Moving to Port Coquitlam: A Guide to PoCo

Port Coquitlam, or PoCo, sits along the Coquitlam and Pitt rivers, with a historic downtown, a trail that circles the whole city and a strong hometown spirit. It is Terry Fox's hometown, and its May Day celebrations go back more than a century. Here is a guide for home buyers.

The short version

A short history

The Canadian Pacific Railway arrived in 1886, and in 1911 it moved its freight yard and operations to the area. Port Coquitlam was incorporated as a city on March 7, 1913. The rail yard still runs through the city, and together with the Lougheed Highway it has long split PoCo into a north side and a south side. Until the Coast Meridian Overpass opened in March 2010, the yard made it hard to get from one side to the other.

Neighbourhoods

The City's community plan describes a mix of established and newer areas:

• Established neighbourhoods, such as Lincoln Park and Mary Hill.
• Riverwood and Citadel Heights, which grew in the 1980s and 1990s.
• Downtown, around Shaughnessy Street, which is developing as a mixed-use neighbourhood with shops and homes.
• Newer areas around Dominion Avenue and Fremont, including the Dominion Riverfront. The Dominion Triangle, a mainly light industrial and commercial area, saw the city's most significant commercial growth in the 1990s and 2000s, according to the City's plan.
• Argue Street, a unique area near the Fraser River with marine businesses and homes.

In listings you will also see MLS sub-area names such as Birchland Manor, Glenwood and Oxford Heights, which the local real estate board uses for parts of the city.

The Traboulay PoCo Trail and parks

The Traboulay PoCo Trail is a 25 km loop of paved and gravel paths that circles the city and is part of the Trans Canada Trail. It is named for Len Traboulay, the city's 13th mayor, who served for 19 years. Along the way:

• Downtown, the paved trail follows the Coquitlam River past Gates Park and Lions Park.
• North of the Lougheed Highway, it turns to gravel and passes salmon habitat and the Hyde Creek hatchery.
• On the north and east sides, it runs along DeBoville Slough and the Pitt River, with views of farmland and the Golden Ears.
• To the southwest, it crosses the historic Colony Farm floodplain, where more than 150 bird species have been recorded.

The City maintains about 270 hectares of parkland and 46 km of trails. Gates Park has sports fields, ball diamonds, tennis courts and an outdoor gym, Lions Park has a playground, splash park and skate park with a fenced dog park next door, and Castle Park has a playground, splash park and an off-leash area. The Hyde Creek Nature Reserve has walking trails through about 54 hectares.

Community and recreation

• Port Coquitlam Community Centre. A 205,000-square-foot centre on Wilson Avenue with a leisure pool and lazy river, three arenas, a gym, a two-level fitness centre, a spray park and the Terry Fox Library, a branch of the Fraser Valley Regional Library.
• Hyde Creek Recreation Centre. A lap pool, leisure pool, river run and water slide, plus a weight room, a gym and racquetball and squash courts.
• Downtown. McAllister Avenue reopened in 2022 as a street for walking, shopping and gathering, and Leigh Square hosts Music in the Square on several Sunday afternoons in July and August.
• May Days. PoCo's May Day celebrations have run for more than a century, with opening ceremonies dating back to 1923 and one of the Lower Mainland's longest-running parades.

Terry Fox's hometown

The City calls Terry Fox its hometown hero. Outside the community centre, the Gateway of Giants includes an 18-foot steel figure of Terry and a bronze statue of him as a young teenager, and an exhibit inside, opened in April 2025, shows his early years in Port Coquitlam. Each September, Port Coquitlam holds the Terry Fox Hometown Run.

Getting around

• West Coast Express. Port Coquitlam Station is at the foot of Wilson Avenue, on the eastern edge of downtown, with weekday trains to downtown Vancouver in the morning and back in the afternoon and evening.
• SkyTrain. There is no station in Port Coquitlam. The nearest are Coquitlam Central, Lincoln and Lafarge Lake-Douglas in Coquitlam, and the City is advocating for a SkyTrain extension to Port Coquitlam.
• Buses. The R3 RapidBus runs along the Lougheed Highway from Coquitlam Central through Port Coquitlam to Haney Place in Maple Ridge, and local routes connect neighbourhoods with Coquitlam Central and Port Coquitlam Station.
• Driving. The Lougheed Highway is the main east-west road and crosses the Pitt River Bridge to Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge, and the Mary Hill Bypass runs west toward Highway 1 in Coquitlam.

Schools

Port Coquitlam is in School District 43. Its secondary schools are École Riverside, which offers French Immersion to Grade 12, and Terry Fox Secondary. Middle schools include École Citadel, which offers Late French Immersion, École Kwayhquitlum, École Maple Creek, Minnekhada and École Pitt River. Early French Immersion is offered at École Coquitlam River, École Irvine, École Kilmer, École Mary Hill and École Westwood elementary schools, and James Park Elementary offers Montessori. Hazel Trembath Elementary is being rebuilt after a fire. The francophone École des Pionniers-de-Maillardville, run by the Conseil scolaire francophone, teaches kindergarten to Grade 12 in Port Coquitlam for families who meet its eligibility rules. Catchments depend on your address, so check SD43's School Locator.

How Port Coquitlam is growing

• More homes per lot. Many single-family lots now allow three or four units, or six near frequent bus service, generally along the Lougheed Highway. I explain the rules in More Homes per Lot.
• Around transit. The area around Port Coquitlam Station, and parts of the city near the Lincoln and Coquitlam Central SkyTrain stations, are transit-oriented areas. Land isn't rezoned automatically, but the City can't turn down a rezoning for taller housing on height or density alone, up to limits the Province sets.
• A plan refresh. The City updated its community plan for the Province's housing laws and is preparing a broader refresh.

Before you buy

• Flood risk. About 45% of Port Coquitlam is in the floodplain of the Pitt, Fraser and Coquitlam rivers, protected by dikes and pump stations. Check the City's flood plain map, and on a floodplain lot, ask whether the home's living space sits above the flood construction level. The freshet usually comes in May and June.
• Wildfire. Some properties are in wildland-urban interface areas near forests. The City has an interactive map, and PoCo firefighters offer free FireSmart home assessments.
• Creeks. Building within 15 m of a watercourse can need a watercourse protection development permit.
• The rail yard. If you are looking near the CPKC yard or the tracks, visit at different times of day to hear the trains for yourself.

Questions buyers often ask me

Does Port Coquitlam have SkyTrain?

No. The nearest stations are in Coquitlam. Port Coquitlam has a West Coast Express station downtown, and the R3 RapidBus runs along the Lougheed Highway.

What is the Traboulay PoCo Trail?

A 25 km loop of paved and gravel paths around the whole city, along the Coquitlam and Pitt rivers, Hyde Creek and DeBoville Slough.

Is Port Coquitlam in a floodplain?

About 45% of the city is in the floodplain of the Pitt, Fraser and Coquitlam rivers, protected by dikes and pump stations. Check the City's flood plain map before you buy.

What is Terry Fox's connection to Port Coquitlam?

Port Coquitlam is his hometown. The City honours him with public art at the community centre, an exhibit on his early years and the Terry Fox Hometown Run each September.

Which secondary schools are in Port Coquitlam?

SD43's secondary schools in Port Coquitlam are École Riverside and Terry Fox Secondary, and your catchment school depends on your address. The francophone École des Pionniers-de-Maillardville also teaches to Grade 12, and the City lists Archbishop Carney Regional Secondary, an independent school.

Browse homes for sale in Port Coquitlam, compare it with its neighbours in Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam or Port Moody?, or look east in Maple Ridge or Pitt Meadows?

Population is from the 2021 Census, and other details are from the City of Port Coquitlam, TransLink and School District 43 at the time of writing. For the City's guide, see about Port Coquitlam.