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Homes: City of Coquitlam

Coquitlam, about 10 km east of Vancouver) is the largest of the "Tri-Cities" communities of Coquitlam, Port Moody and Port Coquitlam. These communities are nestled between Burnaby to the west and the Pitt River to the east, and north of the Fraser River. Because of Coquitlam's panoramic setting overlooking Vancouver, with the slope facing the Fraser River, Coquitlam is a desirable community to live in. Coquitlam has 113,000 residents, living in 42,000 households. About 37% of its residents were immigrants (about half since 1990), and one-third belonging to a visible minority.

Coquitlam has public transit provided by TransLink, providing regular bus service throughout Coquitlam and connecting it to other municipalities in Metro Vancouver, with a major exchange at Coquitlam Central Station. The 97 B-Line express buses connect Coquitlam to Burnaby's Lougheed Town Centre SkyTrain station (on the Centennial Line). By 2014 a new Evergreen SkyTrain is expected to connect Lougheed Station to Coquitlam's Douglas College campus via Port Moody. In the meantime, rush-hour commuters can get into Vancouver using the West Coast Express or by road (along the Barnet Highway) is about 40 minutes.

The Fraser Health Authority (FHA) operates the 180-bed Eagle Ridge Hospital on the Port Moody/Coquitlam city boundary as well as the 352-bed Royal Columbian Hospital just south of Coquitlam in New Westminster. City residents are also served by many privately-owned health care clinics.

Schools
Coquitlam is served by School District 43 Coquitlam, and offers four public secondary schools, several more middle schools, and dozens of elementary schools.

Douglas College maintaining a campus in Coquitlam's Town Centre; these serve the local post-secondary education needs with career, trade, and university-transfer programs. Simon Fraser University and British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) are located in neighbouring Burnaby

Shopping
Coquitlam Town Centre is the major shopping area in Coquitlam and also has a large civic stadium just behind the shopping mall. Coquitlam also has many large "big box" superstores along the Trans-Canada Highway like Ikea (their biggest store in Canada), a internationally popular Swedish furniture store.

Homes
This is the largest city in the Northeast section of Greater Vancouver. It is made up of primarily single family homes. There are some apartments near the city limits with Burnaby and some near Coquitlam Town Centre. Since the 1990s, most development has occurred in the second-growth forested area known as Westwood Plateau, and further development is expected to occur on the east side of the Coquitlam River, with a long anticipated David Avenue bridge.

Recreation
The Evergreen Cultural Centre, in the Town Centre area, features a 264-seat black box theatre, rehearsal hall, art studios and art gallery. The SilverCity Coquitlam movie complex has 20 screens adjacent to Coquitlam Centre. Nearby are the 336-seat Terry Fox Theatre in Port Coquitlam, and the 206-seat Inlet Theatre in Port Moody.

In the southwest, Place Maillardville is a community centre providing leisure activities and Place des Arts is a teaching arts center and music school. Heritage Square offers visitors a wealth of historic sites, gardens, a bike path, and an outdoor amphitheatre; it is also home to the Mackin Heritage Home & Toy Museum. 1,074-seat Red Robinson Show Theatre is part of the Boulevard Casino.

Coquitlam has 80 municipal parks covering 890 hectares (2,200 acres), with Mundy Park being the largest. Also nearby are Pinecone Burke Provincial Park, Minnekhada Regional Park, and Pitt Addington Marsh. Wilderness buffs can drive a short distance north to Belcarra Village or up to Buntzen Lake Reservoir, the warmest lake in the Lower Mainland.

Coquitlam has 45 sports fields, 35 ball diamonds, several all-weather surfaces, a bowling green, a croquet/bocce court, and a cricket pitch. The city also operates Percy Perry Stadium and the Coquitlam Sports Centre. Coquitlam has 2 indoor aquatic complexes, 3 outdoor pools, 2 outdoor wading pools, 3 spray parks, and 4 golf courses

• Coquitlam Photos
  

• Northeast Coquitlam
• Northwest Coquitlam
• Southwest Coquitlam
• Maillardville
• Burquitlam