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Port Moody
City of Port Moody
Port Moody City Hall and Library
Port Moody City Hall and Library
Flag of Port Moody
Flag
Official logo of Port Moody
Motto(s): 
City of the arts
GVRD Port Moody.svg
Country Canada
Province British Columbia
Regional district Metro Vancouver
Incorporated  
 • Town 1859
 • City 1913
Named for Richard Moody
Area
 • Total 25.89 km2 (10.00 sq mi)
Elevation
40 m (130 ft)
Population
 (2016)
 • Total 33,551
 • Density 1,295.9/km2 (3,356/sq mi)
Time zone UTC−8 (Pacific Time Zone)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−7 (Pacific Daylight Time)
Forward sortation area
V3H
Area code(s) 604, 778, 236, 672
Website portmoody.ca

Port Moody is a city in British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It envelops the east end of Burrard Inlet and is the smallest of the Tri-Cities, bordered by Coquitlam on the east and south and by Burnaby on the west. The villages of Belcarra and Anmore, along with the rugged Coast Mountains, lie to the northwest and north, respectively. It is named for Richard Clement Moody, the first lieutenant governor of the Colony of British Columbia.

History

Port Moody, is named for Colonel Richard Clement Moody, Royal Engineers. It was established at the end of a trail that connected New Westminster with Burrard Inlet to defend New Westminster from potential attack from the US. After 1859, the town grew rapidly following land grants to Moody’s Royal Engineers after the sapper detachment was disbanded in 1863.

The construction of a transcontinental railroad was the condition that prompted British Columbia to enter into confederation in 1871. The small town received little attention until it was declared the terminus of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1879.

By 1881, the survey of Port Moody had begun. Both John Murray Sr. and Jr. assisted and, in fact, it was John Murray Jr. who named many of the streets after members of his family. The population quickly grew through the early 1880s. As the Western Terminus of the CPR almost everyone had high hopes that Port Moody would become a major west coast metropolis.

The railway was completed with the last spike driven at Craigellachie on November 7, 1885 and a train arriving at Port Moody the next day. The first scheduled passenger transcontinental train arrived on July 4, 1886, a date which is still celebrated during Golden Spike Days. Real estate prices soared, but soon fell flat when a branch line was built to Vancouver in 1887.

While many people lost a great deal of money and moved on, others, including real estate tycoon and ship captain, James A. Clarke, and several lumber mills, decided to remain. On April 7, 1913, Port Moody's Council met for the first time as a city. Some prominent early families were Ottley, Bennett, Johnson, Axford, Howard-Gibbon, Thurston, Roe, Abernathy, Elsdon, Campbell, Clarke, Murray and Appleyard.

Climate

Climate data for Port Moody
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 16.5
(61.7)
19
(66)
23
(73)
28
(82)
34.5
(94.1)
33.5
(92.3)
33.5
(92.3)
34
(93)
32.5
(90.5)
28
(82)
19
(66)
15.5
(59.9)
34.5
(94.1)
Average high °C (°F) 5.5
(41.9)
7.5
(45.5)
9.9
(49.8)
12.8
(55.0)
16.4
(61.5)
18.9
(66.0)
21.9
(71.4)
22.3
(72.1)
19
(66)
13.7
(56.7)
8.3
(46.9)
5.6
(42.1)
13.5
(56.3)
Average low °C (°F) 0.6
(33.1)
1.6
(34.9)
3.1
(37.6)
5.1
(41.2)
8.2
(46.8)
10.8
(51.4)
12.9
(55.2)
13.3
(55.9)
10.9
(51.6)
7.3
(45.1)
3.5
(38.3)
0.9
(33.6)
6.5
(43.7)
Record low °C (°F) −14
(7)
−13
(9)
−7.8
(18.0)
−1
(30)
1.7
(35.1)
4.4
(39.9)
6.7
(44.1)
7.2
(45.0)
1
(34)
−7
(19)
−15.5
(4.1)
−16
(3)
−16
(3)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 249.6
(9.83)
199.7
(7.86)
181.4
(7.14)
142.6
(5.61)
107.7
(4.24)
90.2
(3.55)
67.9
(2.67)
66.1
(2.60)
91.1
(3.59)
186.5
(7.34)
297
(11.7)
275.6
(10.85)
1,955.4
(76.98)
Source: Environment Canada

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Port Moody had a population of 33,535 living in 13,109 of its 13,603 total private dwellings, a change of -0% from its 2016 population of 33,551. With a land area of 25.85 km2 (9.98 sq mi), it had a population density of 1,297.3/km2 (3,360/sq mi) in 2021.

In 2006, 8,015 residential dwellings were owned, while 2,115 were rented.

Of the total population, 45% of Port Moody residents are legally married, 6.25% are in common-law relationships, 5.72% are divorced and 24% are single. Thirty percent of residents identify themselves as immigrants, slightly higher than the 27% Canadian average.

2006 2011 2016
27,512 32,975 33,551
Age Group  % of Total  % of Males  % of Females
0 to 14 years 18 19.1 17.1
15 to 64 years 69.8 69.1 70.5
65 years and over 12.2 11.8 12.5
85 years and over 1 0.8 1.2
Average age of the population 39 38.4 39.6
Median age of the population 40.6

Ethnicity

Canada 2016 Census Population  % of Total Population
Visible minority group
South Asian 775 2.3%
Chinese 3,430 10.3%
African 300 0.9%
Filipino 565 1.7%
Latin American 560 1.7%
Arab 70 0.2%
Southeast Asian 375 1.1%
West Asian 1,265 3.8%
Korean 1,770 5.3%
Japanese 510 1.5%
Other visible minority 120 0.4%
Mixed visible minority 455 1.4%
Total visible minority population 10,185 30.4%
Aboriginal 1,060 3.2%
European 22,735 68%
Total population 33,551 100%

Languages

Mother languages as reported by each person:

Canada 2011 Census Population  % of Total Population  % of Non-official language Population
English 22,720 69.1 N/A
Korean 1,830 5.6 18.8
Chinese-Total
Chinese-Cantonese
Chinese-n.o.s.
1,260
635
625
3.8
1.9
1.9
12.9
6.5
6.4
Persian 930 2.8 9.5
Spanish 655 2.0 6.7
French 340 1.0 N/A

Geography and the environment

Over 41 streams flow through Port Moody to Burrard Inlet. The City of Port Moody Stream Stewardship Program manages urban streams, streamside vegetation and watersheds to support the production of fish and insect life for present and future generations. The Port Moody Ecological Society (PMES), a not-for-profit organization, works alongside the city to promote ecological awareness in the area. PMES volunteers operate a salmon and trout hatchery, a water quality lab and public awareness & community outreach programs.

The city has also banned the use of pesticides, and holds annual seminars on how to garden naturally at its Inlet Theatre. City Hall has been pesticide free since 1988.

Port Moody won a large number of provincial, national and international awards. In 2004, the city received a prestigious award from the UN sponsored International Awards for Liveable Communities in the category Planning for the Future. The city also received third place overall for cities of its size.

In 2008, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business highlighted Port Moody as the most fiscally responsible among British Columbia's 28 largest cities.

Transportation

Inlet Centre station
Inlet Centre SkyTrain station

As part of Metro Vancouver, Port Moody is connected to the TransLink public transit system by way of numerous bus routes. It also has the first station on the West Coast Express commuter rail line outside downtown Vancouver. The Millennium Line's Evergreen Extension, part of TransLink's SkyTrain system, links Port Moody with Coquitlam to the east and Burnaby and Vancouver in the west. In August 2018, U-bicycle launched a dockless bicycle sharing system in the city. Additionally, Modo has five vehicles located in Port Moody available for carsharing. As of June 2019, seven Level 2 electric vehicle charging stations were located in Port Moody, with the capacity for 14 vehicles.

City of the Arts

On June 16, 2004, Port Moody was officially trademarked as the “City of the Arts.” Historically, Port Moody was a destination for artists because of its low rent, beautiful scenery and ambient lighting. Today, it is home to annual festivals, arts groups and diverse facilities that help foster a creative community.

The Port Moody Arts Centre offers a number of fine arts and photography classes for residents of all ages, and has three diverse art galleries that feature a number of constantly changing works. The Port Moody Station Museum hosts a wide assortment of artifacts from Port Moody’s past, and has restored a heritage train venosta for tours. Arts Connect is an organization that connects artists from the Tri-Cities (Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody), and hosts regular artists’ circles. Artists can find studio space in Port Moody at 2709 Esplanade, with open house tours taking place every year in April.

Popular festivals in Port Moody include the Canadian Film Festival (February), the Festival of the Arts (September), Golden Spike Days (July), the Wearable Art Awards (yearly, next is May 9 & 10, 2009) and the CP Rail Holiday Train (December). Port Moody is also home to the Inlet Theatre, an intimate 200 seat venue.

Recreation

Rocky Point Park 13
Rocky Point Park

Port Moody is home to Rocky Point Park. It includes 3.8 hectares of space, the park has hiking trails, a newly renovated spray park, a skate park, a bike trials park, a playground, a picnic shelter, a boat launch and a recreational pier. Home to Golden Spike Days, the park is a popular destination in the summer.

Bert Flinn Park encompasses 138 hectares of largely undeveloped parkland on former industrial lands. Popular with mountain bikers, and with an extensive unmarked trail system along old logging roadbeds, the park also has an off-leash dog walk.

Old Orchard Park is another popular destination in Port Moody. At about 1.4 hectares in size, it is directly across the inlet from Rocky Point Park and is the northern end of Shoreline Trail. It has a sandy beach, picnic shelter with BBQs and adventure playground in a quiet park setting. Old Orchard Hall is also located here and is a popular facility for weddings and other special events.

The old Ioco townsite also offers trails and grassy fields to residents and is especially popular with dog walkers.

Finishing construction in 2008, Port Moody has renovated its recreation complex. Home to an Olympic size ice rink, this new facility has an indoor running track, a state-of-the-art gym, a curling rink and an athlete’s lounge. The Port Moody Happening, a quarterly publication, features all recreation programs offered at this new facility.

Chinese name

The traditional phonetic rendering of Port Moody was roughly translated as "dilapidated graveyard" in Chinese. In 1998, the City of Port Moody adopted a new phonetic spelling of Port Moody in Chinese which translates as Land Full of Treasures.

Economy

The traditional industrial sector in Port Moody is characterized by a deep-sea bulk loading terminal, two petrochemical distribution operations, a large wood products manufacturer, and a thermal electric generating station. Light industry, home-based business, and crafts and cultural businesses are also common in Port Moody, along with a growing health and social services sector.

Port Moody's economic development focus in recent years has been on the arts and culture sector, including the development of a new Port Moody identity as the “City of the Arts.” An estimated 6% of employment in Port Moody is in arts and culture sector, which is one of the highest concentrations of arts and culture employment in the region.

In 2008, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business highlighted Port Moody as the most fiscally responsible of British Columbia's 28 largest cities.

Largest employers

In 2014, Port Moody's single largest employer was Eagle Ridge Hospital, with 927 employees, followed by the City of Port Moody (686 employees) and School District 43 (525 employees).

Sports

Club League Sport Venue Established Championships
Port Moody Panthers
PJHL
Ice hockey Port Moody Recreation Complex arena
1999
0

Education

Port Moody is served by School District 43, which offers two public high schools (Heritage Woods Secondary School and Port Moody Secondary School), two middle school and seven elementary schools.

Simon Fraser University is located in nearby Burnaby, while Douglas College maintains a campus in Coquitlam's Town Centre.

Port Moody's public library is located in the City Hall complex.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Port Moody (Columbia Británica) para niños

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