| Pitt Meadows, British Columbia | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Motto: "Prosperity Through Endeavour" | |||
| Country | Canada | ||
| Province | British Columbia | ||
| Incorporated | April 23, 1914 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Don MacLean | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 85.37 km2 (33 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 8 m (26 ft) | ||
| Population (2008) | |||
| • Total | 17,410 | ||
| Time zone | PST (UTC-8) | ||
| Website | http://www.pittmeadows.bc.ca/ | ||
Pitt Meadows is a city in southwestern British Columbia, Canada and a member municipality in Metro Vancouver. Incorporated in 1914, it has a land area of 85.38 square kilometers and a population of 17,410 (as of 2008).[1]
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Pitt Meadows is largely a flood plain town, sandwiched between the Pitt River on the west and Maple Ridge on the east. To the north, Pitt Lake is the largest fresh water tidal lake in the world, connected by the Pitt River to the Fraser River, which is the southern boundary of Pitt Meadows. The Pitt River flows backwards at high tide and has created a delta where it joins the lake. The northern sector of the flood plain, closest to Pitt Lake, is largely a peat bog including a large wildlife refuge.
On the west side of the Pitt River is Port Coquitlam.
The main portion of the town of Pitt Meadows is bisected by the CPR mainline. As of 2003, the CPR intermodal yards and distribution centre west of the town centre are being expanded.
TransLink's West Coast Express commuter trains connect Pitt Meadows to Vancouver and Mission.
There are height restrictions on buildings due to the proximity of the Pitt Meadows Airport to the southeast, although the recent proposal for a 10 story building less than 2 kilometers from the East-West runways puts those restrictions in doubt. In 2003, the airport was undergoing expansion to support scheduled passenger service for short-haul prop-driven planes. The airport is also home to a skydiving school, as well as a number of other businesses.
The Golden Ears Bridge, completed in summer of 2009, connects Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge with the communities of Langley and Surrey south across the Fraser River. The bridge is operated as a toll bridge; Translink has stated it would take over 30 years for the bridge to be paid off via tolls. Construction of the new Pitt River Bridge, connecting Pitt Meadows with Port Coquitlam to the west, was completed in autumn 2009.
As a primarily residential area, approximately 85% of Pitt Meadows residents commute to work beyond its borders.[2] Within the community, the largest employment sectors are, in order of importance: Primary (20%); Education and Health (19%); Accommodation, Food, and Beverage (16%); and Construction (9%).
In addition to the commercial activity that already exists in Pitt Meadows, a new retail shopping centre has been built on the border with Maple Ridge. This new shopping center includes a Real Canadian Superstore, Jysk/Winners/Homesense, Michaels, SportChek, Tim Hortons, a Telus retailer, as well as Bell, EB Games, a Liquor Store, a Cineplex Odeon, and a La Vie En Rose. Despite recent additions to its non-agricultural economy, 86% of the Pitt Meadows landmass is located within the province's Agricultural Land Reserve.
Major agricultural products include cranberry and blueberry farms as well as a number of specialty green-houses growing cut flowers and specialty peppers.
Pitt Meadows has one secondary school, and four elementary schools, all of which are part of School District 42. Pitt Meadows Secondary School (P.M.S.S.) in particular is well-known around the Fraser Valley and the Greater Vancouver Area for its basketball and hockey programs, some of which can be offered as an alternative to Physical Education. The school also received a field lacrosse team as of early March 2007 for the 2007-2008 season thanks to Mr. Stuart Sonne, PMSS now former Principal. Academically, the school rates more poorly than other schools in the District. Currently, the school has enrolled around 1200 students.
Much of the movie Happy Gilmore, including most of the golf course scenes, was filmed in Pitt Meadows at the Swan-e-set Bay Resort & Country Club.[4] In the pilot episode of Smallville, the scene where the Porsche drives off the bridge was filmed at Silverbridge down Harris Road. The movie Duets starring Gwyneth Paltrow & Paul Giamatti had a scene filmed at the Ramada Inn on Lougheed Highway. The movie 3000 Miles to Graceland was filmed at the a saw mill on Bonson Rd.
| Climate data for Pitt Meadows | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 15.5 (59.9) |
19.5 (67.1) |
21 (70) |
29 (84) |
36 (97) |
35 (95) |
35 (95) |
35.5 (95.9) |
35.5 (95.9) |
30 (86) |
19.5 (67.1) |
17 (63) |
36 (97) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 5.4 (41.7) |
8.4 (47.1) |
11.4 (52.5) |
14.6 (58.3) |
17.3 (63.1) |
20.5 (68.9) |
23.4 (74.1) |
23.8 (74.8) |
20.9 (69.6) |
15.2 (59.4) |
8.7 (47.7) |
5.8 (42.4) |
14.6 (58.3) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −1.2 (29.8) |
0.4 (32.7) |
1.6 (34.9) |
4 (39) |
6.8 (44.2) |
9.8 (49.6) |
11.5 (52.7) |
11.4 (52.5) |
8.5 (47.3) |
5.4 (41.7) |
1.8 (35.2) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
5 (41) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −19 (−2) |
−14 (7) |
−9.4 (15.1) |
−5 (23) |
−1 (30) |
0.6 (33.1) |
4.4 (39.9) |
5 (41) |
−1 (30) |
−5.5 (22.1) |
−19 (−2) |
−18 (0) |
−19 (−2) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 215.2 (8.472) |
170.3 (6.705) |
145.1 (5.713) |
134.5 (5.295) |
105.9 (4.169) |
79.8 (3.142) |
56.8 (2.236) |
67.6 (2.661) |
74.1 (2.917) |
147.3 (5.799) |
274.7 (10.815) |
236.7 (9.319) |
1,708 (67.24) |
| Source: Environment Canada[5] | |||||||||||||
| Coquitlam | ||||
| Port Coquitlam | Maple Ridge | |||
| Pitt Meadows | ||||
| Surrey | Barnston Island, Surrey |
Langley Township |
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