Abbotsford

Abbotsford is a city of about 165,000 people (2021) in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia. With mountains visible in nearly every direction, it is in one of the most geographically stunning regions of British Columbia. Abbotsford is an agriculture-based city that is a popular visitor stop over point for U.S. travellers north bound to the Yukon and Alaska and Canadians travelling east and west along the Trans-Canada Highway.

History
Abbotsford's colonial development began when the Royal Engineers surveyed the area in response to the gold rush along the Fraser River in 1858. This led to the building of Yale Road (today Old Yale Road), the first transportation route to link the Fraser Valley. The settlement grew and the production of butter, milk and tobacco began by the late 1860s. In 1889, former Royal Engineer John Cunningham Maclure applied for a Crown grant to obtain the 160 acres (0.65 km²) that would become Abbotsford.

There is some controversy over the origin of the Abbotsford name. The most commonly cited origin is that Maclure named the land "Abbotsford" after family friend Henry Braithwaite Abbott, the western superintendent of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Until 1922 the name was spelled Abottsford. Maclure's sons later stated that the property had been named for Sir Walter Scott's home, Abbotsford, and pronounced it with the accent on ford, while in his later years Maclure claimed that the naming had been "a combination of two ideas".

The title passed hands to Robert Ward, who filed a townsite subdivision on July 9, 1891. Also in 1891, the CPR built a railway line through the area that connected Mission with the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway at Sumas, Washington. This route was the only rail connection between Vancouver and Seattle until 1904. In 1892, Robert Ward sold many of the lots to private investors, and sold a significant portion to the Great Northern Railway’s subsidiary company the Vancouver, Victoria and Eastern Railway. The British Columbia Electric Railway (BCER) arrived in 1910. The Interurban, as the BCER tram linking Abbotsford with Vancouver and Chilliwack was called, was discontinued in 1950.

Airport
Daily, non-stop flights to Abbotsford from Edmonton (1.5 hours), Calgary (1.25 hours), and Hamilton (5 hours), plus connections and stop over flights to other domestic and international destinations. Weekly winter charter flights are offered to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Airlines
Canadian airlines operating to Abbotsford:



Ground transportation
In-terminal auto rentals include Avis, Budget and National.

Taxi service is available, but there is no shuttle service nor is there any public transit serving the airport. Two inter-city bus operators stop at the airport, see "By bus" below.

Abbotsford International Airport is approximately 80 minutes drive away from Vancouver International Airport, 60 minutes from downtown Vancouver, 10 minutes from the city centre of Abbotsford, 2 1/2 hours from Whistler, 45 minutes from Harrison Hot Springs, and 40 minutes from Bellingham Airport in Washington state.

By car
The city is on Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway), roughly 90 km east of Vancouver (a 60-75 min drive). BC Highway 11 heads south to the U.S. border, where it becomes Washington state highway 9. The drive to Seattle is about 2½-hours.

From the US
If you're coming from Seattle or elsewhere along the US West Coast, don't waste your time and money taking transit north to Vancouver and then east to Abbotsford. Instead, save several hours and $50-100 by taking a local bus from Bellingham, WA to the Sumas-Hungtingdon border crossing, crossing on foot, then taking an Abbostford local bus into town. Bus 71x leaves Bellingham's Cordata Station for Sumas four times a day Monday through Friday, twice a day on Saturday (make sure to check the schedules online or with Google Maps before you go). As of July 2019 it costs US$1.00 and takes about 1 hour. From the stop at 1st and Cherry St. in Sumas, walk a few blocks to the border. After passing through, just a couple blocks on the other side you can catch Bus 3 into downtown Abbotsford for C$2.50. It leaves almost every hour, and the fare includes free transfers. The whole process takes less than three hours and costs only a few dollars.

By train

 * West Coast Express commuter trains travel between in Mission (located north of Abbotsford, across the Fraser River) and Waterfront station in Vancouver. Trips operate Monday to Friday. Trains travel from Mission to Vancouver during the morning rush hour and travel from Vancouver to Mission during the afternoon rush hour. Fare prices for travel from Vancouver's Waterfront Station are: $10.25 one-way, $19.00 return (adult).
 * West Coast Express commuter trains travel between in Mission (located north of Abbotsford, across the Fraser River) and Waterfront station in Vancouver. Trips operate Monday to Friday. Trains travel from Mission to Vancouver during the morning rush hour and travel from Vancouver to Mission during the afternoon rush hour. Fare prices for travel from Vancouver's Waterfront Station are: $10.25 one-way, $19.00 return (adult).


 * For westbound trips from Toronto to Vancouver, the train stops at
 * For eastbound trips from Vancouver to Toronto, the nearest station where train stops is north of the Fraser River at station in Mission.
 * For eastbound trips from Vancouver to Toronto, the nearest station where train stops is north of the Fraser River at station in Mission.

Get around
Abbotsford is rather spread out, so a car is helpful.

The widest selection of auto rentals are available at and near the Abbotsford International Airport (YXX). Some auto rentals are in the city.

By public transit

 * Operates bus route 21 between Abbotsford and the Aldergrove (central east) area of Langley. Stops in those cities allow riders to transfer to the TransLink public transit network serving those cities. Operates multiple times daily.
 * Operates bus route 31 between Abbotsford and Mission. Operates multiple times daily.
 * Operates bus route 66 between Burnaby and Chilliwack with stops in north Langley and Abbotsford. Operates multiple times daily.

See
Abbotsford is well known for its agri-tourism attractions. Tourism Abbotsford publishes annually a Circle Farm Tour Guide highlighting some of British Columbia's most unique rural attractions during the summer. A winter version of the publication is available, named Passport to Christmas.

Abbotsford boasts some of the finest sports facilities and parks in British Columbia which are popular among visitors. Known also as "Sports Town Canada," Abbotsford attracts dozens of provincial and national sports events annually.

During a visit to Abbotsford, be sure to learn more about the City's history, attractions and ethnic diversity by stopping at one of the City's two Visitor Centres on Sumas Way (Highway 11) and domestic arrivals lounge in the Abbotsford International Airport (YXX) Terminal.



Do

 * Mill lake panorama abbotsford.jpg
 * Mill lake panorama abbotsford.jpg
 * Mill lake panorama abbotsford.jpg
 * Mill lake panorama abbotsford.jpg
 * Mill lake panorama abbotsford.jpg
 * Mill lake panorama abbotsford.jpg

Buy
For a unique shopping experience, be sure to check out.

For the literary crowd, Hemingway's New and Used Bookstore, located in the heart of Historic Downtown Abbotsford, has one of the largest selections of new and used books in the area. Specializing in fiction and military history, the store holds thousands of titles in numerous categories, and is open 7 days a week.

Rural retailers can be found throughout the City's agricultural areas. Refer to the Passport to Christmas and Circle Farm Tour Guide available at one of two Visitor Centres on Sumas Way (Highway 11) or in the Abbotsford International Airport (YXX) Terminal.

Abbotsford boasts many large shopping plazas. Almost all of Canada's major retailers can be found in Abbotsford.



Eat
There are many places to eat in Abbotsford.



Sleep

 * For RV travellers, Walmart offers free overnight parking. There are two Walmarts in town, including.
 * For RV travellers, Walmart offers free overnight parking. There are two Walmarts in town, including.
 * For RV travellers, Walmart offers free overnight parking. There are two Walmarts in town, including.
 * For RV travellers, Walmart offers free overnight parking. There are two Walmarts in town, including.
 * For RV travellers, Walmart offers free overnight parking. There are two Walmarts in town, including.
 * For RV travellers, Walmart offers free overnight parking. There are two Walmarts in town, including.
 * For RV travellers, Walmart offers free overnight parking. There are two Walmarts in town, including.
 * For RV travellers, Walmart offers free overnight parking. There are two Walmarts in town, including.