Moving to Port Moody: A Guide to the City of the Arts

Port Moody wraps around the eastern end of Burrard Inlet, bordered by Burnaby, Coquitlam and the villages of Anmore and Belcarra. It pairs a waterfront park and a long shoreline trail with two SkyTrain stations and a growing town centre. Here is a guide to the City of the Arts for home buyers.

The short version

A short history

Port Moody was named in 1859 for Colonel Richard Moody, whose Royal Engineers cleared a trail from New Westminster to Burrard Inlet as a back-door defence for the new capital. In 1879 it was named the western terminus of the Canadian Pacific Railway, and the first transcontinental passenger train from Montreal arrived at noon on July 4, 1886, the event the city still celebrates as Golden Spike Days. The terminus soon moved to Vancouver, and sawmills and oil refineries followed. Port Moody was incorporated as a city in 1913, and the City adopted the slogan "City of the Arts" in 2001.

Neighbourhoods

The City's new community plan groups Port Moody into these areas:

• Moody Centre. The south shore and the City's most diverse neighbourhood, with the heritage commercial area along Clarke Street and part of St. Johns Street, the breweries on Murray Street, Rocky Point Park and Moody Centre Station.
• Inlet Centre. Where most of Port Moody's higher-density homes and shops are, around Inlet Centre Station, Suter Brook and Newport Village.
• College Park, Harbour Heights, Glenayre and Seaview. Mostly residential neighbourhoods south of the inlet.
• Pleasantside and April Road. Along the north shore of the inlet, mostly detached homes.
• Heritage Mountain, Twin Creeks, Noons Creek, Mountain Meadows and Heritage Woods. Newer neighbourhoods to the north, with detached homes, townhouses and some apartments.
• Ioco Lands. Including the Ioco Townsite, an early Imperial Oil company town that is now a heritage conservation area.

Getting around

• SkyTrain. Moody Centre and Inlet Centre stations opened with the Evergreen Extension on December 2, 2016. The Millennium Line runs west through Burnaby to Vancouver and east to Coquitlam's City Centre.
• West Coast Express. Moody Centre is a stop on the commuter train between Mission and downtown Vancouver, with five trains into downtown on weekday mornings and five back in the afternoon and evening.
• Buses. Local routes run from Moody Centre Station to Lougheed Station, Coquitlam Central, Ioco, Belcarra and Noons Creek, and seasonal specials run from Coquitlam Central to White Pine Beach and Buntzen Lake.

Parks and the waterfront

• Rocky Point Park. Port Moody's best-known park, with a pier, an outdoor pool in summer, spray parks, a playground, a skate park, a boat launch and kayak and paddleboard rentals.
• The Shoreline Trail. About 3 km each way, or 6 km return, from the pier at Rocky Point Park to Old Orchard Park, with a paved path for walking and cycling, a gravel trail closer to the water and a boardwalk at Pigeon Cove.
• Old Orchard Park. Port Moody's only swimming beach, at the far end of the trail.
• Bert Flinn Park. A natural area with nature and mountain bike trails, including a 2.6 km loop.
• Next door. Metro Vancouver's təmtəmíxʷtən/Belcarra Regional Park takes in Sasamat Lake and White Pine Beach, and BC Hydro's Buntzen Lake recreation area is in Anmore.

The City says more than 35% of its land is green space, with over 60 km of trails and pathways.

Arts, culture and community

• Arts. PoMoArts, the Port Moody Arts Centre, is in the historic Old City Hall on St. Johns Street, and the 200-seat Inlet Theatre is in the Civic Centre on Newport Drive.
• History. The POMO Museum, formerly the Port Moody Station Museum, is in the 1908 railway station on Murray Street.
• Brewers Row. Six breweries in a three-block stretch of Murray Street, a short walk from Rocky Point Park.
• Recreation. The Port Moody Recreation Complex on Ioco Road has two arenas, a curling centre, gyms and a fitness centre. The City has no indoor pool, but it runs two outdoor pools in summer, at Rocky Point Park and Westhill Park.
• Events. Golden Spike Days and Canada Day are held in Rocky Point Park, and Car-Free Day closes five blocks of St. Johns Street for a street celebration.

Schools

Port Moody is in School District 43. It has two secondary schools, Port Moody Secondary and Heritage Woods Secondary, and École Moody Middle School of the Arts, while Eagle Mountain Middle is just over the border in Anmore. Elementary schools include Aspenwood, École Glenayre, Heritage Mountain, Moody, Mountain Meadows, Pleasantside and Seaview. Moody Elementary moved into a new building in January 2026. École Glenayre offers Early French Immersion, and Aspenwood and Seaview offer Montessori. Catchments depend on your address, so check SD43's School Locator.

How Port Moody is growing

• Port Moody 2050. The new community plan, adopted on April 28, 2026, projects 32,300 dwelling units and a future population of 74,300 over the next 25 years, up from 33,535 people in 2021. Council has asked for those projections to be reviewed.
• Around the stations. Moody Centre and Inlet Centre are transit-oriented areas under provincial law. In 2026, Council approved several large projects near Moody Centre Station, including two 39-storey rental towers.
• Inlet District and Portwood. The former Coronation Park, near Inlet Centre, is being redeveloped as Inlet District, with about 2,500 homes planned. The former Woodland Park on the south slope is becoming Portwood, with about 2,000 homes, including below-market and rental homes.
• More homes per lot. Many single-family lots now allow up to four units, or six near frequent bus service. I explain the rules in More Homes per Lot.

Before you buy

• Trees. Port Moody's new Tree Protection Bylaw, adopted in March 2026, protects trees 30 cm or more in diameter at breast height, and trees from 10 cm for six native species or in streamside and environmentally sensitive areas. Removing a protected tree, even a dead one, needs a permit, and replacement planting is required in nearly all cases.
• Slopes and creeks. The City's plan maps hazardous lands and steep slopes, where flooding, debris flows or land slippage are possible. If a home is on a slope or near a creek, ask whether a development permit area applies.
• Wildfire. Many homes border forests and parks, so ask about FireSmart steps.
• The shoreline. The City's plan expects sea level to rise about 0.5 m by 2050 and 1 m by 2100, and commits to a coastal flood risk study.

Questions buyers often ask me

Why is Port Moody called the City of the Arts?

The City adopted the slogan in 2001, and arts and culture are part of its planning, from PoMoArts and the Inlet Theatre to public art.

How many SkyTrain stations does Port Moody have?

Two, both on the Millennium Line: Moody Centre and Inlet Centre. Moody Centre is also a West Coast Express stop.

Does Port Moody have a beach?

Yes. Old Orchard Park has the City's only swimming beach, and White Pine Beach on Sasamat Lake, in Metro Vancouver's təmtəmíxʷtən/Belcarra Regional Park, and Buntzen Lake in Anmore are a short drive away.

What is Brewers Row?

The local name, also used by the City, for the six breweries in a three-block stretch of Murray Street, near Rocky Point Park.

Is Port Moody growing?

Yes. Port Moody 2050 plans for much more housing, especially around Moody Centre and Inlet Centre stations, and several large projects are underway.

Browse homes for sale in Port Moody, compare it with its neighbours in Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam or Port Moody?, and read about the villages next door in Anmore and Belcarra.

Population is from the 2021 Census, and other details are from the City of Port Moody, TransLink and School District 43 at the time of writing. For the City's plan, see Port Moody 2050.