Tri-Cities (British Columbia) Explained

The Tri-Cities are an informal grouping of the three adjacent suburban cities of Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, and Port Moody, along with the two villages of Anmore and Belcarra in the northeast sector of Metro Vancouver in British Columbia.[1] [2] Combined, these five communities had a population of 246,701 residents in 2021.

Demographics

Population by municipality[3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

2016 Census

MunicipalityType Population
Anmorevillage 2,210
Belcarravillage 643
Coquitlamcity 139,284
Port Coquitlamcity 58,612
Port Moodycity 33,551

2021 Census

MunicipalityType Population
Anmorevillage 2,356
Belcarravillage 687
Coquitlamcity 148,625
Port Coquitlamcity 61,498
Port Moodycity 33,535

Population by ethnic groups

Ethnic groups in the Tri-Cities (2016)
Population %
128,835
54,875
12,275
Southeast Asian 11,265
9,810
Indigenous7,515
3,690
2,720
Other 4,165
Total population 234,300

Education

The Tri-Cities area is serviced by School District No. 43, which is the third largest school district in British Columbia, with 33,033 students in the 2016/17 year.[8] [9]

Media

The Tri-Cities area has access to a wide variety of media available in the Lower Mainland. However, only one local newspaper, the Tri-City News, remained in publication following the mergers and shutdowns of several outlets owned by Glacier Media.

CKPM-FM in Port Moody became the first radio station dedicated to the Tri-Cities area when it launched in 2012, however the station stopped broadcasting in 2019 after its licence was not renewed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.[10]

Transportation

Roads

For motorists, the Trans-Canada Highway provides freeway access to Burnaby, Vancouver, Surrey, and other municipalities in the Lower Mainland. Lougheed Highway is an alternative route to the Trans-Canada, entering Coquitlam via Maillardville, continuing north to Coquitlam Centre before turning sharply east through Port Coquitlam and then into Pitt Meadows via the Pitt River Bridge. Barnet Highway begins at the Coquitlam Centre area and continues west through Port Moody to Burnaby and downtown Vancouver.

Public transit

Public transport in the Tri-City area is provided by TransLink, the regional transportation authority for Metro Vancouver.

The area has been served by SkyTrain since the completion of the Evergreen Extension of the Millennium Line on December 2, 2016.[11] The extension connects Lougheed Town Centre in Burnaby to the Tri-Cities, with six stations spanning from the southwestern part of Coquitlam into Port Moody and central Coquitlam, where it terminates at Lafarge Lake–Douglas station.

The West Coast Express, which runs from Downtown Vancouver to Mission, also stops at Port Coquitlam station, Coquitlam Central station, and Moody Centre station.

Business

Businesses in the Tri-City area are represented by the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce.[12] [13]

References

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Notes and References

  1. Web site: Walter . Chandler . 7 things you might not know about the Tri-Cities Curated . 2024-05-09 . . en.
  2. Web site: About the Tri-Cities . 2024-05-09 . Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce . en-US.
  3. Web site: 2022-02-09 . Profile table, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population - Anmore, Village (VL) . 2024-05-09 . Statistics Canada.
  4. Web site: 2022-02-09 . Profile table, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population - Belcarra, Village (VL) . 2024-05-09 . Statistics Canada.
  5. Web site: 2022-02-09 . Profile table, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population - Coquitlam, City (CY) . 2024-05-09 . Statistics Canada.
  6. Web site: 2022-02-09 . Profile table, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population - Port Coquitlam, City (CY) . 2024-05-09 . Statistics Canada.
  7. Web site: 2022-02-09 . Profile table, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population - Port Moody, City (CY) . 2024-05-09 . Statistics Canada.
  8. News: Lazaruk . Susan . August 30, 2017 . Back to school in B.C. by the numbers . Vancouver Sun.
  9. Web site: Shepherd . Jeremy . 2024-02-22 . Coquitlam school district readies for spring break trip to China; maintains close ties with former Confucius Institute . 2024-05-09 . Tri-Cities Dispatch . en-CA.
  10. Web site: Cleugh . Janis . 2020-03-03 . CRTC switches off the radio for Port Moody station CKPM . 2024-05-09 . . en.
  11. Web site: Balzer . Kyle . 2021-12-31 . The Evergreen Extension launched on Tri-Cities' rails five years ago. Where does it go from here? . 2024-05-09 . . en.
  12. Web site: Cleugh . Janis . 2023-11-16 . Chamber elects new board to steer Tri-City businesses next year . 2024-05-09 . . en.
  13. Web site: Xiang . Daisy . 2024-03-01 . Service sector grows alongside Tri-Cities’ population boom . 2024-05-09 . Business in Vancouver . en.