Sunshine Coast (British Columbia)

Last updated
Sunshine Coast
Subregion of British Columbia
Salvation II at Fisherman's Resort & Marina.jpg
Pender Harbour
Coordinates: 49°41′00″N124°11′00″W / 49.68333°N 124.18333°W / 49.68333; -124.18333
Country Canada
Province British Columbia
Region British Columbia Coast
Area
 • Total8,849.06 km2 (3,416.64 sq mi)
Population
 (2016)
 • Total50,040
 • Density5.95/km2 (15.4/sq mi)
Time zone UTC−8 (PST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−7 (PDT)
Postal code prefixes
V

The Sunshine Coast is a geographic subregion of the British Columbia Coast that generally comprises the regional districts of qathet and Sunshine Coast. [1]

Contents

While populous and frequently visited by tourists, the Sunshine Coast can be reached only by ferry (commonly BC Ferries) or by floatplane, as no access roads have been built around or across the fjords separating it from the rest of the province. It can also be reached via private or chartered aircraft using the Sechelt Aerodrome (CAP3).

Geography

The Sunshine Coast is a subregion of the mainland coast of British Columbia. It is bound by Howe Sound to the southeast, Desolation Sound to the northwest, the Pacific Ranges to the northeast, and the Strait of Georgia to the southwest. The region is bisected by Jervis Inlet. The region features a coastal lowland that gradually transitions to steep-sided mountains as you move toward the northeast.

The major islands of the Sunshine Coast include Anvil Island, Gambier Island, Goat Island, Hernando Island, Keats Island, Savary Island, and most of the Northern Gulf Islands.

Ecology

The Coast's wildlife includes cougars, black bears, wolves, marbled murrelet, orcas, great blue herons, seals, sea lions and bald eagles. There are also abundant tide pools with a variety of molluscs, sea anemones and fish.

At certain times of the year, seal pups may be encountered on the Coast's beaches. They should not be approached, as the mother may abandon them. All wildlife on the Coast should be viewed from a safe and respectful distance.

Climate

The lowlands have a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csb) with warm, dry summers and cool, wet winters. Higher elevations feature a marine west coast climate (Köppen: Cfb) with warm summers, mild winters, and moderate rainfall throughout the year.

Demographics

As of the 2016 census, the population of the Sunshine Coast totals 50,040:

Major communities

The major communities of the Sunshine Coast are as follows:

Economy

Historically, the economy of the Sunshine Coast was driven primarily by industries such as logging and mining.

Today, forestry and tourism form much of the local economy.

Culture

The Sunshine Coast is home to more artists per capita than any other Canadian region. Purple flags along the Sunshine Coast Highway and local streets indicate artists's studios where the public is welcome, and which feature many disciplines including painting, pottery and glassblowing.[ citation needed ]

Transportation

Due to its mountainous terrain, the Sunshine Coast is not directly linked over land to the surrounding coast. Instead, BC Ferries provides ferry service linking the coast to surrounding regions. Notable lines include Horseshoe Bay-Langdale, Little River-Westview, and Earls Cove-Saltery Bay. Minor ferry operators and water taxis provide service to minor islands dotting the strait.

The region is served by British Columbia Highway 101, which runs along the coast between the communities of Langdale and Lund.

Attractions

Some attractions specific to the Sunshine Coast include:

The region also features two notable trails:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gibsons</span> Town in British Columbia, Canada

Gibsons is a coastal community of 4,605 in southwestern British Columbia, Canada on the Sunshine Coast, along the Strait of Georgia.

British Columbia Highway 101, also known as the Sunshine Coast Highway, is the main north-south thoroughfare on the Sunshine Coast, British Columbia, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Powell River, British Columbia</span> City in British Columbia, Canada

Powell River is a city on the northern Sunshine Coast of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Most of its population lives near the eastern shores of Malaspina Strait, which is part of the larger Georgia Strait between Vancouver Island and the Mainland. With two intervening long, steep-sided fjords inhibiting the construction of a contiguous road connection with Vancouver to the south, geographical surroundings explain Powell River's remoteness as a community, despite relative proximity to Vancouver and other populous areas of the BC Coast. The city is the location of the head office of the qathet Regional District.

qathet Regional District Regional district in British Columbia, Canada

The qathet Regional District is a regional district in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Its only incorporated municipality is the City of Powell River, although it includes a number of unincorporated areas. The district encompasses a land area of 5,075.33 square kilometres (1,959.60 sq mi). The district was formerly known as the Powell River Regional District. Because of frequent confusion between the identical names of Powell River district and city, the district's name was changed in 2018 to qathet, from q̓at̓ᶿət, meaning "working together, bringing together" in the Comox language of the Tla'amin Nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunshine Coast Regional District</span> Regional district in British Columbia, Canada

The Sunshine Coast Regional District is a regional district in British Columbia, Canada. It is located on the southern mainland coast, across Georgia Strait from Vancouver Island. It borders on the qathet Regional District to the north, the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District to the east, and, across Howe Sound, the Metro Vancouver District to the south. The regional district offices are located in the District Municipality of Sechelt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sechelt</span> Netherlands 23

Sechelt is a district municipality located on the lower Sunshine Coast of British Columbia. Approximately 50 km northwest of Vancouver, it is accessible from mainland British Columbia by a 40-minute ferry trip between Horseshoe Bay and Langdale, and a 25-minute drive from Langdale along Highway 101, also known as the Sunshine Coast Highway. The name Sechelt is derived from the she shashishalhem word shíshálh, the name of the First Nations people who first settled the area thousands of years ago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lasqueti Island</span>

Lasqueti Island is an island off the east coast of Vancouver Island in the Strait of Georgia, qathet Regional District, British Columbia, Canada and has a population of 498. A passenger-only ferry connects the island to the community of French Creek, near Parksville. The ferry makes two to three runs per day, six days per week, weather permitting. The ferry service is run by Western Pacific Marine for BC Ferries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earls Cove, British Columbia</span> Locality in British Columbia, Canada

Earls Cove is a small settlement located on Jervis Inlet in the Sunshine Coast region of British Columbia. It is a terminal for the BC Ferries route across the inlet to Saltery Bay, linking the Lower Sunshine Coast with the Upper Sunshine Coast. Earls Cove is at the north end of the Sechelt Peninsula and on the east side of the mouth of Jervis Inlet, adjacent to Agamemnon Channel, across which is Nelson Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howe Sound</span> Sound in Canada

Howe Sound is a roughly triangular sound, that joins a network of fjords situated immediately northwest of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Columbia Coast</span> Coastal region of British Columbia, Canada

The British Columbia Coast, popularly referred to as the BC Coast or simply the Coast, is a geographic region of the Canadian province of British Columbia. As the entire western continental coastline of Canada along the Pacific Ocean is in the province, it is synonymous with being the West Coast of Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jervis Inlet</span> Inlet in British Columbia, Canada

Jervis Inlet is one of the principal inlets of the British Columbia Coast, about 95 km (59 mi) northwest of Vancouver, and the third of such inlets north of the 49th parallel, the first of which is Burrard Inlet, Vancouver's harbour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">School District 46 Sunshine Coast</span>

School District 46 Sunshine Coast is a school district in British Columbia, Canada. It covers an area in the Sunshine Coast region northwest of Greater Vancouver, including the communities of Gibsons, and Sechelt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roberts Creek, British Columbia</span> Community in British Columbia, Canada

Roberts Creek is a community on the southern Sunshine Coast, in British Columbia, Canada, and within Electoral Area D of the Sunshine Coast Regional District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lund, British Columbia</span> Unincorporated community Tlaamin Land in British Columbia, Canada

Lund is a small craft harbour and unincorporated village on Tla'amin land in qathet Regional District, British Columbia, Canada. It is along the northern part of the Salish Sea on the mainland BC coast. The main landmark in the village is the Lund Hotel, established in 1905. By boat from Lund, the Copeland Islands and Desolation Sound, are nearby. Lund is home to many shops and services including a general store, a restaurant overlooking the water, kayak and adventure tourism stores, and Nancy's Bakery, a favourite of locals and tourists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pender Harbour, British Columbia</span> Harbour in British Columbia, Canada

Pender Harbour is a harbour on British Columbia's Sunshine Coast, on the east side of Malaspina Strait. The name Pender Harbour also refers collectively to the surrounding unincorporated communities of Madeira Park, Kleindale, Irvines Landing, and Garden Bay, within the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keats Island (British Columbia)</span> Place in British Columbia, Canada

Keats Island is an inhabited island located in Howe Sound near Vancouver, British Columbia. Around eighty people live on Keats Island year-round.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Thormanby Island</span>

shíshálh Nation Government District, formerly known as Sechelt Indian Government District, is a First Nations government district administered by the shíshálh Nation, and located in the Sunshine Coast region of southwest British Columbia, Canada. It was incorporated on March 17, 1988 and consists of 33 separate land parcels, of which 32 are located within the Sunshine Coast Regional District and one located within the qathet Regional District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saltery Bay</span> Unincorporated community in British Columbia, Canada

Saltery Bay is an unincorporated community on the Sunshine Coast of southern British Columbia, Canada. It is located about 30 kilometres (19 mi) southeast of the city of Powell River. It is adjacent to Saltery Bay Provincial Park.

The tems swiya Museum is a First Nations museum owned and operated by the shíshálh Nation, and located in Sechelt (ch'atlich), British Columbia, Canada.

References

  1. ↑ "Sunshine Coast Tourism, British Columbia, Canada | Official Travel Site". Sunshine Coast Tourism. Retrieved 2018-04-17.
  2. ↑ "Census Profile, 2016 Census - Sunshine Coast, Regional district [Census division], British Columbia". statcan.gc.ca. 2016. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
  3. ↑ "Census Profile, 2016 Census - Powell River, Regional district [Census division], British Columbia". statcan.gc.ca. 2016. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
  4. ↑ "shíshálh Nation tems swiya Museum | Sunshine Coast, Sechelt, BC". Shishalh Nation. Retrieved 2020-09-05.
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