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Tri-Cities soundly snubbed in ‘best Canadian cities to live’ rankings

Port Moody favoured over PoCo and Coquitlam, but all rank dismally overall – and even in B.C.
Port Moody and Burrard Inlet

TriCities residents often pride themselves on living in a wonderful part of the country – but, as they say, pride comes before a fall.

That fall put Port Moody in 143rd place, Coquitlam in 153rd and PoCo ranked 176th out of 415 cities across Canada, in the latest annual ‘best Canadian cities to live’ rankings by financial magazine MoneySense.

For comparison, Vancouver came in 88th place overall.

Oakville, Ontario was considered the top spot in the country to set up home, scoring high for a strong economy, great amenities and low crime. The top three were all Ontario cities, with Ottawa in second place and Russell in third. (We're sure it's a coincidence that MoneySense is based on Ontario.)

The TriCities didn’t even fare well when the results are isolated by B.C. cities only, coming in 15th, 18th and 24th place respectively.

The top B.C. city to live was Fort St. John, followed by Whistler, Squamish, Delta, North Vancouver, West Vancouver and Vancouver in seventh. However, even Fort St. John was only 15th overall, with no B.C. cities making it into the national top 10.

MoneySense’s rankings offer a cool interactive feature, in which you can create your own livability rankings depending on what matters most to you.

For example, Vancouver shoots up to the nation’s #1 spot if you prioritize a strong economy/wealth and great amenities, and de-prioritize housing affordability and low crime. No surprises there, then.

You can also delve deeper into a range of other rankings, from the best city for weather, to best for retirees, for young families, new Canadians and so on. Check them out here.