To quote a visionary transit engineer: “build a Skytrain, and they will come.”
Vancourverites love their driverless, fully automated rapid transit system. In December, 2016, Translink opened the sleek, quiet Evergreen Line extension through the heart of Coquitlam, making the Tri-Cities (Coquitlam, Port Moody and Port Coquitlam) accessible to anyone with a Compass card.
Evidence of First Nations settlement here goes back over 9,000 years and the city’s unusual name is derived from the Coast Salish First Nations term “Kwiketlam” which means “red fish up the river.” Even today, salmon migrate up the Fraser River to spawn in creeks surrounded by shopping malls, housing, highways, and other forces of civilization.
Today, this thriving city is both geographically and ethnically diverse; extending from the north bank of the Fraser River and trending northeast into the Pinecone Burke Provincial Park, one of the last truly wild spots in southwestern BC. In between there are several neighbourhoods including Maillardville which at one time was the largest French Canadian settlement west of Winnipeg, Fraser Mills, Heritage Mountain/Westwood Plateau, and a revitalized downtown.
The city is bisected by two large tracts of greenspace; much-loved Mundy Park with its pretty gazebo, gardens and small lakes, and marshy Colony Farm Regional Park that is popular with birdwatchers. Walkers, hikers, and trail runners gravitate to the Coquitlam Crunch, a stiff combination of stairs and pathway to a panoramic view from the Westwood Plateau. In the distance, the glacier-clad Mount Baker hovers above the Fraser Valley.
Traditionally, Coquitlam has been a bedroom community with most neighbourhoods made up of large single family homes on landscaped lots. Completion of the Evergreen Line, however, makes Coquitlam far more attractive to commuters seeking an alternative to Highway 1 and the Lougheed Highway. Gleaming glass and concrete highrises and funky, mid-century modern inspired condos are adding to the housing mix and attracting both downsizers and young families looking for great value and easy access to parks and services.