Compared to other cities and municipalities in the Greater Vancouver Regional District, this area had a late start in economic development. It was not until the 1950's, that the potential of the region's land was tapped.

Coquitlam with a land area of about 150 square kilometres is the largest municipality in the Tri-Cities region. The amount of open and undeveloped land in the region has been consistently decreasing, giving way to residential and commercial expansion mostly toward the northern areas in Coquitlam and Port Moody. 

Port Coquitlam is close to exhausting its total land area for development and as a result, expansion is occurring upwards by ways of new apartment blocks, high rises and town homes.

Metro Vancouver's generalized Land Use by Municipality