Completion of the George Massey Tunnel under the Fraser River in 1959 opened up the commercial and residential development of Ladner, Tsawwassen and North Delta the three distinct communities that comprise the municipality of Delta. During the next twenty years, Delta was one of Canada s fastest growing communities, registering a 400 percent population increase. Delta caters to a variety of lifestyles with a range of innovative, award-winning housing styles for all incomes, which are located close to everyday conveniences. Agriculture, the obvious activity for the rich-soil Delta area, has long played a vital role in Delta s economic and social life. Today, however, industry is the fastest growing sector, with approximately 2,500 acres of serviced land and a further 750 acres of industrially zoned, but unserviced land.
Delta is one of the fastest growing industrial areas in the Greater Vancouver Region.
Delta is home to almost 3,400 businesses, has a skilled labour force, commercial centres in each of its three communities, and eco-tourism destinations that are the envy of many municipalities. Ladner Harbour Park is well known for its cottonwood trees that attract bald eagles to nest annually. The Reifel Bird Sanctuary on the tip of Westham Island provides an 850-acre refuge for more than 230 species of migrating birds. Each November, the annual Snow Goose Festival marks the return of thousands of snow geese from Wrangel Island in the Arctic. Bird watchers will also find the world s largest rookery of Great Blue Herons in Point Roberts, U.S.A., which borders Delta.