Port Coquitlam British Columbia Canada

The mighty Fraser River flows down the middle of the wide, fertile Fraser Valley, and by the very nature of its broad deep, muddy girth, forces travellers to choose either its north or south side. In the North Fraser Valley, along the Pitt and Fraser Rivers, is the town of Port Coquitlam, the geographical centre of the Lower Mainland.

Port Coquitlam is located on either side of the Lougheed Highway (Highway 7), offering easy westbound access to downtown Vancouver 30 kilometres away - 30 minutes by road or 40 minutes by commuter rail - and easy eastbound access to the rapidly developing Fraser Valley. Almost all of the fertile land in the valley is rural, supporting a blend of farming, forestry and outdoor recreation. Port Coquitlam's central location and unique setting produces a truly exceptional living and recreational environment.

Port Coquitlam is bounded on the south by the Fraser River, on the east by the Pitt River, on the north by the picturesque Coast Mountains, including Burke and Coquitlam Mountains, and on the west by the Coquitlam River. The difference between the Fraser Estuary and the Fraser Valley is that the mountains are much closer to the towns of Port Coquitlam (also called PoCo) and its neighbour, Coquitlam. Here at the northwestern end of the Fraser Valley a feast of eye-catching peaks rises up on both sides of the little prairie that the dikes protect from seasonal floods. From the lower valley at Port Coquitlam, the mountains climb steeply to elevations in excess of 1,500 metres.

The name Coquitlam comes from the Salish word 'Kwayhquitlum', meaning red fish in the river, referring to the river抯 annual salmon spawning run. The city was incorporated in 1913, after the Canadian Pacific Railway Company had moved its freight operations from Vancouver to Port Coquitlam two years earlier. Ninety years later, the rail yard is the largest CPR yard in British Columbia.