Communities

Nanaimo

Nanaimo (Canada 2006 Census population 78,692) is a city on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. It has been dubbed the “Bathtub Racing Capital of the World” and “Harbour City”. Nanaimo is also sometimes referred to as the “Hub City” because of its central location on Vancouver Island and due to the layout of the downtown streets which form a “hub” pattern. It is also fondly known as the “Hub, Tub, and Pub City” because of its association with the bathtub racing and the numerous “watering holes” in Old Nanaimo. It is the location of the headquarters of the Regional District of Nanaimo.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanaimo


Cedar

Cedar is a small community in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is located near the east coast of Vancouver Island — about 8 kilometers (5 miles) southeast of Nanaimo. Its geographical coordinates are 49°07′N 123°51′W. Near Cedar are DeCourcy Island and Ruxton Island, which were once home to the mystical rake Brother XII.

The village was so named because of the profusion of Thuja plicata trees in its vicinity, known as the Western Red Cedar. Cedar as a locality certainly existed prior to 1888, as on 1 April of that year a post office was opened.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedar,_British_Columbia


Ladysmith/h3>
Ladysmith is a town located on the 49th parallel on the east coast of Vancouver Island British Columbia, Canada. The local economy is based on forestry, tourism and agriculture. A hillside location adjacent to a sheltered harbour form the natural characteristics of the community.

As of 2006, the population was 7,538. The area of the town was 8.43 square kilometres. Total private dwellings were 2,833. Population density was 828.5 people per square kilometre.

Ladysmith is also known for its annual Festival of Lights in which the entire commercial sector and many homes are decorated with strings of colourful lights for six weeks in celebration of Christmas. It is also known for its local Summer Celebrations, called Ladysmith Days, which was once one of the premiere logging sports venues in North America before the decline of the logging industry.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladysmith,_British_Columbia


Saltair

Saltair is an unincorporated community with a population of 1,800 on the east coast  of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada located between Chemainus and Ladysmith. It is within the Cowichan Valley Regional District.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saltair,_British_Columbia


Chemainus

Chemainus is a community on the east coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Founded as a logging town in 1858, the town is now famous for its 39 outdoor murals. This outdoor gallery has given birth to 300 businesses, including a theatre, antiques dealers, and eateries. The tourist industry stemming from the murals saved the town after its mill closed in the early 1980s. A resident of Chemainus is known as a Chemainiac.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemainus


Crofton

Crofton, British Columbia, Canada, is a small coastal town that is part of the District of North Cowichan on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. The population is estimated at 2,500 people. It is about 74 km north of Victoria.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crofton,_British_Columbia


Duncan

Duncan (pop. 5,035) is a city on southern Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.

Duncan’s tourism slogan is “The City of Totems”. The city has 80 totem poles around the entire town, which were erected in the late 1980s, including the world’s largest totem pole (in diameter), carved by First Nations artisan Simon Charlie.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duncan,_British_Columbia


Lake Cowichan

Lake Cowichan (pop. 2,948), is a town located on the east end of Cowichan Lake and, by highway, is 27 km west of Duncan, British Columbia. Lake Cowichan is a sister city of Ōtaki (now part of Date city) in Hokkaidō, Japan.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Cowichan


Cowichan Bay

Cowichan Bay (Cow Bay) is a bay and community located near Duncan, in British Columbia. The mouth of the Cowichan River is near Cowichan Bay. The bay is known for its fishing  and scenic value. The area’s main industries are fishing and tourism.

For many thousands of years Cowichan Bay was home to First Nations people who harvested the wealth of salmon and shellfish found in its many coves, tidal flats and swiftly flowing rivers.

Cowichan Bay was the gateway for European settlement of the Cowichan and Chemainus valleys from the early 1860’s. A steamer service from Victoria was the major link for goods and people before the coming of the railway.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowichan_Bay


Cobble Hill

Cobble Hill is a small community on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. It is located approximately 45 kilometres (28 mi) north of Victoria in the Cowichan Valley Regional District, and is known for its agricultural surroundings, and for Cobble Hill itself, which gave the village its name. According to the 2006 census, there are 1,775 people living in Cobble Hill.

The town features many hiking trails and paths cover the hills and forests of this area, which is well-known for its mountain biking opportunities. More recently the area has become famous for its vineyards, which have won awards for their wines. The settlement is served by the Via Rail Victoria – Courtenay train.

Parts of the 1994 version of Little Women from the novel by Louisa May Alcott were filmed here.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobble_Hill,_British_Columbia


Shawnigan Lake

Shawnigan Lake (pop. approximately 4,040) is a village on British Columbia’s Vancouver Island. The name Shawnigan is an adaptation of the Hunquminum name for the Shawnigan Lake, the lake the village is situated at, Shaanii’us

A popular recreation destination, its population typically doubles during the summer, as the lake and village are summer vacation spots for residents of Victoria, who commute between the city and Shawnigan Lake while staying in their summer cabins.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shawnigan_Lake,_British_Columbia


Mill Bay

Mill Bay is a commuter town of about 3,200 people located on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada about 30 km (19 mi) north of Victoria, the capital.

Mill Bay was founded in the 1860s with lumber and milling as its primary industries, done at the mill on the bay. It is known for its ferry to Brentwood Bay on the Saanich Peninsula and the historic Malahat Drive, which is also a source of criticism due to frequent closures from either automobile accidents or weather conditions. Numerous suggestions have been made by various groups regarding a ‘bypass’ route (possibly a bridge), though as of 2007, the Brentwood-Mill Bay Ferry and the Malahat remain the only routes to Greater Victoria from the rest of Vancouver Island. The MV Mill Bay that has served the ferry route since 1956 is named for the town.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mill_Bay,_British_Columbia