its plan and zoning for its housing needs by December 31, 2025, and the City's 2024 interim housing needs report estimates 8,816 new homes needed over 20 years. Council defeated third reading of draft updates in March 2026 and again on July 27, 2026, so in early August 2026 the 2017 plan, as amended in 2021, still applied, and a revised draft was being prepared.
• More homes per lot. Council adopted its small-scale housing zoning on June 27, 2024. Lots of 280 m² or less can have three units, larger lots four, and larger lots within 400 metres of a prescribed bus stop six, where the City can't require off-street parking. Existing restrictive covenants on title still apply. I explain the rules in More Homes per Lot.
• No transit-oriented areas. White Rock has no designated transit-oriented areas, so the Province's minimum heights around transit stations and bus exchanges don't apply here.

Before you buy

• Views. The plan's view policies focus on views to the water from public places and on the size and spacing of towers. For a private view, check what the zoning and plan allow on the lots below, and whether a view covenant is registered on title.
• Slopes, ravines and flooding. Lots in the City's watercourse, ravine and significant tree, or floodplain development permit areas may need a permit before you build, and new buildings in mapped floodplain areas must be flood-proofed. On a steep lot, ask a qualified professional about drainage and retaining walls.
• Parking near the beach. Check how many stalls come with the home and which parking rules apply on the street outside.
• Older strata buildings. With so many homes built before 1991, read the depreciation report, minutes and Form B carefully before you remove subjects.
• Trains. Homes near the water are close to the rail line, so visit at different times of day to hear the trains.

Questions buyers often ask me

Is White Rock part of Surrey?

No. White Rock has been a separate city since April 15, 1957, with its own council and zoning. It borders South Surrey, and both are served by the Surrey School District.

Is Crescent Beach in White Rock?

No. Crescent Beach is in South Surrey, part of the City of Surrey. Check the property tax notice or title to see which city a home is in.

How tall can new buildings be in White Rock?

As of August 2026, the community plan capped new high-rises in the Town Centre at 12 storeys and any part of a building within 15 metres of Johnston Road at four, and kept most of the Waterfront Village to three. An update was in progress, so check the City's current plan before you rely on these limits.

How do I get to Vancouver without a car?

Route 351 runs every day, and route 354 on weekdays, from White Rock to Bridgeport Station on the Canada Line in Richmond, by Highway 99.

Can I add homes to a White Rock lot?

On most single-family lots, yes: since June 2024, the zoning allows three units on small lots, four on larger ones and six on larger lots near prescribed bus stops. Restrictive covenants on title still apply, so check them first.

Browse homes for sale in White Rock, see the neighbouring Surrey area page, or read the strata documents to read before buying a condo.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Population, age and housing figures are from the 2021 Census, and other details are from the City of White Rock, BC Geographical Names, TransLink, the Canada Border Services Agency, Fraser Health and Surrey Schools at the time of writing. For the City's planning documents, see Community Planning.