I leave near Vancouver, in South Delta.
Be carefull about looking at maps, a commute from Maple Ridge to Vancouver would be a minimum of an hour each way, on a good day. The commute isnt exactly pleasant.
I would look at North Vancouver, South Delta, and Richmond as well. Richmond is the city that has the airport.
As far as not wanting to live in Vancouver? I would check out the areas around False Creek 1st, and have a look around. There are definately advantages to living near work in the Lower Mainland area. Its actually very nice in a lot of parts of Vancouver. Have a look around, and dont rush into anything would be my advice, untill you get the lay of the land.