Maple Ridge or Pitt Meadows? A Guide for Home Buyers

Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows sit side by side east of the Pitt River, share a school district and are often mentioned in the same breath. On the ground, though, they feel quite different. Here is how I describe them to buyers comparing the two.

The short version

At a glance

Maple Ridge

Maple Ridge offers the wider choice of homes, from condos and townhouses near its town centre to detached homes and acreages toward the mountains. It is the gateway to Golden Ears Provincial Park, reached by Dewdney Trunk Road, and its two West Coast Express stations, Maple Meadows and Port Haney, give commuters a direct weekday train to downtown Vancouver. Browse homes for sale in Maple Ridge.

Pitt Meadows

About 78% of Pitt Meadows is in the Agricultural Land Reserve, and the city is surrounded by 60 kilometres of dikes. Many of those dikes double as trails, including the Pitt River Regional Greenway along the Fraser and Pitt rivers, which makes Pitt Meadows a great place for walking and cycling. It also has its own West Coast Express station and the Pitt Meadows Regional Airport. Browse homes for sale in Pitt Meadows.

Getting around

• West Coast Express. Weekday trains toward downtown Vancouver in the morning and back in the evening, from Pitt Meadows, Maple Meadows and Port Haney stations.
• Golden Ears Bridge. Toll-free since September 1, 2017, connecting to Langley and Surrey across the Fraser River.
• Lougheed Highway. The main east-west route through both cities.
• Bus rapid transit plans. TransLink is planning a bus rapid transit line between Langley and Maple Ridge, with stations along Lougheed Highway in Maple Ridge. Maple Ridge council endorsed the concept design in May 2026, but there is no construction date yet.

Schools

School District 42 serves both cities, with about 17,000 students. Your child's school depends on your address, so check the catchment before you buy.

Questions buyers often ask me

Is Pitt Meadows part of Maple Ridge?

No. They are separate cities, although they share School District 42 and sit side by side.

Does the West Coast Express stop in Maple Ridge?

Yes, at Maple Meadows and Port Haney stations, and Pitt Meadows has its own station too. Trains run on weekdays only.

Is there SkyTrain to Maple Ridge?

No. The West Coast Express serves both cities on weekdays, and TransLink is planning a bus rapid transit line between Langley and Maple Ridge, although it does not have a construction date yet.

Is the Golden Ears Bridge tolled?

No. Tolls on the Golden Ears Bridge ended on September 1, 2017.

Also considering the Tri-Cities across the Pitt River? See Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam or Port Moody? And before you start viewing, get pre-approved.

Population figures are from the 2021 Census, and transit details are from TransLink at the time of writing. For current schedules, see the West Coast Express.