Country Canada Regional district Skeena-Queen Charlotte Incorporated 2005 Area 37.28 km² Local time Monday 11:02 PM | Region Haida Gwaii Founded 1908 Elevation 20 m (70 ft) Population 852 (2016) Province British Columbia | |
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Weather 1°C, Wind W at 13 km/h, 81% Humidity | ||
The Village of Queen Charlotte, more commonly known by its residents as Queen Charlotte City or Charlotte, is a village municipality on Haida Gwaii (formerly Queen Charlotte Islands) in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is located on the southern end of Graham Island at Skidegate Inlet and is a member municipality of the Skeena-Queen Charlotte Regional District.
Map of Queen Charlotte, BC, Canada
It was incorporated in 2005, having previously been represented as part of Electoral Area F of that regional district, which was coterminous with the Queen Charlotte Islands (which now comprises Electoral Areas D and E).
The town site was established when the first sawmill in the archipelago began operating in 1908. In the wake of World War I, additional work force was needed to supply allied warplanes with lumber. The town infrastructure quickly developed, offering public education, a hospital, general stores and other amenities, even a newspaper.
Mining and especially fishing were other sources of employment in Queen Charlotte when the demand for lumber again increased by the second half of the 20th century.
Today, many inhabitants are still working in these resource-based jobs but recently a shift towards more tourism-oriented employment has been observed.
Queen Charlotte was incorporated in 2005 and now offers several motels, shops, restaurants, crafts and car repair shops, banks, an RCMP station and a hospital.
It is also the location of the Queen Charlotte Visitor Centre, which is open year-round. This town with its small harbour is often the starting-point for chartered tours into Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site on southern Moresby Island.
Queen Charlotte is just 4 km (2.5 mi) to Skidegate with its BC Ferries landing and connections to Prince Rupert.