Port Coquitlam

Port Coquitlam (/koʊˈkwɪtləm/ koh-KWIT-ləm) is a city in British Columbia, Canada. Located 27 km (17 mi) east of Vancouver, it is on the north bank of the confluence of the Fraser River and the Pitt River. Coquitlam borders it on the north, the Coquitlam River borders it on the west, and the city of Pitt Meadows lies across the Pitt River. Port Coquitlam is almost entirely bisected by Lougheed Highway. Port Coquitlam is often referred to as "PoCo."[1] It is Canada's 88th-largest city by population. Port Coquitlam is not to be confused with the adjacent and larger Coquitlam.

Port Coquitlam
City
The Corporation of the City of Port Coquitlam
Flag
Nickname(s): 
"PoCo"[1]
Motto(s): 
"Working Together For The Future"
Location of Port Coquitlam in Metro Vancouver
Coordinates: 49°15′45″N 122°46′52″W
Country Canada
Province British Columbia
Regional DistrictMetro Vancouver
Incorporated1913 (1913)
Government
 • MayorBrad West[2]
 • Governing BodyPort Coquitlam City Council
 • CouncillorsSteve Darling
Laura Dupont
Darrell Penner
Glenn Pollock
Dean Washington
Nancy McCurrach
 • MPRon McKinnon (Liberal)
 • MLAMike Farnworth (New Democrat)
Area
 • Total29.17 km2 (11.26 sq mi)
Elevation
30 m (100 ft)
Population
 (2016)[4]
 • Total58,612
 • Density2,009.4/km2 (5,204/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific Time Zone)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (Pacific Daylight Time)
Forward sortation area
V3B - V3C
Area code(s)604, 778
WebsiteCity of Port Coquitlam

History

The area was long inhabited by indigenous peoples, most recently by the historic Coast Salish people, including the Kwikwetl'em. The first European settlers began farming beside the Pitt River in 1859. A major impetus to the creation of a municipality was when the Canadian Pacific Railway moved its freight terminus from Vancouver to "Westminster Junction", building a spur line to the Fraser River port of New Westminster in 1911. Port Coquitlam was first incorporated as a municipality on March 7, 1913.

Port Coquitlam was originally developed mostly as farmland. Given the expansion and increasing density of Vancouver, it has now been developed for suburban housing, especially in the northern and southwestern areas of the city. The economy is diversified, with a variety of industrial and commercial developments, including metal fabrication, high technology industries, and transportation.

Demographics

In the 2016 Census, Statistics Canada originally reported that Port Coquitlam had a population of 58,612, a 4.7% change from its 2011 population of 55,958.[5]

During the second half of the 1990s, the population grew at a rate of 9.8%, spurred by numerous immigrants. By 2001 they comprised 25% of the population. English was the first language for 76% of the inhabitants. Religions practiced were Catholic 36%, Protestant 32%, Other 14%, and No Religion 18%.

In 2009 Port Coquitlam was rated 85th for its murder rate (for Canadian cities with a population over 50K).[6]

Historical populations
YearPop.±%
19212,148—    
19311,312−38.9%
19411,539+17.3%
19513,232+110.0%
19618,111+151.0%
198127,535+239.5%
199136,773+33.6%
199646,682+26.9%
200151,257+9.8%
200652,687+2.8%
201155,958+6.2%
201658,612+4.7%
[4][7][8][9][10]
Canada 2016 Census[11]Population% of Total Population
Visible minority group
 South Asian2,7904.8%
Chinese6,43011.1%
African8851.5%
Filipino2,5154.3%
Latin American9251.6%
Arab3300.6%
Southeast Asian5751%
West Asian1,4152.4%
Korean1,3952.4%
Japanese5951%
Other visible minority1700.3%
Mixed visible minority7701.3%
Total visible minority population18,78532.4%
Aboriginal group
 First Nations1,8853.3%
Métis7451.3%
Inuit100%
Total Aboriginal population2,5304.4%
European36,86063.7%
Total population57,895100%

Languages

The 2016 census found that English was spoken as mother tongue by 66.31% of the population. The next most common language was Cantonese, spoken by 4.37% of the population, followed by Mandarin at 2.86%.[12]

Rank Mother tongue Population Percentage
1 English 38,665 66.31%
2 Cantonese 2,550 4.37%
3 Mandarin 1,670 2.86%
4 Tagalog 1,315 2.26%
5 Korean 1,310 2.25%
6 Farsi 1,235 2.12%
7 Spanish 955 1.64%
8 Punjabi 855 1.47%

Transportation

Because of its primarily suburban nature, Port Coquitlam relies heavily on its vehicular roads to move people and goods. For example, two of its major arterial roads, Shaughnessy Street and Lougheed Highway bisect Port Coquitlam east to west and north to south, respectively.

TransLink provides a number of bus routes throughout the city. The most used bus routes in this section of the Greater Vancouver Regional District are the 159, which connects southern Port Coquitlam to SkyTrain at Braid Station. Other bus routes in the city include the 160, which links Port Coquitlam with Vancouver via Coquitlam Central Station and Moody Centre Station, and the 173/174, which runs a loop through the northern half of the city, linking it with regional buses at Coquitlam Central and Port Coquitlam Station. Two major stops in the city include Port Coquitlam Centre and Port Coquitlam Station. The remainder of Port Coquitlam is served by a network of Community Shuttles.

The Lougheed Highway passes through Port Coquitlam, running from Coquitlam in the west to the Pitt River Bridge in the east. Although this highway has made much of Port Coquitlam a very congested area, it is one of the few major arterial highways in the area.

The Mary Hill Bypass, officially known as Highway 7B, runs adjacent to the Fraser River from the Pitt River Bridge on the east to the Port Mann Bridge on the west.

Canadian Pacific Railway has a major rail yard in the central sector of the city.

In October 2009 the new Pitt River Bridge, a new seven-lane cable-stayed bridge, opened to the public replacing the existing crossing. The previous crossing was made up of 2 swing bridges, which were removed upon completion of the new bridge. The Pitt River Bridge crosses the Pitt River, connecting Port Coquitlam to neighbouring Pitt Meadows.

In March 2010 the Coast Meridian Overpass, a new four-lane cable-stayed bridge, opened to give a new option for traveling north to south over the Canadian Pacific Railway Oxford Street rail yard.

A 25 km (16 mi) hiking and biking trail, known as the Traboulay PoCo Trail, completely surrounds the city.

In August 2018, U-bicycle launched a dockless bicycle sharing system in the city.[13]

Public schools

Public schools in Port Coquitlam are part of School District 43 Coquitlam.

Secondary schools:

Middle schools:

  • Citadel Middle
  • Kwayhquitlum Middle
  • Maple Creek Middle (former Hastings Junior Secondary)
  • Minnekhada Middle (former George Pearkes Junior Secondary)
  • Pitt River Middle (former Mary Hill Junior Secondary)

Elementary schools:

  • Birchland Elementary
  • Blakeburn Elementary
  • Castle Park Elementary
  • Cedar Drive Elementary
  • Central Elementary
  • Coquitlam River Elementary
  • Glen Elementary (French Immersion)
  • Irvine Elementary (French Immersion)
  • James Park Elementary
  • Hazel Trembath Elementary
  • Kilmer Elementary (French Immersion)
  • Lincoln Elementary (Closed in 2007).[14][15]
  • Mary Hill Elementary (French Immersion)
  • Westwood Elementary

The Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique operates one Francophone primary and secondary school: école des Pionniers-de-Maillardville.[16]

Private schools

Notable residents

Surrounding municipalities

See also

References
  • Francis, Daniel, ed. Encyclopedia of British Columbia, Harbour Publishing Ltd, 2000
  1. "PoCo wants new and old photos for exhibit". Coquitlam Now. LMP Publication Limited Partnership. 2012-10-17. Archived from the original on 2013-02-03. Retrieved 2012-10-18.
  2. Cleugh, Janis (20 October 2018). "#POCOvotes2018: It's Mayor West for Port Coquitlam". Tri-City News. Glacier Media. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  3. "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2011 and 2006 censuses (British Columbia)". Statistics Canada. January 30, 2013. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
  4. "Corrections and updates". Statistics Canada. March 21, 2013. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
  5. "Census Profile, 2016 Census Port Coquitlam, City". Statistics Canada. April 24, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  6. Macleans: 14 October 2010
  7. , Canada Year Book 1932
  8. , Canada Year Book 1955
  9. , Canada Year Book 1967
  10. , British Columbia (Canada): Province, Major Cities, Towns & District Municipalities - Statistics & Maps on City Population
  11. "Census Profile, 2016 Census Port Coquitlam, City [Census subdivision]". Statistics Canada. 24 April 2018. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  12. "Port Coquitlam". Port Coquitlam, City [Census subdivision], British Columbia and Greater Vancouver, Regional district [Census division], British Columbia. Statistics Canada. April 24, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  13. Lau, Lucy (31 July 2018). "Dockless bike-sharing coming to Port Moody, Port Coquitlam, and Richmond this summer". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  14. "Save Lincoln School".
  15. "Coquitlam School District 43". Archived from the original on 2007-04-27. Retrieved 2007-04-01.
  16. "Carte des écoles." Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique. Retrieved on 22 January 2015.
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