Located about a 40-minute drive east of Vancouver at the end of Burrard Inlet, Port Moody (pop. 30,000) is a small community with an impressive natural setting.Nestled at the foot of Eagle Mountain, the protected harbour invites boating and kayaking, fishing, while the forested parklands above are quintessential West Coast wilderness with hiking trails, lakes and mountain vistas.
Belcarra Regional Park and Buntzen Lake Recreation Area are hot commodities to city folk on a weekend getaway. And for outdoor enthusiasts, Port Moody is the gateway to Indian Arm, a pristine fjord where wilderness is up close and personal within minutes of launching a boat.
Port Moody is in the Tri-City region, one of Metro Vancouver's fastest growing suburbs which comprise Port Moody (the smallest of the three), Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam. Since they also provide many big city services such as Coquitlam Mall, one of the largest malls in the province, as well as first class golfing on Westwood Plateau, Port Moody can bask in its quieter, more laid back lifestyle.
Cultural Heritage
Port Moody has a rich, cultural heritage; first as a First Nations summer camp and then as part of the transcontinental railway which arrived here in the late 1800s. Throughout this time and well into the 20th Century, the harbour bustled with industry. Delve into Port Moody's history at the Station Museum, and festivals such as Golden Spike Days, which celebrate those heady times.
Wildlife Watching
Today, much of Port Moody's heritage is simply a part of the lifestyle. The sheltered harbour still sees freighters coming and going, albeit at a slow enough pace that wildlife such as sealions, eagles and osprey make the clear, inlet waters home. Kayaking trips from here can easily extend up Indian Arm, and even up Burrard Inlet into Vancouver.
An easy walking and cycling trail edges the crescent shaped shores, meandering through parks, past residential neighbourhoods and on to Newport Village, the fast-evolving commercial hub of the community.
Newport Village
Designed like a mini Whistler Village, Newport incorporates several hi-rises into its compact, walkable layout where services and ethnic restaurants sit cheek by jowel with specialty retailers in fresh produce, gifts and baked goods. With no chain-name in sight, the village's cosmopolitan ambiance is the face of the 'new' Port Moody.
Civic Centre Complex
The smart Civic Centre Complex, complete with a comprehensive recreational centre, has also extended Port Moody's amenities beyond its natural assets. Through a visionary goal to be a City of the Arts, there's an evolving public arts program, a growing number of community events such as the Rocky Point Park summer music series, and participation in Tri-City initiatives such as ArtsConnect Studio Tours and Coquitlam's TreeFrest.
Belcarra Regional Park
Belcarra Regional Park rises up from the water to include an extensive landscape of forested trails, a lake and woodlands, as well as neighbourhoods such as the Village of Belcarra, a small community of barely 1000 with not one commercial business in its residential make up.
Port Moody Neighbourhoods
Belcarra and neighbouring Anmore are two of three politically independent villages (municipalities with populations under 2,500) in the Greater Vancouver area – the other being Lions Bay. Because of their comparative autonomy, land values have sky-rocketed in recent years.
Next to Anmore lies IOCO name for the Imperial Oil Company. Once one of the province's earliest company towns, it was vacated in the mid nineties. As the treasures Port Moody are rediscovered, it will surely be reborn as a new style of community.
Drop by the Port Moody Arts Centre for information on what to see and do in and around Port Moody.
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