Smithers, British Columbia

History

The Bulkley Valley in which Smithers is situated was originally inhabited by the Wet'suwet'en, Smithers was founded in 1913 as the regional headquarters for the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. The new community was named after the railway's chairman of the board of directors, Sir Alfred Smithers. In 1921, Smithers became the first incorporated village in British Columbia. In 1967, Smithers was incorporated as a town. Driftwood Canyon Provincial Park, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from Smithers was created in 1967.

Civic orientation

The town was surveyed in 1913 and a street grid pattern was established that is still very much evident today. Historically, intensive development has been oriented towards Main Street as the prime commercial focus with residential development radiating outward from the commercial core. The traditional downtown was punctuated by important civic structures — the (old) courthouse at the intersection of Main Street with Hwy 16 or by community focal points — the Canadian National Railway station at the western end of Main Street. This pattern has been sustained by the preservation of the old courthouse, as well as the establishment of a major civic park located around the cenotaph. The ongoing restoration of the CN railway station as a community resource centre is a further measure to improve the town.

The Smithers railway station is served by Via Rail's Jasper – Prince Rupert train.

Culture

Smithers and the Bulkley Valley have often been described by non-residents as being distinct from the rest of Northern British Columbia. Many factors contribute to the composition of society in Smithers, including the arts, environmental protection, and local industries such as forestry and mining.

Smithers has adopted an alpine theme, which is drawn from the geography of the area. A town bylaw requires businesses in the downtown area centred on Main Street to construct their buildings in an alpine style. A fibreglass statue of a man blowing an alpine horn, commonly referred to as The Alpenman or Alpine Al, is located at the entrance to the main street and has become the town symbol. Similarly, the Smithers chamber of commerce displays an Alpine Al costume at community events and in television advertisements for the town's businesses.

Residents of Smithers are called Smithereens which remains a more popularly accepted demonym than the sometimes used 'Smitherite'.

Smithereens have a particularly strong environmental ethic. In 2006, over 600 Smithereens took to the streets to voice their opposition to a proposed coalbed methane gas field near Telkwa, which they claimed would threaten local water quality, landscape integrity and wild salmon populations.

Likewise a proposal by Thompson Creek Metals to develop a molybdenum mine to extract the Davidson deposit on Hudson Bay Mountain near the town was vigorously opposed over a period of years before TCM abandoned the project.

Smithers and the Bulkley Valley are home to many musicians, including Juno-Award-winning Alexis Puentes. The biggest assembly of musical talent happens during the annual Mid-Summer Music Festival in late June. Over the years, the Mid-Summer Music Festival has seen some famous acts like Spirit of the West and the Barenaked Ladies and has drawn audiences and participants from all across North America.

The Della Herman Theatre, named after a longtime resident and former school board official, is the primary venue for shows and performances, though several pubs and even open fields serve as secondary performance venues. Numerous organizations including the Bulkley Valley Community Arts Council operate to keep music and other artistic activities vibrant.

Demographics

The latest census, taken in 2011, recorded 5,404 residents living in 2,190 households and 1,440 families. Of those over 15 years of age in 2011, 45.2% were married, slightly lower than the 51% provincial average. With 87% of Smithers residents being Canadian-born, and 88% with an English-only mother tongue, the town has few visible minorities. Though not included as visible minorities, 10% identified themselves as Aboriginal, a higher proportion than the 4% provincial average.

Hockey players

Despite its small population, Smithers has produced several notable professional ice hockey players:

Others

Geography

West of Smithers are Moricetown, New Hazelton, Kitwanga, Terrace, Kitimat, Port Edward and Prince Rupert. East of Smithers are Telkwa, Houston, Topley, Burns Lake, Fraser Lake, Fort Fraser, Vanderhoof and Prince George.

Climate

Smithers has a borderline humid continental/subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb/Dfc). Winters are cold and cloudy but highly variable with a January average of −8.9 °C (16.0 °F). Snow is the main type of precipitation during winter. Warm spells can push temperatures above freezing during the winter months, while cold weather systems can reduce the temperature to less than −30.0 °C (−22.0 °F). The average annual snowfall is 204 centimetres (80.3 in) with maximum accumulations of snow tending to happen in February when the snow depth is around 36 centimetres (14.2 in) and there are many months when the snow depth reaches or surpasses 20 centimetres (7.9 in). Summers are warm with a normal highs of just below 30 °C (86.0 °F) and an extreme high of 38.5 °C (101.3 °F). Nighttime temperatures are often cool with normal nighttime lows under 10 °C (50.0 °F). Depending on the year there may be very little or a lot of precipitation. Spring and fall are short transition seasons. Smithers receives an average of 513 millimetres (20 in) of precipitation a year with February through April being the driest months. Smithers receives 1651 hours of bright sunshine a year, ranging from a minimum of 13% of possible sunshine in December to a maximum of 48% of possible sunshine in August.

Transportation

Smithers Airport underwent a runway extension completed in the summer of 2008 that allows the landing of smaller jet aircraft. Central Mountain Air is based in Smithers.

Smithers is also served by VIA Rail's Jasper-Prince Rupert three times a week in each direction as a scheduled stop.

Movies and Television

Television

Smithers is served by four television stations, rebroadcast using transmitters owned by the Houston-Smithers Rebroadcasting Society:

Radio

Smithers is served by six radio stations:

Recreation

Smithers is known for its world class skiing and fishing (in particular for steelhead). Other popular activities include soccer, volleyball, hockey, baseball, downhill mountain biking, cross-country skiing, hiking, quadding and snowmobiling. Smithers offers a variety of extreme sports, for example quadding in the back country, snowmobiling in the surrounding mountains, paragliding, or mountain biking down Hudson Bay Mountain. Smithers is known for its variety of recreation.