Central Coquitlam, Coquitlam

Central Coquitlam is the middle of the city — the area between the new Town Centre (SkyTrain) district to the north and the historic Maillardville area to the south. It's dominated by single-family houses on generous lots from the 1960s–80s, anchored by Coquitlam Centre mall (the largest shopping centre in the Tri-Cities, with a Walmart, a Superstore, a T&T, movie theatres, and 200+ stores) and by Mundy Park — a 178-hectare municipal park with Douglas fir forest and two small lakes.

For newcomer families, Central Coquitlam is the classic suburban choice in the Tri-Cities: affordable detached houses (relative to Vancouver or Burnaby, at least), large yards, good public schools, and easy access to both the SkyTrain at Coquitlam Central station and the highway via Lougheed. The schools are generally strong — Pinetree Secondary, the main high school serving Central Coquitlam, consistently ranks in the top third of BC public schools.

Rental stock is limited because the area is mostly owner-occupied, but secondary suites in houses are abundant and range from $1,400 for a small basement one-bedroom to $2,200 for a full ground-floor unit. Townhouse complexes in the 1990s–2000s developments along Austin Avenue and Marmont Street list three-bedroom rentals at $2,600–3,200.