Tri-Cities looks like a good place to live!

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30 March 2016

A little girl enjoys play time at the launch of United Way Avenues of Change in Coquitlam River.

With relatively high incomes, relatively low unemployment and crime rates, and a relatively high vacancy rate, the Tri-Cities appear to be a good place to live. A comprehensive report published today, United Way British Columbia Tri-Cities Community Profile, breaks down population, economic and social statistics in the three cities and two villages that comprise the Tri-Cities: Anmore, Belcarra, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody. The community profile shows that the Tri-Cities have experienced 56% growth between 1991 and 2011. The population is expected to more than double again from 2011 to 2041, growing from 218,509 in 2011 to a projected population of 364,400 by 2041. Anmore is growing at the fastest rate of all municipalities in the Tri-Cities with a 182% growth rate between 1991 and 2011 followed by Port Moody with an 86% growth rate during the same period. The median family income in the Tri-Cities is $93,142, almost 17% higher than that of Metro Vancouver. High school completion rate is very good in the Coquitlam School District (that encompasses the Tri-Cities) ranking 49th best out of the 57 school districts in the Province. United Way invests more than $2 million in the Tri-Cities funding 45 agencies that deliver 62 programs and services to residents. Programs and services supported by United Way include early childhood development including United Way Avenues of Change, after-school programs, senior support, refugee support, and food security. “This kind of research ensures that we are making smart community investments,” says Michael McKnight, President & CEO, United Way British Columbia. “It also helps us develop initiatives with our partners at a neighbourhood level – like the early childhood initiative United Way Avenues of Change in Coquitlam River – to meet changing needs of this growing region of the Lower Mainland.” This is the third Community Profile published by United Way over the past nine months. United Way’s Surrey/White Rock Community Profile was published in September, and Richmond Community Profile in December. Tri-Cities Community Profile Highlights Population • Coquitlam has the largest population of the three municipalities at 126,456 in 2011. The city experienced rapid growth from 1991-2001 (34%). • Port Coquitlam’s population is 56,342 and this city also saw rapid growth of 39% in the late ‘90s. • Port Moody is the smallest of the three municipalities in terms of population (32,975 in 2011) and has seen a high growth rate. • In 2011, foreign-born residents represented 36.7% of all residents in the Tri-Cities, the lowest of all Metro Vancouver municipalities. • Between 2010 and 2013, 598 Government Assisted Refugees (GARs) settled in the City of Coquitlam, making Coquitlam the second most-selected destination municipality for GARs in Metro Vancouver for that time period. • Coquitlam had the highest proportion of immigrants at 41.7% in the Tri-Cities with South Korea, China and Iran being the top three source countries. • The Aboriginal population in Tri-Cities has more than doubled from just fewer than 3,000 in 2001 to just over 7,000 in 2011. Economic indicators • The median family income in the Tri-Cities was $93,142, almost 17% higher than that of Metro Vancouver at $80,006. • Coquitlam had the lowest median income at $82,067 (still higher than Metro Vancouver) and Anmore had the highest median income at $160,038. • The top five occupations in the Tri-Cities: sales and service (23.1%); business, finance and administration (18.2%); trades, transport and equipment operators (13.6%); management (12.7%); and education, law and social, community and government services (11.2%). • The total apartment vacancy rate is 1.6%, higher than Vancouver and Metro Vancouver but lower than Surrey (2.5%). Vacancy rates for 2 or more bedroom homes was 2.1% in 2014. Social indicators • Crime rates in the Tri-Cities are low: violent crime rate is 1.8%; property crime 5.3%; vehicle theft 2.6%. • Births to young mothers under 20 are 12.24 per 1,000 live births – greater than Vancouver (6.82) but lower than Surrey (22.06) and BC (30.86). Calls for assistance to the bc211 help line • In 2014, there were 5,713 calls to bc211 from the Tri-Cities. Top two reasons for calls were substance use and housing and homelessness. The third highest reason in Port Moody was gambling, while the third highest reason in Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam was abuse. Voter turnout Municipal Elections • 2014 – 27.8% Data sources used for the TriCities Community Profile were the 2011 Census; bc211; UBC HELP; and Civic Info B.C.

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