Port Moody
Port Moody
History
Port Moody's location on the Burrard Inlet means shipping has long been a part of its identity.
The first train pulled into Port Moody on 4 July 1886, leading to a short-lived real estate boom.
searcharchives.vancouver.caOrigins
Home to the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), q̓ic̓əy̓ (Katzie), qʼʷa:n̓ ƛʼən̓ (Kwantlen), qiqéyt (Qayqayt), and Stó:lō (Sto:lo) Peoples for generations, the land on which Port Moody, also nicknamed PoMo, now resides was once dense forest. It’s named after Colonel Richard Clement Moody, a Royal Engineer who founded the Colony of British Columbia. He initially established Port Moody as a defensive outpost after the 1858 Fraser Valley Gold Rush, at the end of a trail that connected Burrard Inlet to New Westminster – now known as North Road – giving Port Moody a strategic location.
Map of the Gold Regions of the Frazer River and the Washington Territory on the Western Coast of America. 1858.
www.oldmapsonline.org1858 – 1915
The tumultuous early years.
After the gold rush, a small town began to form, and one of its first residents was John Murray. His son, also called John, named many of the streets in town, including Murray, George, William and others. St. John St., Port Moody’s principal thoroughfare, is a misnomer, though. John Sr. wasn’t a saint. Rather, John Jr. accidentally placed the abbreviation “St.” in front of the name, rather than after it, but the mistake stuck.
The town remained small and sleepy, but that briefly changed in 1879 when the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) decided that Port Moody would be the west coast terminus of their transcontinental railway. This brought a flurry of real estate speculation and interest to the area. The first passenger train pulled in on 4 July 1886, a day still commemorated at the annual Golden Spike Days. But this initial surge of popularity was short lived. The CPR extended to Vancouver about a year later.
Old City Hall still stands today, but it’s no longer the hub of Port Moody’s government.
www.historicplaces.caAs a result, the bottom fell out of Port Moody’s first property boom and the population hovered around 250 people for nearly 20 years. For a while afterward, Port Moody was a mill town, with smoky skies and the sound of saws filling the air.
Port Moody’s city council first met in 1913, and 1914 saw the completion of the historic City Hall. Though it still stands today, it is no longer the headquarters of the city’s government, which is based in Civic Centre. Rather, Old City Hall is now home to the PoMo Arts Centre. In 1915, the Imperial Oil Corporation opened, giving its shortened name, Ioco, to an area of the city and a road. Today, the Ioco site is abandoned, and you can take ghost tours of the area.
Robert explains how Port Moody became the sought-after city it is today.
1939 – 1990s
From World War II to the suburbs.
When Canada entered World War II, Port Moody saw steady employment for its residents and the post-war period meant the rise of suburban development. The area became home to many detached single-family houses and heavy industry was the main employment base. Still, at this point this city had only around 5,000 residents. It wasn’t until 1971 that it crossed 10,000 people.
Port Moody retained this suburban-style character for much of its life. This made it attractive to families looking to get away from the frenetic pace of Vancouver but who still wanted to have easy access to the metro area. This remains one of the major draws of the city today.
While heavy industry is much less of a factor in the city’s current employment make up, it is still home to a deep-sea port (hence the “Port” in the city’s name) and ships carrying sulphur and ethylene glycol (often found in antifreeze) routinely stop there – giving rise to the big yellow sulphur pile. But don’t worry, the big sulphur pile doesn’t smell.
The SkyTrain first pulled into Port Moody in 2016, bringing further densification.
en.wikipedia.org1995 – Today
Denser and livelier.
That doesn’t mean the area is cut off, however. In 1995, the West Coast Express commuter train arrived in Port Moody. And in 2016, the Evergreen Extension of the Millenium Line SkyTrain line opened. These transit lines had the effect of bumping up density slightly.
For example, Newport Village was completed between 1996 and 2008. This was the city’s first major mixed-use, dense development. It consists of high rise condos and lowrise strata buildings, plus shops, restaurants and more.
The city’s slogan, “City of the Arts,” was coined in 2004 by locals Elizabeth Keurvost and Ann Kitching. They felt it would help draw tourists to the area and attract businesses. Port Moody does have a high percentage of people employed in the arts and tries to actively promote artistic and creative endeavours throughout the city.
In 2014, two breweries opened on Murray St., Yellow Dog Brewing and Moody Ales. Soon after, Twin Sails Brewing joined, followed by The Parkside Brewery, Brave Brewery, Rocky Point Spirits and Rewind Beer Co. This became known as Brewers Row, and remains a popular attraction for both residents and visitors alike.
Today, Port Moody is planning for its next 30 years, with the Port Moody 2050 plan. While still being developed, the city expects to honour its heritage while adding density to the areas near SkyTrain stations. Its current population is around 40,000, and this is expected to rise. The city will likely be allowing denser developments on single-family lots, too, thanks to BC’s requirement that municipalities allow duplexes, triplexes and more on them.
But most residents expect Port Moody will keep its family-focused, friendly atmosphere in the future. It’s the main draw for many folks.
See more: Brewers Row
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