COQUITLAM
Coquitlam is the sixth-largest city in the province, and is a suburban city with shopping, culture and the arts, parks, fishing, water activities all within its boundaries or nearby.
Coquitlam is part of an area known as the Tri-Cities which incorporates Port Moody, Port Coquitlam and Coquitlam. Coquitlam is located north of the Fraser River and Trans-Canada Highway 1. It is 26 km / 16 mi east of downtown Vancouver and about 40 minutes north of the US border. Coquitlam is accessed via Hwy 1 or Hwys 7 or 7A.
The 38,000-hectare Pinecone Burke Provincial Park lies south of Garibaldi Provincial Park, west of Pitt Lake and Pitt River, extending south to Burke Mountain in Coquitlam. This park is a wilderness area that offers day hiking, rock climbing, wildlife viewing, winter sporting activities, and much more. There are several fishing spots in the area, including Belcarra Park, Buntzen Lake, Lafarge Lake, Sasamat Lake, Pitt Lake, and along the banks of the Coquitlam River. Enjoy biking or walking? Coquitlam’s trail system totals over 90 km / 56 mi and includes a portion of the Trans-Canada Trail, which spans the country from coast to coast. There are trail surfaces suited to all types of activity. Greenways such as Hoy Creek Linear Park, play an important dual role as a protected area for watercourses and a setting for nature trails and viewing areas.
The Tri-Cities, have seen a boom in residential development along the Evergreen rapid transit line that runs northeast from Burnaby. While the multimillion-dollar homes in Coquitlam’s ritzy Westwood Plateau area may not suit every budget, the duplexes of River Heights and towers of Coquitlam Centre offer more affordable options. The area is among the region’s most affordable locales, and a boom in high-density housing is in the works thanks to local councils that are generally development-friendly.