Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada

🇨🇦 Coquitlam is a city in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. Coquitlam is situated on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Kwikwetlem First Nation (kʷikʷəƛ̓əm). Mainly suburban, Coquitlam is the sixth-largest city in the province, and one of the 21 municipalities comprising Metro Vancouver. The mayor is Richard Stewart. Simon Fraser explored the region in 1808, encountering the Indigenous peoples. Europeans started settling in the 1860s. The Fraser Mills, a state-of-the-art lumber mill on the north bank of the Fraser River was constructed in 1889, and by 1908 there were 20 houses, a store, post office, hospital, office block, barber shop, pool hall, and a Sikh temple. Following World War II, substantial population growth was experienced in Coquitlam and Metro Vancouver, which continues to this day.

Economy As a bedroom community, the majority of Coquitlam residents commute to work in Vancouver, Burnaby, and other Metro Vancouver suburbs. Coquitlam's main industrial area lies in the southern Maillardville/Fraser Mills area near the Fraser River. Among the largest employers within Coquitlam are the City of Coquitlam with approximately 850 employees, Art in Motion with approximately 750 employees, and Hard Rock Casino with approximately 600 employees. Other major employers include Coca-Cola, Sony, and the Marine Propulsion division of Rolls-Royce.

In 2007, there were 610 retail businesses in Coquitlam, and these provided 8,765 jobs (27% of all jobs) within the city. Most retail businesses are concentrated around Coquitlam Centre in the Town Centre area, and big-box retailers such as IKEA and The Home Depot in the Pacific Reach areas, with the remainder of the city's retail outlets centered around the Austin Heights and North Road sectors.

The Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce has over 900 members including businesses, professionals, residents and other community groups, governed by a 14-person volunteer Board of Directors.