About Coquitlam

Coquitlam Map in Metro Vancouver

The City of Coquitlam is a beautiful area, just outside of Vancouver. With sprawling scenery to explore and a sense of community, Coquitlam is the perfect place for those looking for access to the outdoors, without moving too far from the city of Vancouver.

Coquitlam, BC is a city located in the lower mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It makes up a part of the Metro Vancouver municipalities. It’s also considered a part of the Tri-Cities, which includes Port Moody, Port Coquitlam and Coquitlam.

The city has an approximate population of 114,853 between Port Moody and Coquitlam according to the 2021 census. The area is mainly a suburban city with various shopping centres and parks nearby.

History of the city

Coquitlam’s documented roots date back to the mid-1800s. Several years after Simon Fraser passed through the area, and European colonisation began.

The city really came to life and got its first boost when Frank Ross and James McLaren opened the Fraser Mill lumber mill. This helped bring people into the area, build jobs, other businesses and a community until in 1891 the District of Coquitlam was incorporated.

The city was primarily focused on agriculture and millwork by the time the 1900s came around.

Appeal

Coquitlam townhouses

Working Folks

Considered to be a part of the Tri-Cities area (Port Moody, Port Coquitlam and Coquitlam) average rent for a 1 bedroom apartment is $1,308 and only goes up to $1,809 for a 3+ bedroom apartment according to CMHC 2021. Single detached homes sell for an average of $1,697,767 and apartments for an average of $654,733 according to Greater Vancouver REALTORS®.

Families

Typically, Coquitlam appeals to younger individuals and families because of it’s more affordable prices. As well as recent housing developments that are adding density to many areas of the city. With a large single-detached home inventory, access to good schools and safe neighbourhoods, Coquitlam offers an affordable place for people to raise their families and grow up.

Luxury living with natures access

Larger condo developments across many areas of Coquitlam, including the Burquitlam area, is home to many new high-end and luxury condos for those who want access to the city, but also the beautiful parks and easy access to nature.

Top Areas

Coquitlam - Lafarge Lake

Burquitlam

Burquitlam is one of the fastest-growing areas in Coquitlam with 9,000-10,000 homes being added to the area over the next 25 years starting in 2020. Featuring new high-rises, such as the Lougheed Heights buildings, and other beautiful glass high-rises that sit on the edge of Burnaby Mountain. The area is close to Lougheed Mall and Town Centre so you have easy access to some of the best Korean restaurants in the lower mainland.

A new Skytrain station was built in this area back in 2016 to help facilitate accessibility and continued growth for new homes. This is a perfect area if you want to live closer to Burnaby and in a more urban-neighbourhood than some other parts of Coquitlam.

Downtown Coquitlam

The downtown area of Coquitlam has plans to grow and expand over the coming years. Currently, it’s a fairly small downtown core with usual shops, restaurants, office buildings.

That said, downtown Coquitlam features the beautiful Lafarge Lake, not something that many other downtown cores contain. With backdrops of the mountains and trails, it’s a beautiful place to live. Downtown also features easy access to the Skytrain stations to access other areas of the lower mainland.

This area will be exciting to watch grow and flourish as the city and developers have significant plans of growth.

Eagle Ridge

Eagle Ridge is a neighbourhood on the north side of Coquitlam that borders Port Moody.

It’s a wonderful neighbourhood that gives you the benefits of both Port Moody and Coquitlam since it’s borders both cities. Get easy access to all the restaurants and amenities of Port Moody, while living slightly closer to Vancouver.

The area features suburban detached homes, townhouses and easy access to nearby parks, like the Coquitlam Crunch. The transit system features many buses that connect to the other local Skytrain stations.

Maillardville

Maillardville is a neighbourhood in the south of Coquitlam that borders New Westminster and features a great mix of older homes, new townhouses, condo developments and commercial property. This is another neighbourhood where you get the best of both worlds by living in Coquitlam and you have easy access to New Westminster and the beautiful water features there.

Things to do in Coquitlam + Local Tips

Trails and things to do in Coquitlam

Como Lake

Como lake is a small lake within Coquitlam with a cozy feel, a well-seated picnic area and a gravel and mulch trail that winds around the lake.

In the summers, this is the perfect spot to bring your family for a picnic or even bring out your small paddle boat to fish and enjoy the water, enjoying the geese, ducks and wildlife.

Although it may be tempting to feed the ducks and geese, it’s discouraged. As the geese end up flocking to the park in search for food and end up causing damage to the surrounding areas.

The lake is stocked with rainbow trout, carp and catfish and offers a great sportfishing experience in the spring and fall, also a great family activity!

Fun Fact: The series, “Supernatural“, was filmed at many locations in Coquitlam including Como Lake.

Mundy Park

Mundy Park is another great “easy” level hike and path, quite close to Como Lake. This park features a total of 6km in trails around the park and offers views of an amazing creek and small lake. And the trail is very well maintained, so no need to worry about a difficult journey.

There is a large area in the park with access to built-in benches and tables, making it a great place for a small summer picnic.

Also, keep in mind that dogs are not permitted near the lake. However, there is an off-leash dog park in a corner of Mundy Park.

Coquitlam Crunch

The Coquitlam Crunch is a great urban workout for those looking to exercise those legs! It features a 450+ stair hill climb that takes you to some amazing views of the Coquitlam and Tri-cities areas. In total, from top to bottom, it’s about a 4.4-kilometer hike. A calorie-burner for sure.

The trail is built for all levels as the stairs are well equipped to handle the elements and are maintained by the city.

Leisure and Hobbies

Leisure and Hobbies in Coquitlam

Coquitlam is home to a diverse range of different things you can do, and is mainly oriented around community and nature.

Nature and hiking

As we outlined before, there are so many amazing hikes you have access to when visiting or living in Coquitlam. It’s definitely worth checking out, getting out of the city and into a bit of nature. Who knows, you may even see some fascinating wildlife along the Coquitlam Crunch.

Many of the hikes and nature walks nearby are friendly for all and offer great outdoor spaces for families including:

  • Minnekhada Hiking Trail
  • Pinecone Burke Provincial Park
  • Woodland Falls
  • Munro Lake Trail Lookout
  • Coquitlam Lakeview Trailhead

Festivals

The Kaleidoscope Arts Festival is a wonderful festival put on by various organizations and volunteers within Coquitlam. It features all types of art including a showcase of amazing music artists, handmade clothing, tasty food trucks and interactive community art. If you can make it to this festival in the summer time, it’s a wonderful experience for all ages.

The Coquitlam Craft Beer Festival is another great summer event for those who are 19+ and enjoy a good craft beer. The tri-cities area is full of amazing local breweries that make some of the most interesting beer. And they showcase 50+ of these great breweries and their brews at this weekend festival. Not a fan of beer but like cider? There are many great cider options for tasting as well.

Head Golfing

If you like to golf, Coquitlam offers a variety of three different and great golf courses to choose from. If you want some views of the river, head down south to the Eaglequest golf course for a day on the green with that sea breeze.

Or, head up to northern Coquitlam to Westwood Plateau Golf and Country Club. Offering excelling greens and not to mention beautiful views of mountain ranges.

Education

Post-secondary education

The city of Coquitlam does have a college, called the Coquitlam College. While there isn’t a University within the city limits, Coquitlam borders Simon Fraser University (SFU), a world-renowned university.

Secondary schools

Over the 70 total schools in SD43, a total of 32,000 students are split between the elementary, middle and secondary. There are 9 secondary schools that teach teens in grades 9 to 12.

Middle schools

There are 14 middle schools in Coquitlam that service grades 6 to 8, the transitionary period from elementary school and secondary school.

Elementary

For kindergarten to grade 5, there are 47 different elementary schools within the Coquitlam school district.

Future of the Coquitlam

Future of Coquitlam

The future of Coquitlam is very bright!

The Burquitlam area is a strong area for new home and condo growth. With a recently built SkyTrain station, there is accessible transit access and an evermore increasing amount of affordable and quality amenities and stores nearby.

Between the census in 2016 and 2021 population showed a +3.6% increase for the area of Coquitlam, supporting stronger growth and the need for more developments. Coquitlam City Centre Area Plan (2020) will feature large scale changes to increase housing, jobs and educational facilities for this fast growing region. Three unique, high-density downtown districts will be centred around Skytrain stations of the Millenium Line to further the vibrancy and mixed-use aspects of Coquitlam.