Headlines regularly tell people that Vancouver is among the least affordable cities in the world. But often they don’t tell the full story — that while the city of Vancouver is a pricey place to be a homeowner, the suburbs still have home prices that are affordable to most families.

Today, The Vancouver Sun introduces the UDI/FortisBC Housing Affordability Index, a new way to look at housing prices that provides a clearer, more specific picture of affordability across Metro Vancouver. The index was developed by a partnership of The Sun, the Urban Development Institute and Urban Analytics Inc. over the past three months.

Active town centre emerging in downtown Maple Ridge: housing costs are the lowest in Metro Vancouver.

Sandy Blue remembers less than two years ago trying to give directions for getting to Maple Ridge, one of B.C.’s largest municipalities, from the U.S. border.

Economists predict a resurgent U.S. economy will be a growth leader in the developed world this year, allowing Canada to benefit by riding its coattails.