| Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada, is a city of 120000 people, in the middle of Greater Vancouver's Lower Mainland. It is bordered by Port Moody and the Coastal Mountains to the north, the Pitt River to the east, the Fraser River and Port Coquitlam to the south, and Burnaby and New Westminster to the west. Coquitlam's current mayor is Jon Kingsbury.
Before the arrival of the Europeans, the area was inhabited by the Coast Salish First Nations people. Simon Fraser, an explorer, passed through the region in 1808, and Europeans began settling in the 1860s. When the Royal Engineers of Port Moody cleared the route that is now North Road, the space that is Coquitlam was merely an access route from New Westminster. Coquitlam underwent steady growth, and was incorporated as a municipality in 1891. At the end of the 1890s, a new lumber mill was opened, bringing employment and population growth. The mill owners sought experienced loggers, and thought to have the Québecois as workers. In 1909, 110 Québecois were recruited, and came to work. The next year, many more came and, within the municipality of Coquitlam, formed the francophone community of Maillardville, named after a Father Maillard, a young French Oblate. In 1953, the Lougheed Highway was opened, which created expedient automobile access to Coquitlam, and resulted in a population boom for the area.
There are 90 kilometres of trails, and five major park systems in Coquitlam; Mundy Park, Como Lake Park, Hoy Creek Linear Park, Town Centre Park, and Blue Mountain Park. Three community centres have been built in Coquitlam; Evergreen Cultural Centre, Place Maillardville, and Place des Arts. The David Lam Campus of Douglas College is in Coquitlam. | 
