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Pitt
Meadows
Pitt Meadows is located in the Lower Mainland on the north side
of the Fraser River just east of Port
Coquitlam across the Pitt River approximately 36 km (23 miles)
from Vancouver. Just east of Pitt Meadows
on the Lougheed Highway (Hwy 7) by 5 km (3 miles) is the community
of Maple Ridge.
Rural
Community
Pitt Meadows is an agricultural community with over 85% of the land
mass situated in the municipality reserved for agricultural land
usage. Many large farms exist with a great emphasis on the dairy
and agriculture sectors including blueberries, cranberries, nursery
stock, greenhouse crops and recent ventures into agri-tourism.
Pitt
Polder
Pitt Meadows historically has had a large Dutch influence, especially
with the reclamation of land from the sea called polders, created
from a dyke system around the river wetlands. One neighbourhood
farm district is called Pitt Polder and is made up of large farms
located in the north-east section of Pitt Meadows.
Katzie
First Nation
The Pitt Meadows area is also the traditional territory of the Katzie
First Nation. The Katzie have maintained a presence over the rich
fishing grounds along the Alouette, Fraser and Pitt Rivers with
seasonal villages moving with the migration of the various fish
species.
Natural
Borders
Besides Maple Ridge in the east and
the Pitt River in the west, Pitt Meadows has the natural borders
of the Fraser River in the south with Pitt Lake in the north and
Golden Ears Provincial Park towards the north-east.
Pitt
Lake
Pitt Lake is the largest tidal body of freshwater in the world and
has great boating and water sport activities. Situated north of
Pitt Meadows up the Pitt River, Pitt Lake provides many opportunities
for angling with cutthroat trout readily available and an excellent
run of Coho salmon happening October through November.
Grant
Narrows Regional Park
A good place to access Pitt Lake is at Grant Narrows Regional Park
which is situated at the mouth of the Pitt River. Grant Narrows
Regional Park features a boat launch, walking trails, picnic sites
with great kayaking and canoeing available. Ayla Canoes operates
a seasonal canoe rental business in the park during the summer months.
Pinecone
Burke Provincial Park
Once on Pitt Lake there are many places to explore and discover
in the wilderness made available. One favourite is into Pinecone
Burke Provincial Park located on the west side of Pitt Lake. From
here you can go into Widgeon Slough and Valley where you can find
the largest freshwater marsh in south-west British Columbia, especially
good for wildlife and bird-watching opportunities.
Golden
Ears Provincial Park
Golden Ears Provincial Park located north-east of Maple Ridge provides
ample outdoor recreation for the local residents. Here you can find
excellent hiking, mountain biking, horse-riding opportunities and
beach activity on Alouette Lake. Golden Ears Provincial Park also
has three campgrounds - Alouette, Gold Creek and North Beach, with
reservations available.
Golfing
For people who enjoy playing golf Pitt Meadows and the Maple
Ridge area is home to some great golfing including Golden Eagle
Golf Club, Meadow Gardens Golf Course, Swan-e-set Resort & Country
Club and the Pitt Meadows Golf Club plus the 9-hole public Maple
Ridge Golf Club.
Cycling
and Walking
Pitt Meadows, combined with Maple Ridge,
has created an excellent network of walking and cycling trails around
both communities. A real favourite and one that will give you excellent
views along both the Pitt and Fraser Rivers is the 18 km (11 miles)
path along the dykes called Hawk-Rotary Loop. Another great trail
is the 19 km (12 miles) Blue Heron Route where you travel on the
dykes along the South Alouette and the North Alouette Rivers.
Shopping
Centres
For shopping and commerce, most businesses are located near or on
the Lougheed Hwy. Meadowtown Centre, a new 39,019 square metre (420,000
square feet) facility is situated at 19800 Lougheed Hwy, features
many stores including a Cineplex movie theatre, a Real Canadian
Superstore, Blenz Coffee and a Sport Chek. Also situated at Harris
Road and the Lougheed Hwy is the Meadowvale Shopping Centre where
you will find a Starbucks
conveniently located which features wireless internet access.
Changing Transportation Infrastructure
Pitt Meadows' way of life is changing through a major transition
in transportation links to other Lower Mainland communities with
the opening of the Golden Ears Bridge over the Fraser River and
a new bridge crossing over the Pitt River. Both bridges are part
of the Gateway Project that will be multilane and will help open
up more real estate in the communities of Pitt Meadows, Maple
Ridge, Mission and the District
of Kent for people who would like to live in the Fraser Valley.
Pitt
Meadows Regional Airport
Other means of transportation into Pitt Meadows include utilizing
the Pitt Meadows Regional Airport. If you happen to fly, the airport
gives a nice alternative into the Fraser Valley rather than flying
into Abbotsford Airport. The south runway is 1,432 metres (4,700
feet) in length, offering many options for various-sized aircraft.
Local
Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows News
For the latest news regarding Pitt Meadows and Maple
Ridge, the easiest way is either for you to download the latest
version of the Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows Neighbourhood Bugel
community newspaper online, distributed by Arcadia Publishing, or
for other local news, there is also the web site for the other community
paper, the Maple Ridge News.
Information
on Pitt Meadows
Recreation
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