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Living in Port Moody

At the end of Burrard Inlet, nestled between calming waters, shoreline trails, and mountain peaks, lies the town of Port Moody. The perfect blend of urban city, suburb life and tucked away like a charming mountain-side village, Port Moody is affectionately called as the ‘City of the Arts’. It draws young couples and families from all over the Lower Mainland to its vibrant community known its friendliness and great access to a plethora of outdoor activities, great restaurants, and fantastic neighbourhoods to live in.

The City’s History

Port Moody’s history, and roots as the city it is today, takes us back to the late 19th century. Named after Richard Clement Moody, the first Lieutenant Governor of the Colony of British Columbia, it was in 1874 that the original Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) realized that building their rail line on the north side of the Fraser River was the easiest place to build. And with the tidewater farther east along this route was Port Moody. The first shipment of rails arrived by ship from Britain in 1883, and the line was finished in 1884. Experiencing a boom of businesses being opened with the railway opened, including several blacksmith, shoemakers, real estate agent, two hotels and a number of boarding houses, a newspaper and a telephone connection with New Westminster.

Unfortunately, the boom from the railway didn’t last. The city’s first paper, the Port Moody Gazette, reported in the summer of 1884 that CPR was planning to continue the line to English Bay, even though the area was not suitable for the line’s terminus station. While the local presented a petition to the governor-general, and the federal government recognized Port Moody as the transcontinental terminus, they essentially replied saying that CPR had the business acumen to proceed according to their own plans. CPR General Manager W.C. Van Horne wanted the profits from land development to be that which funded his railway, and he signed a secret deal with the provincial government in 1886 to do just that. To the jubilation of citizens, most of those from Vancouver, the first transcontinental train arrived in Port Moody on July 4, 1886, one minute late of its scheduled arrival time, having crossed Canada for 19 hours and five days.

Port Moody was incorporated as a city on March 7, 1913, with the owner of a local sawmill, P.D. Roe, being elected as it’s first mayor on April 3rd. By the mid 1930s, it was clear there was an unspoken rivalry between Vancouver and Port Moody, as Port Moody believed that it should be the terminus station, even though Vancouver by then had three times its population. Railway continued to be a big part of the city as lines expanded to Vancouver and carried cargo through its community into the 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond. A museum dedicated to the history of the railway is now a staple of the community, and it sits housed in the original Port Moody Station near Rocky Point Park on Murray Street. After the railway ceased to become the city’s focal point, a deep-sea bulk loading terminal, two petrochemical distribution operations, a large wood products manufacturer, and a thermal electric generating station became the main industries.

The nearby Village of Anmore, which consisted of 800 residents on the northeast bank of Indian Arm, decided that they would rather be on their own than become a part of the city of Port Moody. And so the first meeting of the Village of Anmore was held on December 7th, 1987. At its creation, Anmore was 798 hectares (approx. 2,000 acres), whereas now it’s 2,873 hectares (approx. 7,000 acres) and sporting a population of nearly 2,000.

Schools In Port Moody


ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

Anmore Elementary School
30 Elementary Rd, Anomore
V3H 4Y6

Aspenwood Elementary School
2001 Panorama Dr, Port Moody
V3H 5G8

Glenayre (French Immersion)
495 Glencoe Dr, Port Moody
V3H 1G6

Heritage Mountain Elementary School
125 Ravine Dr, Port Moody
V3H 4Z1

Moody Elementary School
2717 St. John’s St, Port Moody
V3H 2B8

Mountain Meadows Elementary School
999 Noon’s Creek Dr, Port Moody
V3H 4N3

Pleasantside Elementary School
195 Barber St, Port Moody
V3H 3A8

Seaview Community School
1215 Cecil Dr, Port Moody
V3H 1N2

MIDDLE SCHOOLS

Eagle Mountain Middle School
110 Dogwood Dr, Anmore
V3H 5G1

Moody Middle School
3115 St. John’s St, Port Moody
V3H 2C6

SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Heritage Woods Secondary School
1300 David Avenue, Port Moody
V3H 5k6

Port Moody Secondary School
300 Albert St, Port Moody
V3H 2M5

Must-Visit Restaurants

Saint St Grill

Long considered one of Port Moody's finest dining destinations, Saint ST Grill is an eclectic blend of European and New Orleans sophistication and modern cooking. Voted the Best in Fine Dining, Most Romantic Place for Dinner, your memorable dinner experience with be complete with their varied wine list, and served in an intimate room with eclectic decor.

CUISINE: European & New Orleans, Fine Dining
PRICE: $$$
MUST-TRY: Braised Beef Wellington
WHERE: 2514 Saint Johns Street, Port Moody, B.C. V3H 2B4
PHONE: (604) 937-7477
MENU: www.saintstgrill.com

Henry's Kitchen

Henry's Kitchen is a cozy yet elegant restaurant specializing in traditional French cuisine, including Boeuf Bourguignon & Bouillabaisse Marseilles. They offer original and creative dishes with great quality in-season raw materials. If you are looking for high quality French and Italian food for a great value, Henry’s is the restaurant for you!

CUISINE: Italian, French
PRICE: $$
MUST-TRY: Bouillabaisse Marseilles
WHERE: 2410 Saint Johns Street, Port Moody, BC V3H 2B1
PHONE: (778) 355-8787
MENU: www.henryskitchen.com

Romer's Burger Bar

Romer’s is all about keeping it fresh, local, and fun. Their restaurants are focused on casual dining inspired by the West Coast lifestyle, and are passionate about delivering you a quality experience with great service and unique food. Chef Jim Romer demands premium fresh ingredients, local when at all possible, grown ethically and responsibly.

CUISINE: Burgers
PRICE: $$
MUST-TRY: Magic Mushroom Burger
WHERE: #7 - 101 Morrissey Road, Port Moody, BC V3H 5N1
PHONE: (604) 917-0118
MENU: www.romersburgerbar.com

Pizzeria Spacca Napoli

For a decade, Spacca Napoli has made pizza faithful to the authentic Neapolitan style. Dough is tended daily as a blend of love and craft and baked in an oven, and the restaurant is run by an Italian family. A delightful wine list will pair great with an amazing thin-crust pizza, and be sure to leave room for their amazing Cannoli Sicilian Dessert!

CUISINE: Pizza
PRICE: $$
MUST-TRY: Prosciutto & Arugula Pizza
WHERE: 2801 Saint Johns Street, Port Moody, BC V3H 2C1
PHONE: (604) 939-5800
MENU: www.pizzeriaspaccanapoli.com

Pajo's Fish & Chips

Located at the stunning Rocky Point Parl, Pajo’s Fish & Chips has been serving folks their signature dishes all over the Lower Mainland for over 25 years. Their mantra is simple – to serve you fish and chips worth buzzing about! After all, Pajo’s uses fresh, local, B.C. ingredients paired with stellar, just-like-family, customer service. They are open ‘weather permitting’ to be sure to call and check!

CUISINE: Fish & Chips, Burgers
PRICE: $$
MUST-TRY: Pacific Wild Halibut Fish & Chips
WHERE: 2800 Murray Street, Port Moody, BC V3H 1X2
PHONE: (604) 469-2289
MENU: www.pajos.com

What to do in Port Moody

One of the great things about living in Port Moody, is that there is plenty of activity to do year-round, regardless of whether it’s raining, snowing, or a glorious day of sunshine. Let’s start with the outdoors.

Rocky Point Park is Port Moody’s best known park. A popular destination as well as a starting point for boaters using the boat launch or hikers getting going, it features an outdoor poor, children’s play area, plenty of grassy spots for picnics, and leads you to Rocky Point Pier for amazing views of the water. With its starting point in Rocky Point Park, Shoreline Trail is the beautiful stretch of walkway and boardwalk that runs along the end of Burrard Inlet. It stretches all the way to the Old Orchard Park, is an easy walking route that’s also great for biking and running, and has plenty of local wildlife for nature watching.

Upward on Heritage Mountain, Bert Flinn Park was formed as a result of a referendum in 1999. Largely undeveloped, the park has an extensive trail system that hikers and outdoor enthusiasts take to whenever possible. In nearby Anmore, Sasamat Lake and Buntzen Lake offer the perfect summer swimming spots, complete with beaches for sunny day. There are plenty of hiking trails here, including a local favorite of hiking the 15km trek to Diez Vistas. And a short drive from Sasamat and Buntzen, Belcarra Regional Park offers a stunning view of the waters towards North Vancouver’s Deep Cove, and the perfect place for crabbing, canoeing and kayaking.

On rainy days, or when you just don’t like getting outside, the Port Moody Recreation Centre for sure has something for you. With a massive indoor skating rink, world-class gym, and being right around the corner from the Port Moody Public Library, you’ll spend an afternoon here with plenty to choose from. For fitness, Kushala Yoga offers numerous classes for beginners, medium and advanced yoga enthusiasts. It’s Suter Brook neighbours Orange Theory Fitness and Kintec Footlab can help you develop the perfect workout program, or fit you with the newest of running shoes. Across in Newport Village, the Runners’ Den has weekly running classes and training for marathons.

And, if you love to cook, you’ll find the most amazing meats at butcher George’s Gourmet Meats in Newport Village. While there, pop across the way to pickup the freshest seafood at Inlet Seafoods, drop in to Kin’s Market for fresh vegetables or get them at the Port Moody Winter Farmers Market. Bread is exquisitely baked fresh at Cob’s Bread, and Eden West has all the spices, rubs and kitchen fancies you’re looking for. They also offer cooking classes and catering. Finally, if you love ribs, you definitely can’t miss the Port Moody Rotary Club’s Annual Ribfest. Featuring some of Canada’s finest ribbers, free live music that showcases phenomenal talent from the Tri-cities, craft breweries from Parkside Brewery and Moody Ales, there’s something for people of all ages with three days of delicious BBQ.

Oh, and don't miss...

Rocky Point Ice Cream

A staple of Port Moody’s Rocky Point Park since 1997, Rocky Point Ice Cream has consistently been voted the Best Ice Cream in the Tri-cities area. Specializing in hand-crafted, artisan and non-dairy varieties, this is a local favorite to visit whether it’s sunny or not. And in true ole-school fashion, you can always try a milkshake, a sundae, a real fruit smoothie, or ice cream sandwich if you the list of daily ice cream flavours is too much to decide on. Try their frozen ice cream cakes for your next birthday, too!

The CPR Holiday Train

Now in its 19th year, the Canadian Pacific Railway Holiday Train travels accross Canada and the Northwest United States. A dazzling event of train cars decorated with stunning light displays, and providing live music along its stops, the Holiday train also collects donations of cash and food for local food banks. As food banks continue to account for money and food donated at each stop this year, the program has raised more than C$13 million and four million pounds of food since its inception in 1999.

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