Anmore got its name from a local homesteader, F. J. Lancaster, who combined the names of his wife (Annie) and his daughter (Leonore) to make "Annore." This evolved into the village's current name.[5]
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Anmore had a population of 2,356 living in 744 of its 768 total private dwellings, a change of 6.6% from its 2016 population of 2,210. With a land area of 27.53 km2 (10.63 sq mi), it had a population density of 85.6/km2 (221.6/sq mi) in 2021.[3]
Anmore is home to the Buntzen Lake recreation area, which is a popular tourist destination for its two beaches located on each end, as well as its network of hiking and biking trails that surround the lake. Managed by BC Hydro, the lake is used to power two hydroelectric stations located on Indian Arm.
A 1978 plan for the village to have 15,000 residents by 1988 was vocally opposed by its residents, and they have instead insisted on preserving what they call their "semi-rural" goal. Consistent with this earlier citizen opposition to development, in a referendum concomitant with the municipal election of 2002, 70% of the citizens of Anmore voted in favour of maintaining the existing RS-1 zoning (1-acre lot size), 70% in favour of the 1-acre (4,000 m2) zoning with further enhancements, another 77% voted against half acre zoning, and 67% against a half acre every five years.
Transportation
There are two main streets in Anmore, both of which terminate at Port Moody. Sunnyside Road runs primarily north–south from the near sea-level western entrance of the village to the entrance of Buntzen Lake at the northern end of the village. East Road enters Anmore from Heritage Mountain and runs primarily north–south until about the 4-kilometre (2.5 mi) mark, where it turns and runs east–west until its termination at Sunnyside Road. There are several proposed plans to build another street between Port Moody and Anmore.
As part of Metro Vancouver, Anmore is connected to the TransLink public transit system and is served by the 182 Community Shuttle bus that runs down both major streets, Sunnyside Road and East Road. Supplemental summertime service to Buntzen Lake is provided by the 179 service from Coquitlam Central Station.
Notable people
Anmore was a long-time home for Canadian icon Margaret Lally "Ma" Murray, an American-Canadian newspaper editor, publisher, and columnist, an officer of the Order of Canada, and the wife of publisher and British Columbia MLA George Matheson Murray. George and "Ma" Murray's former home at the corner of Sunnyside and East Road was donated to the Village in 1988 by the owners at the time and acted as Anmore's village hall until early 2018 when the 100-year-old homestead was demolished.
Hal Weinberg was the 1st Mayor of Anmore and the person responsible for incorporating the Village. Along with Bob Hunter, the 1st president of Greenpeace and Anmore resident, they incorporated Anmore from Rural Area B and based the Village on their rural development concept, they aptly named, "the Anmore Concept". Hal was also responsible, along with his councilors in getting the village water system going, adding BC Transit access, Paving the pedestrian walkway that still exists alongside Sunnyside Road and working with BC Hydro to turn Buntzen Lake into a park. Hal was mayor from 1987 - 2009.
Notable broadcaster and actress Kelsa Kinsly grew up in Anmore. At that time, her name was Linda MacDonald. She went on to work for the Howard Stern Show, The Weather Channel, CTV, NBC, Q107, CFOX, and FOX TV, as well as a surprising amount of roles as an actress in film and TV series in both the US and Canada.
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