| Feature Type: | Village (1) - A populated place with legally defined boundaries, incorporated as a village municipality under the provincial Municipal Act. |
| Status: | Official |
| Name Authority: | BC Geographical Names Office |
| Relative Location: | E side of entrance to Indian Arm, Burrard Inlet, New Westminster Land District |
| Latitude-Longitude: | 49°18'48"N, 122°54'54"W at the approximate location of the Municipal Hall. |
| Datum: | WGS84 |
| NTS Map: | 92G/7 |
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Origin Notes and History:
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Belcarra (Steamer Landing) adopted 6 February 1948 on C. 3434. Incorporated as a Village Municipality 22 August 1979; Belcarra (Village) confirmed 29 November 1979 on 92G/7. Boundary amendments effective 23 June 1993, confirmed 13 July 1994 on 92 G/7. Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office |
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Belcarra is made up of two ancient Gaelic words: bal or ball meaning "the sun" and carra, meaning "a fair or lovely land" and is thus meant to convey the idea of "the fair land upon which the sun shines", so-named by William Norman Bole (1846-1923) late of County Mayo, a New Westminster lawyer, later police magistrate and county judge who owned 260 acres here. So-labelled on 1921 Commercial Map of Greater Vancouver, and on map to accompany Wrigley's 1924 Directory. [see also the municipality's website] Source: Nelson, Denys; Place Names of the Delta of the Fraser River; 1927, unpublished manuscript held in the Provincial Archives |