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About Port Coquitlam

A look back at downtown Port Coquitlam

With more than 57,000 people, Port Coquitlam boasts a strategic location in the Lower Mainland, a mix of established and up-and-coming commercial and industrial areas, and easy access to transportation links and a skilled workforce.

The city’s charming, authentic downtown is a pedestrian-friendly area that features tree-lined streets, a variety of shops and services, a historic City Hall, scenic murals and places for the community to gather and celebrate.

Port Coquitlam businesses benefit from the city’s old-fashioned sense of community spirit and improved road, bridge and trail connections that encourage residents to shop, work and play close to home.

The city was incorporated in 1913, about 50 years after the first European settlers arrived and 27 years after the first train passed through the area. An estimated 1,200-1,500 people lived here at the time.

Kingsway Avenue served as the town centre until a devastating fire in 1920, when it shifted to the Shaughnessy Street area, where the City Hall had been built in 1914. The community grew steadily after the Second World War ended in 1945 and Lougheed Highway was completed in 1948. Port Coquitlam gained world-wide attention in 1980, when a young Port Coquitlam hero named Terry Fox began his Marathon of Hope.

In recent years, Port Coquitlam has gained recognition as an up-and-coming and livable city with strong community pride, affordable property, an extensive trail and park network, and millions of dollars in new commercial, industrial and residential development, including new high-rise and low-rise apartment buildings in the downtown core.