Coquitlam folks! Looking to live there, have some questions!

[Lomac]

Though obviously a different area than where you're thinking of moving to, I used to live off of Pipeline Rd in one of the apartment complexes a few years back. I never found the area to be an issue spot. Traffic was always a problem, though they were starting to fix it by the time I moved out of Coq. Only thing I miss about that place was being able to walk to Death By Chocolate for dessert.

Oh, and bear sightings around there weren't that uncommon.

[6o4__boi]

I moved to PoCo from Burnaby last year...grew up in Van and it's all i've ever really known. Tbh, i don't even really know my own area that well still but i know i'm close to everything I need (costco, coq centre, walmart, superstore etc.)

I work in Van so its usually a 40 minute commute on good days during peak hours. Which is fine, when i was still living in Van it would take me 25+ minute to get to work because piece of shit city driving. When i lived in Burnaby it actually took me less time to go to work than when i lived in Van.

So far i don't mind it...it drives me crazy when shit happens on the highway and it takes more than 45 mins to get home but meh. There is not much to do around the area but really when its outside of peak hours it would take me about 20 mins to drive to van...15 if i drive with a lead foot.

[fliptuner]

When you live in the burbs, you should try to work early shifts. Commuting from PoCo to N.Van only takes 25-30mins outside of rush hour.

Originally Posted by Special K

You would be looking at a townhouse in Burnaby at $550k.

My wife and I are also looking at moving to Coquitlam but in Burke Mountain. 25-30km away from DT. This neighbourhood is the only thing we can afford given our criteria.

The new sky train and west coast express shouldn't be too bad. It will be a huge change as I live and work downtown in the past 2 years.

Originally Posted by godwin

I would stay away from Burke mountain.. Translink had to cut back a lot of transit service there, now even parking is a problem because they had originally planned to have less parking because they expected to have decent transit. If you look at the land owner records of the area, you will notice a lot of them were provincial and municipal politicians both NDP and Liberals.

It's also been built faster than the infrastructure can support. If you have kids, good luck finding a school or park within walking distance.
Schools needed: city - News - Coquitlam Now

[Mr.HappySilp]

Originally Posted by winson604

Please slip to the end for questions if you don't want to read. Thanks!

So my wife and I have been house hunting for a while now and like many, we're born and raised in Vancouver and basically don't travel outside of Van/Burnaby/Richmond. Needless to say, we started our search in Vancouver but the dilemma of location vs square footage keeps coming up. We have a 7 month old and are looking at presales for condos/townhomes so by the time a place is ready, he'll be 1-3 years old. We've always been highway/bridge snobs with a passion but looking at places in Coquitlam recently was an eye opener and the drive wasn't too bad, mind you not during traffic. I think we are willing to make the sacrifice but wanted some opinions regarding the area we're looking at. Needless to say this is a very unknown place for my wife and I. I can count on my hand the amount of times I've been to COQ in the last 10 years.

We're currently looking at North Road and Foster Ave area, not far from Como Lake hood. Drove around the residential hood and it looks great, quiet, wide roads with little cars, all the houses were generally fairly new, feels safe. It's a few min drive or within a 10min walk from Lougheed Mall, the new Evergreen Line station, North Gate Village etc. It looks to be a booming area with high rises, townhomes, new super markets and things going up.

- How safe is this area of Coquitlam (Foster Ave & North Road hood)?
- How do you find living in Coquitlam, either this area specifically or in general?
- For those who work in Van, how's the drive during traffic? From this area I would take Gallardi > #1 West > 1st ave exit. On the weekend the highway portion only took 4 mins no traffic and from the place to the highway was only a few mins as well totally about 8-10 mins to get onto 1st ave. Yes, no traffic I know. Would assuming it might take 3 times that time during rush hour be reasonable?
- Anything I should keep in mind?
- Of course, just an thoughts at all are appreciated!

I use to live around North Road (where safeway is). It was ok I feel pretty safe going out at night alone. Area is quiet and the ppl generally nice and helpful. That was like 15+ years ago though. Since then a lot of townhomes have been built and traffic seems to be getting worse. Lougheed mall seems to be not as populated as before. But overall I think you will like the area because there is a park where I used to live with baseball court, soccer field, tennis court and a little playground with slides and swings oh and a basketball court.

[sam0m0]

lol i'm in the exact same scenario as you winston, it's almost as if typed it. I was looking at that area too, there are some new condo's (uptown) and low rises building there (charland, nouvelle,regan,nest), but I was leaning towards the townhouse bloom but missed getting in last year and now there are no more listings unfortunately.

[inv4zn]

I've lived in North Road/Austin for about 3 years now, and it's not that bad.

Traffic is bad, but around the Korean markets, and that's more because of the old Korean ladies driving ML's who block lanes, etc. (I'm Korean btw..haha)

On the odd occasion I have to get downtown during morning rush hour, it takes about 45 minutes give or take. The highway isn't that bad once you make it on there, and there are a few "detours" you can take to get on the highway faster rather than waiting endlessly for lights.

Safety, it's standard I'd say. If you park on the street, don't leave shit in your car. But there are sleazy looking people at night, and some breakins around me that I'm aware of.

It's a decent area to live - close enough to everything to not be a hassle, commodities around. If anything, the traffic around the area will become better once the Evergreen construction is done.

[winson604]

I just want to thank everyone for their response and input so far. It's nice to here opinions from people who actually live there vs me just making assumptions

[fliptuner]

Is the added space worth the extra commute?
How much value do you put on the time you would save, staying in Van?
Where would you rather raise your kids?
If you want the space and to stay where you are, is it feasible to rent until you save up for a house in Van?

Also, what's your daycare situation? If your kids go to school in Coquitlam but you work in Van, you might need before/after school daycare. You may not want to be that far away from them everyday. Or if family's watching them and they're in Van, it just makes it that much easier to get them around.

Just some things to consider.

[Hondaracer]

I recently moved to the Burnaby side of north road, in between Lougheed mall and gaglardi. Really knew nothing about the area before moving and it's great imo. My building is majority Koreans who are typically always great neighbors (moving from fraser heights where my last 3-4 neighbors were Koreans as well And large Korean contingent throughout FH)

Quiet area at night walking around, easy skytrain access, I can be at 232nd in Langley or downtown can in under half an hour almost any time of the day.

[Hondaracer]

I recently moved to the Burnaby side of north road, in between Lougheed mall and gaglardi. Really knew nothing about the area before moving and it's great imo. My building is majority Koreans who are typically always great neighbors (moving from fraser heights where my last 3-4 neighbors were Koreans as well And large Korean contingent throughout FH)

Quiet area at night walking around, easy skytrain access, I can be at 232nd in Langley or downtown can in under half an hour almost any time of the day.

[freakshow]

Just to echo some of ICE BOYs comments:
How much more space would you gain in your new house, and how much time would you lose with your kids?

I don't have a kid yet, so I don't know anything, but I presume that IF commuting meant losing an extra 1.5 hours each day with your kid, maybe it's better to just be closer to work in a smaller place. I don't think your 1 year old will complain about the missing square footage..

Originally Posted by ICE BOY

Is the added space worth the extra commute?
How much value do you put on the time you would save, staying in Van?
Where would you rather raise your kids?
If you want the space and to stay where you are, is it feasible to rent until you save up for a house in Van?

Also, what's your daycare situation? If your kids go to school in Coquitlam but you work in Van, you might need before/after school daycare. You may not want to be that far away from them everyday. Or if family's watching them and they're in Van, it just makes it that much easier to get them around.

Just some things to consider.

[MG1]

Just my 2 bits. Don't move, unless absolutely a must. You'll miss living in Vancouver.

[6o4__boi]

I respect that opinion but since leaving Vancouver i absolutely don't miss anything and i'm glad I left. Even if i had $1.5M kicking around the first city i'd look at when buying a house would be Burnaby.

There's nothing to miss in Vancouver. Especially when you're really always half an hour away from Vancouver. Unless you move to somewhere buttfuckfar but that's not the case here.

[winson604]

All great points made and after extensive evaluation with my wife we have decided the extra sq footage all be it significant is just not worth the extra travel.

At the end of the day, the extra distance wasn't just about commute to work. It was also the extra time to drop off and pick up our son before and after work. Also being 30 mins in no traffic from family/friends vs 5-15 mins.

Our lifestyle also is very Vancouver and it's ultimately the place where we want to raise our son. Nothing against COQ lifestyle but it isn't for us. In terms of the day to day needs, it has plenty. Malls, grocery stores, Costco etc etc but being Chinese and frequently accessing Chinese restaurants, stores etc I would then have to travel as well.

Despite all this, even if we could get over it all, I know I'll miss Vancouver a lot and the sq footage just won't make us happy enough to get over it.

Thanks everyone!

[Cr33pUh]

This is how I view Coquitlam.

Starting from North road this is the "ghetto" area of Coquitlam. As you progress through Como Lake/Austin towards Mundy Park it gradually gets nicer. Now if you continue towards Coquitlam Centre and and up the mountains, that is where all the nice houses/neighbours all (Also where all the bears live too btw).

The area you're living at isn't Compton ghetto, but it's not as nice as the other Coquitlam neighbourhoods. Where you live has all the necessities: grocery, restaurants, gym, and Church's Chicken. You're only ~15mins away from Central Coquitlam so that isn't TOO bad. At the same time, north road is getting really busy and packed due to construction and increase in apartments. If you really need a house, then the burbs is where you should be looking at. Less houses and more apartments are being built. If you wanna look further into Poco, the Burke area isn't horrendous. Has nice houses for the value but as others have said Transit sucks poop. So if you don't plan on transiting much, then it's a good place to look imo.

[fliptuner]

Originally Posted by 6o4__boi

I respect that opinion but since leaving Vancouver i absolutely don't miss anything and i'm glad I left. Even if i had $1.5M kicking around the first city i'd look at when buying a house would be Burnaby.

There's nothing to miss in Vancouver. Especially when you're really always half an hour away from Vancouver. Unless you move to somewhere buttfuckfar but that's not the case here.

That depends on their lifestyle though. If they like going for walks along the waterfront, snowboard, hockey games, eating at different restaurants and specialty shops, visit grandparents and friends, etc., moving 30 mins away is a huge change. Even if they wanted to watch a movie and Silvercity is 5 minutes away, someone would have to drive out from Van to watch the baby or they'd have to go into town.

Edit - ninja'd. I had a suspicion these would be major factors for you lol.

[Tone Loc]

Depends whether you like traffic or not tbh, as well as your work schedule. My girlfriend of 4 years lives 5 mins away from Coquitlam Centre and it's a nice, quiet area with lots of middle/working-class people and families. Her parents are a lot more "chill" than mine so I am almost always there. Never had any issues of crime, but lots of wildlife such as coyotes, bears, etc. Nice, wide streets, big houses with big garages (super plus!). But the nightlife is pretty much non-existent, there are only a few "late night" food places around the area. Not to mention if you like going downtown for clubbing, taxi costs are gonna be real high and transit service is pretty spotty as well. It's more for a "mature" person who has outgrown the partying stage IMO.

That being said, the traffic on Hwy 7 is horrendous heading into Coquitlam any time between 4-7PM, it takes about an hour or so to get from my house in East Van to her place during rush hour taking Hwy 1. St. John's street (off Barnet Hwy) is not much better. If there is an accident on either one that commute can get up to an hour and a half. If you're used to lots of traffic, stop-and-go, etc... then I don't see an issue with moving there. I'm pretty spoiled though, always lived in East Van and never had to commute more than 20-30 minutes to/from work and/or school. So it's a huge issue for me esp. since I find traffic really annoying and stressful. But YMMV!

[Spoon]

Originally Posted by winson604

All great points made and after extensive evaluation with my wife we have decided the extra sq footage all be it significant is just not worth the extra travel.

At the end of the day, the extra distance wasn't just about commute to work. It was also the extra time to drop off and pick up our son before and after work. Also being 30 mins in no traffic from family/friends vs 5-15 mins.

Our lifestyle also is very Vancouver and it's ultimately the place where we want to raise our son. Nothing against COQ lifestyle but it isn't for us. In terms of the day to day needs, it has plenty. Malls, grocery stores, Costco etc etc but being Chinese and frequently accessing Chinese restaurants, stores etc I would then have to travel as well.

Vancouver vs Coquitlam lifestyles? You make it sound like they're worlds apart

I've lived in Burnaby around 20 years and Vancouver around 10. Only thing I miss from Vancouver was the convenience of finding a decent restaurant.

[Tapioca]

I know the OP has made his decision, but I thought I would add my two cents.

The things that make Vancouver interesting (restaurants, bars, access to the seawall, etc.) become less important as you grow older and the reality of raising a family sets in. Unless you have babysitters on tap, how often are you going to be eating out, or taking strolls along the seawall until your kids are teenagers?

Where your family is is a huge consideration, of course. If you're able to share a house with the in-laws, then you can probably make a go of it. The problem that a lot of families face is that there is very little housing stock in Vancouver proper that is between a detached house and a 2-bedroom condo. If you're limiting yourself to one kid, then a 2-bedroom condo could work if you really pair down your lifestyle. What if your kid wants to play hockey? Where are you going to find the space to store sports equipment? What if your wife likes shoes and clothes? You can only build so many shelves in your 2x4 closet. What if you have a car? You can't even change your oil in your parkade because of strata bylaws. I could go on.

[HonestTea]

Originally Posted by Presto

Foster and North Road would be one of the lower-end areas of Coquitlam. At least, that's my memory of it from 15 years ago. Unless some rapid gentrification happened, there's clusters of lower-income apartments around there. There were a lot of property crimes.

EDIT: I'm biased, but the neighborhood around Mundy Park is the best area of Coquitlam

Originally Posted by MTV Cribs

It is still lower end. North Road on the north side of Lougheed is a shitty area because of the skytrain. The houses around or near Mundy Park is expensive LOL

Agreed on all points.

The area in general is pretty bad. Cottonwood has a reputation for being a pretty bad area to live in as well. The only bright side is you're extremely close to SFU lol but I doubt that will benefit you lol

I haven't checked on the prices but have you looked at the houses by Blue Mountain/Austin and around the golf course? That's a way better area as it's up the hill from the skytrain and North Road.

[flagella]

Also check out PoCo's Citadel Heights. It's a very nice area and surprisingly convenient due to its proximity to Hwy 1.

[MG1]

Here's another one......... switching schools. Don't do that to your kids, unless it is absolutely unavoidable. I know. Some of you will say all kinds of shit, but for kids, it is a very, very big deal. I forced my kids to move. They never complained, but a little piece of them got torn away each time we moved. I was going to say, the older they get, the easier it gets - not.

[Inaii]

Originally Posted by MG1

Here's another one......... switching schools. Don't do that to your kids, unless it is absolutely unavoidable. I know. Some of you will say all kinds of shit, but for kids, it is a very, very big deal. I forced my kids to move. They never complained, but a little piece of them got torn away each time we moved. I was going to say, the older they get, the easier it gets - not.

This! If you have kids in school, don't make them move. My dad moved around a LOT when I was kid. I hated having to make new friends every 3-6mos. Obviously you guys probably wouldn't be doing that sort of moving around, but it would likely be just as hard on them. No one likes to leave their comfort zone, especially not kids who are used to a set routine/group of friends.

[nabs]

Coquitlam is so far, may as well move to Chilliwack.

[604nguyen]

I moved from w 33rd, 1 bock west of main.... and bought in Poco 5 years back.

So far heres what I enjoy:
-alot less shitty asian drivers.
-the sqft'age i get for the money.
-less congestion in general
-less ghetto
-no bums going through my recycling
-peace and quiet when I sleep at night
-friendlier neighbors

What I dont like:
-lazy vancouver people who think coming out here is some sort of expedition. I commute to downtown everyday.... its not that bad people.
-wildlife eating my garbage.
-Coquitlam centre mall area during rush hour
-nothing is walking distance, you better have a car