02 The story
A border neighbourhood with its own identity
The name Burquitlam blends Burnaby and Coquitlam, and that sums up its location. The neighbourhood straddles the area where the two cities meet, roughly around Clarke Road, Como Lake Avenue and North Road, with Lougheed Town Centre just across the border in Burnaby.
For years Burquitlam was a low-rise area of older houses, walk-up apartments and small strip malls. The arrival of Burquitlam station in December 2016 changed that quickly. High-rise towers and mid-rise rentals now cluster near Clarke Road and Como Lake Avenue, and more redevelopment is planned around the station.
Eating along North Road
Burquitlam is best known for food. The stretch of North Road between Lougheed Highway and Austin Avenue, shared with Burnaby, is one of the region’s main hubs for Korean restaurants, bakeries, cafés and grocery stores. It is a good place to try Korean barbecue, fried chicken or a casual lunch, and the side streets hold plenty of other Asian and Persian options too.
Beyond food, the neighbourhood is practical rather than polished. Residents use it for its transit connections, everyday shopping and quick access to Simon Fraser University on Burnaby Mountain, which makes it popular with students. Como Lake Park, a short trip east, offers a quiet lake loop, and Mundy Park’s forest trails are a little further on.
Tip: with so much construction underway, sidewalks and streets around the station can change from month to month. Arriving by SkyTrain is usually easier than driving and hunting for parking on busy weekend evenings.
