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Grew up in the Tri-cities and live in East Vancouver now.
I like Coquitlam and Port Moody quite a lot. I could see moving back out there when we have a family. The green spaces and recreation facilities are great, schools are solid, and the suburb vibe is nice. I have a lot of great childhood memories around Mundy Park, Town Centre, at pools/summer camps etc. Nothing but great things to say about the Coquitlam library system too.
That said, even with Evergreen Line, getting to Vancouver is not the greatest. In my 20's I was pretty car-reliant. If you need to go occasionally, it's fine, but if you need to go semi-regularly, or outside regular working hours, it's a serious consideration. My dad commuted from West Coquitlam to QE Park area his entire life and saw his commute go from 25 minutes to 45-50 minutes over the decades.
I would never, ever want to live in the Tri-cities and have to commute to Richmond. I had one rotation in Richmond and 6 weeks of commuting via Columbia <> Queensborough <> 91A was the worst thing ever.
There are pros and cons. The availability of transit, walkability, etc. is improving in certain areas of Coquitlam/Port Moody but is nothing compared to where I'm at in E Van now (and that's Renfrew Heights - one of the sleepier/less trendy areas of Vancouver) and at this stage in life we're enjoying the more urban setting in spite of COVID.
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