Country Canada Elevation 5 m (16 ft) | Province British Columbia Demonym(s) Squamite, Squamoleon | |
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Region Howe Sound/Sea to Sky Country Regional District Squamish-Lillooet Regional District | ||
Squamish (/ˈskwɔːmɪʃ/; 2011 census population 17,158) is a community and a district municipality in the Canadian province of British Columbia, located at the north end of Howe Sound on the Sea to Sky Highway. The population of the Squamish census agglomeration – including First Nation reserves of the Squamish Nation not governed by the municipality – is 15,256.
Contents
- Map of Squamish BC Canada
- Squamish people
- Activities
- Politics
- Education
- Society and culture
- In media
- Climate
- Transit
- Neighbourhoods
- Nearby localities
- Notable residents
- Sister cities
- References
Map of Squamish, BC, Canada
The town of Squamish had its beginning during the construction of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway in the 1910s. It was the first southern terminus of that railway (now a part of CN). The town remains important in the operations of the line and also the port. Forestry has traditionally been the main industry in the area, and the town's largest employer was the Western Forest Products pulp mill. However, Western Pulp's Squamish Operation permanently ceased operation on January 26, 2006. Before the pulp mill, the town's largest employer had been International Forest Products (Interfor) with its sawmill and logging operation, but it closed a few years prior to the pulp mill's closing. In recent years, Squamish has become popular with Vancouver and Whistler residents' escaping the increased cost of living in those places, both less than one hour away by highway. Tourism is an increasingly important part of the town's economy, with an emphasis on outdoor recreation.
Squamish people
The Squamish people are an indigenous people whose homeland includes the present day area of Squamish, British Columbia. They have inhabited an area of southwestern British Columbia that includes North and West Vancouver, Howe Sound, Whistler, the areas surrounding the tributaries entering Howe Sound, Burrard Inlet, and English Bay. The word Squamish derives from the name of the people which in their language is Sḵwx̱wú7mesh. The people reside primarily on a number of Indian Reserves owned and managed by the Squamish Nation in the Squamish Valley area. A few places and names in the Squamish area derive from Squamish language words and names. Ch’iyáḵmesh is the name of an old village that was located on the Cheakamus River. St’á7mes is a community located near the south entrance to the town of Squamish, which lies below the Stawamus Chief, which gets its name from that village. Mámx̱wem is where the Mamquam River name comes from as well.
Squamish territory comprises 6,732 km2, though lands controlled by the Squamish Nation band government are relatively scarce, and on Indian reserves only, though the Squamish Nation must be, like other native governments, consulted on developments within their people's territory. Residents of Indian Reserves are not governed by the District of Squamish but by the Squamish Nation. The Squamish Nation's population and Indian Reserves also include villages in North Vancouver and a number of other reserves at Gibsons and elsewhere in the general region.
The name Keh Kait was the traditional name for the site of downtown Squamish.
Activities
Attractions include the Stawamus Chief, a huge cliff-faced granite massif favoured by rock climbers. As well as over 300 climbing routes on the Chief proper, a majority of which require traditional climbing protection, there are steep hiking trails around the back to access the three peaks that make up the massif, all giving views of Howe Sound and the surrounding Coast Mountains. In all, between Shannon Falls, Murrin Park, The Malamute, and the Little Smoke Bluffs, there are over 1200 rock-climbing routes in the Squamish area (and another 300 or so climbs north of Squamish on the road to Whistler). In recent years, Squamish has also become a major destination for bouldering, with over 2500 problems described in the local guidebook.
Another activity for which Squamish is well known is mountain biking. There are over 600 trails suitable to riders that can ride very steep trails with large gaps and steep rock. One of the more well-known events supported by the mountain biking community is the "Test of Metal," a 67-kilometre, cross-country, mountain-bike race held annually in late June. Limited to 800 riders, the race is known to sell out quickly.
Kiteboarding and windsurfing are popular water sports in Squamish during the summer. Predictable wind on warm sunny days makes the Squamish Spit a top kiteboarding location in western Canada.
Squamish's extensive quality trail system is a key feature of an annual 50-mile ultra trail run, the Squamish 50. Solo runners and relay teams run on many of the same trails as the Test of Metal, and pass through Alice Lake Provincial Park and the campus of Quest University. "The Double" is an award offered annually to the participant with the fastest combined time for both the Test of Metal and Arc'teryx Squamish 50.
Other tourist attractions in Squamish include Shannon Falls waterfall; river-rafting on the Elaho and Squamish rivers; snowmobiling on nearby Brohm Ridge; and bald eagle viewing in the community of Brackendale, which has one of North America's largest populations of bald eagles. Squamish is also a popular destination among Greater Vancouver hikers, mountaineers and backcountry skiers, who visit the large provincial parks in the surrounding Coast Mountains.
Politics
The current mayor of Squamish is Patricia Heintzman, who won the 2014 election. Previous mayors have included Rob Kirkham (2011-2014); Greg Gardner (2008-2011); Ian Sutherland (2002–2008) among others. Current council members are Doug Race, Jason Blackman-Wulff, Karen Elliott, Peter Kent, Susan Chapelle, and Ted Prior. The municipality is part of the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District.
On the provincial level, Squamish is in the West Vancouver-Sea to Sky electoral district. The MLA is Jordan Sturdy (BC Liberal). He was elected in the 2013 provincial election after his predecessor, Joan McIntyre, also of the British Columbia Liberal Party, retired from politics. Sturdy was the sitting mayor of the town of Pemberton at the time of his election to the British Columbia Legislature.
Federally, Squamish is a part of the West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country electoral district. It is represented by Pamela Goldsmith-Jones (Liberal Party of Canada), who took office after Canada's 2015 federal election.
Education
Squamish has six English public elementary schools: Brackendale, Garibaldi Highlands, Mamquam, Squamish Elementary, Stawamus Elementary and Valleycliffe Elementary. The Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique operates one Francophone primary school in that city: the école Les Aiglons. There are two public secondary schools – Howe Sound Secondary School and Don Ross Secondary School – as well as the board office for School District 48 Howe Sound.
Squamish hosts three private schools: Squamish Montessori Elementary School, Cedar Valley Waldorf School, and Coast Mountain Academy for grades 7 through 12. Coast Mountain Academy is located in the campus of Quest University.
Capilano University offers post-secondary education through its Squamish campus, including diploma programs and university transfer courses. Quest University, which opened in September 2007, is Canada's first private, non-profit, secular university.
Society and culture
Squamish is home to a variety of faiths. There are eleven churches and religious organizations, including several Christian denominations, as well as the Bahá'í Faith, and a Sikh temple.
The Squamish Public Library is located in the downtown area on Second Avenue. The library houses a collection of books, CDs,DVDs, and magazines. It has an Art for Loan collection and an online historical archive of various photographs, periodicals, and other items. Nearby museums include the Britannia Mining Museum and the West Coast Railway Heritage Park.
In 1998, Squamish was briefly the home of the world's first unionized McDonald's franchise, although the union was decertified by the summer of 1999.
Every year, Squamish hosts the popular Squamish Valley Music Festival, though they did not proceed with the festival in 2016. Usually taking place in August, the festival has hosted artists such as Eminem, Bruno Mars, Macklemore and Arcade Fire.
In media
Squamish has been a filming location for a number of media works. Examples include the films Insomnia (2002), Chaos Theory (2008), Star Trek Beyond (2016), the television series Men In Trees, The Guard, A&E's U.S. adaptation of The Returned, and the Hallmark Channel's Aurora Teagarden mysteries.
Climate
Squamish is one of the wettest inhabited locations in Canada, with over 2,200 millimetres (87 in) of rainfall per year, often falling in long stretches through the winter.
Transit
Public transportation is provided by the Squamish Transit System; this service is free over the summer to students at school age (elementary and secondary). There is also bus service to Whistler provided by Greyhound Canada.
Neighbourhoods
Neighbourhoods of Squamish include:
Nearby localities
Notable residents
Sister cities
Squamish has a sister city arrangement with the following city: