Kers1978

Hi Guys, Currently on holiday and staying in Abbottsford. I love town life for my kids but also like the buzz of the city at times. Coquitlam has been recommended as a good place and not too far from Vancouver.
Has anyone moved there from London/UK and can let me know how their experiences were like.
Schools are of great importance as i have a 3/5 and 13 year old.
Also what is the transport system like etc?
Any advice would be much appreciated.

K

JonboyE

I think Spritzer lives in Coquitlam.

Don't stress too much about the schools. Unless you have specific needs (e.g. religious or French immersion) look for a nice area to live and the locals schools will be just fine.

I don't know Coquitlam all that well but I guess if you stay away from the major highways and the commercial areas around Hwy 1, the Lougheed, Brunette Street and North Road there are plenty of good places to live.

brizzle

I live in Coquitlam. As JonBoyE says most of the rougher parts tend to be pretty close to Hwy1/Lougheed. Apart from that it is fine, lots of space, good parks, regular suburbia, but nothing too exciting. Older more established (well OK mostly 1970's) part is around Lougheed Mall. Newer developments towards Coq. Centre and up into the mountains !! Lots and I mean lots of Asian people, Korean & Chinese in the main. Lots of Korean shops/restaurants around North Rd.

West Coast Express available from Coq. Centre. Never used it, but somebody else might comment? Skytrain from Lougheed Town Centre is about 40mins downtown, which is acceptable, but you still need car/bus to get there and add that time too. For me about 1-1.15hrs door to door to get downtown.

Still not very cheap. Houses start at around $500k. Most of the suburbs seem very similar to me and the prices don't seem wildly different from places closer to Vancouver. Main advantages to Coquitlam are the skytrain, space, parks, near to highways, views of mountains etc.

What do you think of Abbotsford ? Personally, I don't like it, but Coquitlam is pretty much the same suburbia but closer and more accessible to Van?

Aviator

Personally prefer Abby over Coquitlam. Guess it depends if you have to commute. I did it for a while to YVR and was not to big a deal.

dboy

Yep that about sums it up. I lived on the Plateau - nice place backed on to ravine - but I personally didn't like it.

singingringingtree

If you live towards top of Coquitlam (north?) it puts you in the catchment area for the Heritage Woods High School in Port Moody, which seems to be a great school. We visited it and were very impressed. Pretty new school ('John Tucker Must Die' was filmed there as well at a number of Dell ads) which has won lots of awards. Have a look at it on Wiki.

Port Moody next door is worth a look, bit more expensive though.

Kers1978

Thanks Brizzle and all,
Its kind of what i wanted. Surburbia for the kids and a bit of a quiet life. But yet close to amenities and transport as it's likely i will work in Vancouver. Abbotsford is okay. But then i am on holiday and fly back to London this Saturday. Went to a hockey game last night. Only problem is no transport system! Although from London i would like to stay clear of the 'rougher' parts so cheers for all the tips Guys. x

brizzle

No probs. You'll need to do some research on transport links if you're working downtown. Abbotsford is too far and rubbish transport for me and yes there are plenty of ne'er do wells there as you might say. To endorse the other comments, I quite like Port Moody. West Coast express runs through there and express buses to the skytrain. Good luck.

dboy

If i had to choose between Port Moody and Coqutilam it would be Port Moody. Check out Heritage Mountain. There is also Newport Village which has a much better feel than coquitlam centre for some stores and what have you, nice to wander around for an hour or so. Port Moody is also a bit closer to Vancouver. I would also look at townhouses as a cheaper alternative to a detached house. It is more spendy though than coquitlam.

dboy

First person i think I ever met who likes Abby over coquitlam.

Aviator

We've met? I know loads of people who prefer the upper valley to Coquitlam. Could not be paid enough to live in and around Vancouver.

Lychee

I assume you've explored random Coquitlam streets via Google Street View? It'll give you a sense of the area if you haven't quite explored it.

Coquitlam in Google Street view

dboy

Each to their own - you could n't pay me enough to live in the valley. Abbotsford has more problems with gangs and violence than anywhere else, including Coqutilam - the gang shootings that Vancouver gets pegged with are often from that neck of the woods. Not to mention serious drug problems in the downtown core - which is a dump. These are my opinions of course, although influenced in part by my job.

Enjoy

Aviator

Been here 15 years, live in a nice rural part of town with acreage, mountain views, dark nights and quiet. So far not been affected by the issues you mention, see them on the news though, along with the issues of every other part of the lower mainland. Even Hornby Island is not immune. The downtown of Abby though does not have the problems of East Hastings.

dboy

You can say that about anywhere, one street can be great, two blocks over - crap , Kerrisdale is not Hastings - and no, Abby does not have the 'poverty' of hastings - but has more violent crime, per capita, in what is supposed to be a farming community. Comparing Hornby is silly - murder (if it is) can happen anywhere - does not in anyway explain the nature of the place, which i thought was the whole point. I could say, Kits is great, nice, safe and quiet at night...etc, not exactly a fair overall representation of Vancouver - is it?