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Coquitlam ( ) is a city in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. Mainly , Coquitlam is the sixth-largest city in the province, with an estimated population of 174,248 in 2024, and one of the 21 municipalities comprising Metro Vancouver. The mayor is Richard Stewart.
Simon Fraser explored the region in 1808, encountering the Indigenous Coast Salish peoples. Europeans started settling in the 1860s. Fraser Mills, a lumber mill on the north bank of the Fraser River was constructed in 1889, and by 1908 there were 20 houses, a store, post office, hospital, office block, barber shop, pool hall, and a Gurdwara.
Explorer Simon Fraser came through the region in 1808, and in the 1860s Europeans gradually started settling the area. Coquitlam began as a "place-in-between" with the construction of North Road in the mid-19th century to provide Royal Engineers in New Westminster access to the year-round port facilities in Port Moody.
The young municipality got its first boost in 1889 when Frank Ross and James McLaren opened what would become Fraser Mills, a $350,000, then state-of-the-art Sawmill on the north bank of the Fraser River. The Corporation of the District of Coquitlam was incorporated in 1891. In the late 1900s, a mill manager's residence was built that would later become Place des Arts. At the same time, Sikh immigrants also constructed a gurdwara.
Over the next two years, several contingents of French Canadian mill workers arrived from Quebec, and Maillardville was born. Named for Father Edmond Maillard, a young Oblate from France, it became the largest Francophone centre west of Manitoba. Maillardville's past is recognized today in street names, the Francophone education system and French immersion programs, French-language Girl Guides and Scouting, and celebrations such as Festival du Bois.
Following World War II, Coquitlam and the rest of the Lower Mainland experienced substantial population growth that continues today. The opening of Lougheed Highway in 1953 made the city more accessible and set the stage for residential growth. In 1971, Coquitlam and Fraser Mills were amalgamated, which gave the city a larger industrial base. The mill closed in 2001, and is now currently the subject of a proposed waterfront community.
Coquitlam is in the Pacific Time Zone (winter UTC−8, summer UTC−7), and the Pacific Maritime Ecozone.
Southwest Coquitlam comprises the original core of the city, with Maillardville and Fraser River industrial sector giving way to the large, elevated, flat-plateaued residential areas of Austin Heights. These older residences, with larger property dimensions, are increasingly being torn down and replaced with newer and larger homes. The Poirier Street area was the city's original recreational centre with the Coquitlam Sports Centre, Chimo Aquatic and Fitness Centre, and sports fields located there, while City Hall was previously located further south in Maillardville.
The Austin Heights area contains Como Lake, a renowned urban fishing and recreation area, and headwaters for the Como watershed. The watershed represents one of the last urban watersheds in the Tri-Cities that supports wild stocks of coho salmon as well as other species at risk such as coastal cutthroat trout (both sea-run and resident) and bird species such as the great blue heron and green heron. It also contains Mundy Park, one of the largest urban parks in the Metro Vancouver area.
In 1984, the provincial government sold formerly attached to Riverview Hospital to Molnar Developments. Shortly afterward, this land was subdivided and became Riverview Heights, with about 250 single-family homes. The remaining of this still-active mental health facility has been the subject of much controversy amongst developers, environmentalists, and conservationists. In 2005, the city's task force on the hospital lands rejected the idea of further housing on the lands and declared that the lands and buildings should be protected and remain as a mental health facility. In May 2021, the Government of British Columbia announced that the Riverview lands had been renamed səmiq̓wəʔelə (pronounced suh-MEE-kwuh-EL-uh), meaning "The Place of the Great Blue Heron". The kʷikʷəƛ̓əm Nation and BC Housing are working on a long-term master plan for development of the site.
Coquitlam Town Centre, was designated as a "Regional Town Centre" under the Metro Vancouver's Livable Region Strategic Plan. The concept of a town centre for the area dates back to 1975, and is intended to have a high concentration of high-density housing, offices, cultural, entertainment and education facilities to serve major growth areas of the region, served by rapid transit service. It is in the town centre that many public buildings can be found, including City Hall, a branch of the Coquitlam Public Library, an R.C.M.P. station, Coquitlam's main fire hall, the David Lam Campus of Douglas College, the Evergreen Cultural Centre, City Centre Aquatic Complex, Town Centre Park and Percy Perry Stadium.
In 1989, the provincial government sold of Secondary forest land on the south slope of Eagle Mountain, known locally as Eagle Ridge, to developer Wesbild. This resulted in the closure of Westwood Motorsport Park in 1990, and the creation of Westwood Plateau, which was developed into 4,525 upscale homes, as well as two golf courses.
With development on Westwood Plateau completed and the opening of the David Avenue Connector in 2006, Coquitlam's primary urban development has now shifted to Burke Mountain in the northeastern portion of the city.
With new development of the Evergreen Extension of the Millennium Line of the SkyTrain rapid transit system which began operation in December 2016, Coquitlam's urban development area has again shifted to Burquitlam and secondly Burke Mountain. The Burke Mountain area plan is now divided into 4 new neighbourhood plans: Lower Hyde Creek Neighbourhood, Upper Hyde Creek Neighbourhood, Partington Creek, and Smiling Creek.
| +Coquitlam land use (2001) ! colspan="2" | Use type !Area | |
| Agricultural land | ||
| Extractivism | ||
| Harvesting and research | ||
| Residential | Single family | |
| Rural | ||
| Town/Low-rise | ||
| High-rise | ||
| Commercial | ||
| Industrial | ||
| Institutional | ||
| Transport. comm., utilities | ||
| Recreation / nature areas | ||
| Open / Undeveloped | ||
| GVRD Watershed | ||
Coquitlam is also located in one of the warmest regions in Canada where average mean annual temperature is . Temperatures are warm during the summer months with an average high of , and an average low of in August. During the winter months, the average high is , and the average low is in December. This relatively mild climate, by Canadian standards, is caused by the warm Alaska Current offshore and the many mountain ranges preventing the cold arctic air from the rest of Canada from reaching the southwest corner of British Columbia.
On June 28, 2021, Coquitlam reached an all-time high temperature reading of , shattering the previous record of .
According to the 2016 Census, 47% of contained a married couple with children, 30% contained a married couple without children, and 22% were one-person households. Of the 40,085 reported Family: 76% were Marriage couples with an average of 3.0 persons per family, 15% were lone-parents with an average of 2.5 persons per family, and 9% were common-law couples with an average of 2.6 persons per family. The median age of Coquitlam's population was 41.1 years, slightly younger than the British Columbia median of 43.0 years. Coquitlam had 85.6% of its residents 15 years of age or older, less than the provincial average of 87.5%.
According to the 2016 census, about 44% of Coquitlam residents were foreign-born, much higher than the 28% foreign-born for the whole of British Columbia. The same census documented the median income in 2015 for all families was $65,020, compared to the provincial average of $61,280. 58.2% of respondents 15 years of age and older claim to have a post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree, compared to 55% province-wide. Lastly, also as of the 2016 census, only 23.4% of Coquitlam residents who work outside the home work within the city of Coquitlam itself, just less than half the provincial average of 48.9% of residents who work within their own municipality, yet 22.2% of Coquitlam residents take public transit, bicycle or walk to work, close to the provincial average of 22.4%.
| + Panethnicity groups in the City of Coquitlam (2001−2021) ! rowspan="2" | Panethnicity group ! colspan="2" | 2021 ! colspan="2" | 2016 ! colspan="2" | 2011 ! colspan="2" | 2006 ! colspan="2" | 2001 | ||||
| European | 61,220 | 65,730 | 67,655 | 68,120 | 71,755 | |||||
| East Asian | 46,375 | 40,400 | 30,715 | 26,710 | 25,030 | |||||
| Middle Eastern | 12,080 | 9,140 | 7,375 | 4,885 | 2,965 | |||||
| 7,675 | 7,205 | 6,415 | 4,110 | 3,710 | ||||||
| South Asian | 7,405 | 6,220 | 5,245 | 4,185 | 3,280 | |||||
| Latin American | 3,345 | 2,190 | 1,895 | 1,530 | 1,110 | |||||
| Indigenous | 2,915 | 3,095 | 2,610 | 1,565 | 1,480 | |||||
| African-Canadian | 2,135 | 1,515 | 1,265 | 1,005 | 1,130 | |||||
| Other | 4,300 | 2,590 | 1,840 | 1,455 | 970 | |||||
| 1 | English | 70,195 | 47.5% |
| 2 | Mandarin Chinese | 14,380 | 9.7% |
| 3 | Korean language | 10,040 | 6.8% |
| 4 | Cantonese | 9,670 | 6.5% |
| 5 | Persian language (including Dari) | 8,920 | 6.0% |
| 6 | Spanish language | 2,825 | 1.9% |
| 7 | Tagalog language | 2,510 | 1.7% |
| 8 | Russian language | 2,310 | 1.6% |
| 9 | French language | 1,295 | 0.9% |
| 10 | Arabic | 1,255 | 0.8% |
| 10 | Punjabi language | 1,255 | 0.8% |
| 12 | Italian language | 1,195 | 0.8% |
| 13 | Portuguese | 1,100 | 0.7% |
In 2007, there were 610 retail businesses in Coquitlam, and these provided 8,765 jobs (27% of all jobs) within the city. Most retail businesses are concentrated around Coquitlam Centre in the Town Centre area, and Big-box store such as IKEA and The Home Depot in the Pacific Reach areas, with the remainder of the city's retail outlets centered around the Austin Heights and North Road sectors.
The Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce has over 900 members including businesses, professionals, residents and other community groups, governed by a 14-person volunteer Board of Directors.
Coquitlam was designated as a Cultural Capital of Canada in 2009 by the Department of Canadian Heritage.
A partnership of the city, the arts community, private business and senior governments, the Evergreen Cultural Centre in the Town Centre area is a venue for arts and culture, a civic facility designed to host a wide variety of community events. It features a 264-seat black box theatre, rehearsal hall, art studios and Art museum. Evergreen serves as the home venue for the Pacific Symphonic Wind Ensemble, the Coastal Sound Music Academy, the Coquitlam Youth Orchestra, and the Stage 43 Theatrical Society. Nearby Proscenium include the 336-seat Terry Fox Theatre in Port Coquitlam, and the 206-seat Inlet Theatre in Port Moody.
Numerous yearly are staged at various locations throughout Coquitlam, including Festival du Bois (first full weekend in March), the Water's Edge Festival (third full weekend in March), Como Lake Fishing Derby (last Sunday in May), BC Highland Games (last Saturday in June), a Canada Day Celebration at Town Centre Park, the BC Dumpling Festival (mid-August), and the Blue Mountain Music Festival (mid-July).
Place des Arts is a non-profit teaching arts centre in Maillardville founded in 1972, offering programs in visual arts, music, acting, and dance. It features specialized programs for school students and home learners, and presents concerts and exhibitions for the public. Studios are offered for pottery, weaving, yoga, ballet, drama, piano, drawing and painting. Place des Arts offers four faculty concerts throughout the year, as well as numerous recitals and presentations by students on an ongoing basis.
Place Maillardville is a community centre providing leisure activities for all age groups, with programs on French language, culture, as well as physical activities. 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.
The city is responsible for the maintenance of numerous sports and recreation fields, including 40 grass/sand/soil sports fields, five FieldTurf fields, 35 ball diamonds, several all-weather surfaces, a bowls green, a croquet/bocce court, and a cricket pitch. The city also operates Percy Perry Stadium and the Poirier Sport & Leisure Complex. Privately owned Planet Ice features 4 additional ice rinks, and more rinks are found throughout the Tri-Cities.
The city has four SkyTrain stations on the Millennium Line that are a part of the long Evergreen Extension. With a project cost of $1.4 billion, the line runs from the Coquitlam City Centre area, through Coquitlam Central Station and into Port Moody, re-entering Coquitlam on North Road and finally joining the existing Millennium Line at Lougheed Town Centre.
There is regular transit bus on numerous lines running throughout the city and connecting it to other municipalities in Metro Vancouver, with a major exchange at Coquitlam Central Station.
The West Coast Express, with a stop at Coquitlam Central Station, provides commuter rail service west to downtown Vancouver and east as far as Mission. WCE operates Monday to Friday only (excluding holidays), with five trains per day running to Vancouver in the morning peak hours and returning through Coquitlam in the evening peak hours.
For motorists, the Trans-Canada Highway provides freeway access to Burnaby, Vancouver, Surrey, and other municipalities in the Lower Mainland. Lougheed Highway is an alternative route to the Trans-Canada, entering Coquitlam through Maillardville, past the Riverview Hospital area, up to Coquitlam Centre where it turns sharply east to Port Coquitlam. Barnet Highway begins at the Coquitlam Centre area and heads directly east through Port Moody and on to Burnaby and downtown Vancouver.
Coquitlam has 60 km of bike routes, including dedicated bike lanes on Guildford Way, David Avenue, United Boulevard, Mariner Way, Chilko Drive and others, plus additional routes through city parks.
Coquitlam is served by two international airports. Vancouver International Airport, located on Sea Island in the city of Richmond to the west, is the second busiest in Canada and provides most of the air access to the region. Abbotsford International Airport, located to the east, is the seventeenth busiest airport in Canada. Nearby Pitt Meadows Airport provides services for smaller aircraft and there are also Boundary Bay Airport and Langley Airport for small aircraft.
Residents and visitors wishing to travel to Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, and other destinations along the Inside Passage may use the BC Ferries car and passenger ferry service from two terminals in the communities of Tsawwassen and Horseshoe Bay, south and north of Vancouver respectively. BC Ferries operates the Queen of Coquitlam, a C-class ferry capable of carrying 362 cars and 1,466 passengers, which was launched in 1976. She received an $18 million rehabilitation in November 2002, and currently operates as a secondary vessel on the Departure Bay-Horseshoe Bay route.
Fraser Health also operates the 352-bed Royal Columbian Hospital just south of Coquitlam in New Westminster. Coquitlam residents are also served by many privately owned health care clinics, while Tri-Cities Health Services operates 653 residential care beds.
Coquitlam is also the home of Riverview Hospital, a large mental health facility, operating under the governance of BC Mental Health & Addiction Services. Riverview opened in 1913 and had 4,630 patients at its peak, but advances in treatment and cutbacks in funding have resulted in fewer people receiving mental health care, and much of the facility has closed over the last few decades.
Coquitlam has its own fire service, known as Coquitlam Fire/Rescue, with four fire halls. Coquitlam uses names, not numbers for their halls. The fire halls are Town Centre, Austin Heights, Mariner Way, near Mundy Park and Burke Mountain.
Like all other municipalities in British Columbia, Coquitlam's ambulance service is run by the British Columbia Ambulance Service.
Coquitlam Search and Rescue is a volunteer search and rescue team operating under the Provincial Emergency Program. Coquitlam SAR is responsible for urban and wilderness search and rescue for the area between Indian Arm and Pitt Lake, and encompasses the local communities of Coquitlam, Burnaby, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, New Westminster, Belcarra and Anmore. The SAR team is based at Town Centre Fire Hall.
Coquitlam Town Centre is home to the 4,000-student David Lam Campus of Douglas College, which offers university transfer, career-training and academic-upgrading programs. Therapeutic Recreation, Hotel and Restaurant Management, and Animal Health Technology programs are housed in the original main campus building. The $39 million Health Sciences Centre opened in 2008, with state-of-the-art facilities for Nursing, Psychiatric Nursing and other health-career programs.
There are two major universities, University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University, located in the nearby municipalities. The British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) in neighbouring Burnaby provides polytechnic education and grants Academic degree in several fields. Vancouver is also home to the Emily Carr University of Art and Design and the Vancouver Film School.
The Coquitlam Public Library has two branches: City Centre and Poirier. The library has a circulation of over 1.1 million items, and an annual budget of over $5 million.
Coquitlam is served by the bi-weekly Tri-City News newspaper.
A significant number of movie and television productions have been partly or completely filmed in Coquitlam in recent years, including a significant portion of 2018's Deadpool 2, 2014's Godzilla, both New Moon and Eclipse from the Twilight series, The X-Files, Juno, Smallville, Psych, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Dark Angel, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Romeo Must Die, Stargate SG1, Riverdale, and Watchmen. The city maintains the Coquitlam Film Office to coordinate permits, traffic and crowd control, and insurance for film and television productions.
In November 2017, the city stated that they had ended sister city relationships with Laizhou, Tochigi, Ormoc and San Juan.
Actor Taylor Kitsch graduated from Gleneagle Secondary in 1999, and went on to star in movies such as John Carter and Battleship and Lone Survivor as well as the television series Friday Night Lights'
Former Premier League goalkeeper Craig Forrest is from Coquitlam and attended Centennial Secondary. Forrest appeared in 263 games for Ipswich Town, 30 games for West Ham United, and three games for Chelsea. Forrest also earned 56 caps for the Canadian national soccer team, the most of any goalkeeper in team history, and earned the most clean sheets in the country's history. Forrest was elected to Canada's Soccer Hall of Fame in 2007. Former Canadian national soccer team midfielder Jeff Clarke and Canadian women's national soccer player Brittany Timko also both attended Centennial Secondary.
Former National Basketball Association player Lars Hansen was raised in Coquitlam and played his high school basketball at Centennial Secondary. He was a member of the Seattle SuperSonics 1979 NBA Championship team, and was elected to the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.
American political analyst and former Fox News co-host Rachel Marsden was raised in Northeast Coquitlam's Burke Mountain area.
Former BC Lions placekicker Lui Passaglia has resided in Coquitlam for over 20 years. Passaglia is a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, and his #5 jersey is one of eight numbers retired by the Lions. Passaglia was voted #30 of the CFL's Top 50 players of the modern era by Canadian sports network TSN.
Playboy Playboy Playmate and actress Dorothy Stratten was raised in Coquitlam and attended Centennial Secondary School. Stratten was Playmate of the Year for 1980. She appeared in several movies, including Peter Bogdanovich's They All Laughed, then she was murdered by her estranged husband. Stratten was portrayed twice in biographies of her life, by Jamie Lee Curtis in and by Mariel Hemingway in Star 80.
spoken word Chris Tse was raised in Coquitlam though he is based in Ottawa. He was captain of the Ottawa spoken word team that won the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word championships and placed second overall in the Poetry Slam World Cup in Paris, France.
Filipino pop and jazz singer, musician, lyricist, and songwriter Joey Albert is a Coquitlam resident.
Hockey players Mathew Barzal of the New York Islanders, Dante Fabbro of the Columbus Blue Jackets, and Vincent Iorio of the Washington Capitals were all born and raised in Coquitlam.
Science fiction novelist Dennis E. Taylor is a Coquitlam resident.
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