Agriculture is a traditional industry in Surrey. Dairy farming, vegetable & berry farms as well as 60 per cent of the region's greenhouses are here.
The Film industry has grown & matured in BC & Surrey is a popular spot for TV show & film making. It's not just BC's pretty face that attracts the film industry but also because of the strong US dollar as well as the many hard working professionals in post production work as well.
Surrey's Film Liaison Office 591-4292
If you are a Surrey home-owner you can register your home as a potential movie set!
Call the above number for a free brochure.
Information Technology is also important. The new Technical University of British Columbia is in Surrey at 1280 13401-108th Avenue. For a number of years the Surrey Library has been offering modem access to it's card catalogue as well as to CD-ROM databases such as newspaper & magazine articles & keyword searching. Internet stations are also now available at the library.
A great deal of land available for development in the lower mainland remains in Surrey. Therefore there has been much growth & activity in the building & real estate industries. Since 1988 over 9,900 lots have been created & building permits issued for construction of over 16,000 dwelling units. This has slowed recently by the recession but there is still great demand for housing in Surrey. For example, in 1991 Cloverdale lots were selling for $75,000. Now they are much rarer with prices over $115,000 or more. Historically this has always been true of Surrey. In 1948 records show that the population was growing by 2,000 new residents a month!
Many feel that Surrey may one day exceed Vancouver's population. This an important point to remember regarding opportunities for business in Surrey in future.