Port Moody, British Columbia
Encyclopedia
Port Moody is a small, crescent-shaped city in Metro Vancouver, located at the east end of Burrard Inlet
in British Columbia
, Canada
. Port Moody is the smallest of the Tri-Cities
, bordered by Coquitlam on the east and south, and 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 Moody
.
was the condition that prompted British Columbia to enter into confederation in 1871. The little 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.
and School District 43
.
Of its 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. 30% of its residents identify themselves as immigrants, slightly higher than the 27% Canadian average.
Port Moody's City Manager is Gaetan Royer. The Corporate Leadership Team includes: Brad Parker, Chief Constable, PMPD; Jeff Lambert, Fire Chief, PMFD; Paul Rockwood, Director of Finance & IT; Ron Higo, Director of Community Services; Heather Scoular, Chief Librarian; Colleen Rohde, Director Strategic Planning & Culture; Tim Savoie, Director of Planning & Development; Eugene Wat, Director of Engineering.
Council meetings are held every second and fourth Tuesday of the month in Council Chambers (Inlet Theatre, 100 Newport Drive). They begin at 7 p.m. and are taped and later broadcast on Shaw Cable 4 at 9:00 am the following Saturday.
, and offers two public high schools, plus several more middle schools and 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.
s, 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.
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, which is one of the highest concentrations of arts and culture employment in the region.
.
Port Moody's CKPM-FM
will be the first radio station
dedicated to the Tri-Cities area when it takes to the air in 2009.
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.
. With 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.
Finishing construction in 2008, Port Moody has renovated its recreation complex. Home to an Olympic size ice rink, this new facility will have 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.
. In 1998, the City of Port Moody adopted a new phonetic spelling of Port Moody in Chinese which translates as Land Full of Treasures.
Burrard Inlet
Burrard Inlet is a relatively shallow-sided coastal fjord in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Formed during the last Ice Age, it separates the City of Vancouver and the rest of the low-lying Burrard Peninsula from the slopes of the North Shore Mountains, home to the communities of West...
in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Port Moody is the smallest of the Tri-Cities
Tri-Cities (British Columbia)
The Tri-Cities is an informal term used to describe three adjacent suburban cities in the north-east sector of Metro Vancouver in British Columbia. Combined, these five communities have a 2008 population of 211,418 residents:-Other terms:...
, bordered by Coquitlam on the east and south, and Burnaby on the west. The villages of Belcarra
Belcarra, British Columbia
See also Belcarra, County Mayo in the Republic of Ireland.Belcarra is a village on the shore of Indian Arm, a side inlet of Burrard Inlet, and is part of Metro Vancouver. It lies northwest of Port Moody and immediately east of the Deep Cove area of North Vancouver, across the waters of Indian Arm...
and Anmore, along with the rugged Coast Mountains
Coast Mountains
The Coast Mountains are a major mountain range, in the Pacific Coast Ranges, of western North America, extending from southwestern Yukon through the Alaska Panhandle and virtually all of the Coast of British Columbia. They are so-named because of their proximity to the sea coast, and are often...
, lie to the northwest and north respectively. It is named for Richard Moody
Richard Moody
Major-General Richard Clement Moody was a Lieutenant-Governor, and later Governor, of the Falkland Islands, and the first Lieutenant-Governor of the Colony of British Columbia. While serving under this post, he selected the site of the new capital, New Westminster...
.
History
The construction of a transcontinental railroadTranscontinental railroad
A transcontinental railroad is a contiguous network of railroad trackage that crosses a continental land mass with terminals at different oceans or continental borders. Such networks can be via the tracks of either a single railroad, or over those owned or controlled by multiple railway companies...
was the condition that prompted British Columbia to enter into confederation in 1871. The little town received little attention until it was declared the terminus of the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
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
Golden Spike Days
The Golden Spike Days Festival is an annual family festival held in Rocky Point Park, Port Moody, British Columbia. The festival commemorates the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway to the city and the Confederation of Canada. The festival includes many live musical performances, dancers,...
. Real estate prices soared, but soon fell flat when a branch line was built to Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
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.
Demographics
In 2006, the City of Port Moody had 27,512 people in 10,125 private dwellings living within its borders . This population growth was a 15% increase from the last census taken in 2001. Booming residential construction may account for part of this population growth; 8,015 residential dwellings are owned while 2,115 are rented. Port Moody also has the fourth highest municipal median family income at $70,239, with its largest employers being Eagle Ridge HospitalEagle Ridge Hospital
Eagle Ridge Hospital is a medical facility located in Port Moody, British Columbia, on the Port Moody/Coquitlam border. ERH is one of 12 hospitals under the jurisdiction of Fraser Health, which services more than 1.3 million people....
and School District 43
School District 43 Coquitlam
School District 43 is one of the sixty school districts in British Columbia. The district is the third largest in British Columbia with 45 elementary schools, 13 middle schools, and 9 secondary schools. School District 43 serves the Tri-Cities, including the cities of Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam,...
.
Of its 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. 30% of its residents identify themselves as immigrants, slightly higher than the 27% Canadian average.
Governance and politics
Port Moody’s City Council consists of Mayor Joe Trasolini, Meghan Lahti, Bob Elliott, Karen Rockwell, Mike Clay, Diana Dilworth and Gerry Nuttall. School Trustees representing Port Moody are Melissa Hyndes and Keith Watkins. Elections are held province-wide on the third Saturday of November every three years. At that time, Port Moody residents will be asked to elect one mayor, six councillors and two trustees to the School District 43’s board.Port Moody's City Manager is Gaetan Royer. The Corporate Leadership Team includes: Brad Parker, Chief Constable, PMPD; Jeff Lambert, Fire Chief, PMFD; Paul Rockwood, Director of Finance & IT; Ron Higo, Director of Community Services; Heather Scoular, Chief Librarian; Colleen Rohde, Director Strategic Planning & Culture; Tim Savoie, Director of Planning & Development; Eugene Wat, Director of Engineering.
Council meetings are held every second and fourth Tuesday of the month in Council Chambers (Inlet Theatre, 100 Newport Drive). They begin at 7 p.m. and are taped and later broadcast on Shaw Cable 4 at 9:00 am the following Saturday.
Education
Port Moody is served by School District 43School District 43 Coquitlam
School District 43 is one of the sixty school districts in British Columbia. The district is the third largest in British Columbia with 45 elementary schools, 13 middle schools, and 9 secondary schools. School District 43 serves the Tri-Cities, including the cities of Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam,...
, and offers two public high schools, plus several more middle schools and elementary schools.
Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University is a Canadian public research university in British Columbia with its main campus on Burnaby Mountain in Burnaby, and satellite campuses in Vancouver and Surrey. The main campus in Burnaby, located from downtown Vancouver, was established in 1965 and has more than 34,000...
is located in nearby Burnaby, while Douglas College
Douglas College
Established in 1970, Douglas College is one of the largest public colleges in British Columbia, Canada serving 14,000 credit students, 9,000 continuing education students and 1,000 international students each year.-Programs:...
maintains a campus in Coquitlam's Town Centre.
Port Moody's public library is located in the City Hall complex.
Geography and the environment
Over 41 streams flow through Port Moody to Burrard Inlet. The City of Port Moody Stream Stewardship Program manages urban streamUrban stream
An urban stream is a formerly natural waterway that flows through a heavily populated area. Urban streams are often significantly polluted, due to urban runoff and combined sewer outflows....
s, 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.
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, which is one of the highest concentrations of arts and culture employment in the region.
Media
In addition to Vancouver-based media outlets, Port Moody is served by several community newspapers including the Tri-City NewsTri-City News
The Tri-City News is a bi-weekly community newspaper, based in Port Coquitlam and published by Black Press, and has been serving the Tri-Cities region of British Columbia's Lower Mainland since 1985...
.
Port Moody's CKPM-FM
CKPM-FM
CKPM-FM is a future Canadian radio station. Licenced to Port Moody, British Columbia and operating at 98.7 FM, the station serves the Tri-Cities area. CKPM will broadcast with an ERP of 1000 watts with an HAAT of -193.2m. When the station signs on, it will broadcast an Adult album alternative format...
will be the first radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
dedicated to the Tri-Cities area when it takes to the air in 2009.
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
Inlet Theatre
The Inlet Theatre is a proscenium theatre located at the Port Moody Civic Centre in Port Moody, British Columbia, overlooking Burrard Inlet. The theatre regularly features plays, concerts, and dance performances, as well as a host of special events including the Port Moody Canadian Film Festival...
, an intimate 200 seat venue.
Recreation
Port Moody is home to Rocky Point ParkRocky Point Park
Rocky Point Park, also known as Rocky Point, is situated along Burrard Inlet in Port Moody, British Columbia, next to the Port Moody Station Museum...
. With 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.
Finishing construction in 2008, Port Moody has renovated its recreation complex. Home to an Olympic size ice rink, this new facility will have 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 ChineseChinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
. In 1998, the City of Port Moody adopted a new phonetic spelling of Port Moody in Chinese which translates as Land Full of Treasures.
See also
- Port Moody Station MuseumPort Moody Station MuseumThe Port Moody Station Museum is owned and operated by the Port Moody Heritage Society and is part of their effort to promote increased awareness and knowledge of Port Moody, British Columbia's heritage and history.- History :...
- Canadian National RailwayCanadian National RailwayThe Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
- Rocky Point ParkRocky Point ParkRocky Point Park, also known as Rocky Point, is situated along Burrard Inlet in Port Moody, British Columbia, next to the Port Moody Station Museum...
- Port Moody Secondary SchoolPort Moody Secondary SchoolPort Moody Secondary School, is a public coeducational high school located in Port Moody, British Columbia. The school is notable for offering the International Baccalaureate Program and the Career Preparation Program to its students, which many students travel from other neighbourhoods and school...
- NewPort VillageNewPort VillageNewPort Village is a small commercial and residential area in Port Moody, British Columbia.The area is located just east of the Burrard Inlet, and across Ioco Road from the city hall, library, and the arena. What is now NewPort Village used to be a forest, the area wasn't developed until the...
- Heritage Woods Secondary SchoolHeritage Woods Secondary SchoolHeritage Woods Secondary School is a coeducational high school located in Port Moody, British Columbia. In 2007, Heritage Woods celebrated their first graduating class...