Kamloops, British Columbia
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| Image:Kamloops, British Columbia Location.png | |||||
| Motto:Salus Et Opes [Health and Abundance] | |||||
| Member of Parliament | Betty Hinton(Conservative) - Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo | ||||
| Members of the Legislative Assembly | Claude Richmond(BC Liberal) - Kamloops | ||||
| Governing Body | Kamloops City Council | ||||
| Mayor | Terry Lake (recently elected in November 2005 municipal elections.) | ||||
| Location | Template:Coor dms; | ||||
| Land area | 5,684.11 km² | ||||
| Population (2001) | (City) 77,281 (Agglomeration) 86,491 | ||||
| Population Growth (1996-2001) | 1.2% | ||||
| Population Density | 259.7 people/km² | ||||
| Immigrant Population | 10.3% | ||||
| Languages | English 88.0% French 1.3% Other 10.7% | ||||
| Unemployment rate (2005) | 6.2% | ||||
| Average house price | $196,510 | ||||
- This page is about the city of Kamloops, British Columbia. For federal and provincial electoral districts with the name Kamloops, please see Kamloops (electoral districts).
Kamloops is a city in central British Columbia, Canada at the confluence of the two branches of the Thompson River and near Kamloops Lake. It is the seat of the Thompson-Nicola Regional District. Kamloops is also the Tournament Capital of Canada. It is ranked 58th on the list of the 100 largest metropolitan areas in Canada. A resident of Kamloops is referred to as a Kamloopsian.
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Geography and Location
Kamloops is situated at 50°43'N 120°25'W, in the Pacific Time Zone (UTC-8), and the Mountain Cordillera Ecozone.
History
The Kamloops area was inhabited by the Secwepemc (Shuswap) nation (part of the Salishan speaking people) prior to the arrival of European settlers. The first European explorers arrived in 1811, and a fur trading post was established by David Stuart in 1812 for the Pacific Fur Company. This was bought out by the North West Company shortly after, and by 1821, the Hudson's Bay Company had control of the fur trade in Kamloops. Image:Kamloops1886.jpg The gold rush of the 1850's and the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway in the 1880s brought further growth, resulting in the City of Kamloops being incorporated in 1893 with a population of about 500.
"Kamloops" is the anglicized version of the Shuswap word "Tk'emlups", meaning 'where the rivers meet'. Shuswap is still actively spoken in the area by members of the Kamloops Indian Band.
Image:FraserRiverBritishColumbia Location.png
Industry
Major Kamloops-area industries include primary resource processing (forestry, pulp mill, copper mine, ranching) as well as tertiary services (provincial lottery headquarters). Kamloops is also a transportation hub for the region, with three major highways, and a semi-international airport.
Climate
While situated in a semi-arid desert valley, Kamloops winters are generally mild and short with an occasional cold snap which can drop temperatures to around -30°C. Snow can occur from November to March, but most it falls over a few weeks in December and January. Winter mean minimun temperature of -6.1°C in January.
Summers in Kamloops can be quite hot due to the prevailing dry and sunny weather. Average July maximum temperature is 29°C. In most years, summer shade temperatures come close to or even exceed 40°C.
Spring arrives early due to mild air spilling over the coastal mountains from the Pacific Ocean. Fall is generally a pleasant, mostly dry season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme Daily Maximum | °C | 15.9 | 15.0 | 22.8 | 33.0 | 37.2 | 38.9 | 40.6 | 39.6 | 34.6 | 31.3 | 22.8 | 16.1 | |
| Average Daily Maximum | °C | -0.8 | 3.6 | 10.5 | 16.5 | 21.3 | 24.8 | 28.3 | 27.8 | 22.0 | 13.7 | 5.2 | 0.1 | 14.4 |
| Average Daily Minimum | °C | -7.6 | -4.4 | -0.9 | 2.9 | 7.5 | 11.3 | 13.7 | 13.2 | 8.5 | 3.2 | -1.7 | -6.1 | 3.3 |
| Extreme Daily Minimum | °C | -37.2 | -28.3 | -26.1 | -8.8 | -5.6 | 1.1 | 3.3 | 0.6 | -3.9 | -17.1 | -28.3 | -36.1 | |
| Average Precipitation | mm | 22.9 | 14.4 | 11.7 | 14.6 | 24.4 | 35.2 | 29.5 | 29.1 | 28.0 | 16.2 | 24.1 | 28.9 | 270.0 |
| Average Total Snow | cm | 21.8 | 11.3 | 3.5 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 12.2 | 26.1 | 75.5 |
| Average Sunshine | h | 58.3 | 91.3 | 156.8 | 201.5 | 250.6 | 255.0 | 310.0 | 286.6 | 212.0 | 140.0 | 65.2 | 47.4 | 2074.6 |
| Data[1] is for Kamloops Airport (YKA), in the city of Kamloops, 12km from city centre. | ||||||||||||||
Current weather conditions and forecasts can be found at Environment Canada's Weatheroffice website.[2]
Sports
Kamloops was home of the 1993 Canada Summer Games. As listed above, the city is known as, and holds a Canadian Trademark as, the Tournament Capital of Canada. Sun Peaks Resort is a well-reviewed ski and snowboard hill located nearby. Nancy Greene, the olympic medalist skiier, is director of skiing at Sun Peaks and also the chancellor of Thompson Rivers University. Likewise, the Overlander Ski Club runs the Stake Lake cross country ski area with some 50km of trails. Kamloops is also home to world famous mountain biking and many world famous mountain bikers such as Matt Hunter and Wade Simmons. The Kamloops Bike Ranch just opened near Juniper Ridge. The Kamloops Rotary Skatepark located at McArthur Island is one of the largest skateboard parks in Canada.
Kamloops is also home to a WHL hockey team, the Kamloops Blazers.
Kamloops (with Vancouver, BC and Kelowna, BC) hosted the 2006 IIHF World U20 Championship since Dec. 26th, 2005 to Jan 5th, 2006.
Demographics
(according to Statistics Canada 2001 census)
Population: 86,491.
Growth Rate (1996-2001): 1.2%
Total Private Dwellings: 36,807
Area: 297.57 km2
Density: 15.2 people per km2
- See the Stats Canada Kamloops page link below
Ethnic Origin
Religious Groups
- 35.0% Protestant
- 19.2% Roman Catholic
- 6.0% other Christian
- 3.2% other religions
- 36.6% no religion
Media
Radio
- AM 610 - CHNL, classic hits
- FM 92.5 - CFBX, Thompson Rivers University campus radio
- FM 94.1 - CBYK, CBC Radio One
- FM 96.5 - CBUF-6, La Première Chaîne
- FM 97.5 - CKRV, hot adult contemporary
- FM 98.3 - CIFM, active rock
- FM 100.1 - CKBZ, classic hits
- FM 101.9 - CBPL, tourist information
- FM 103.1 - CJKC, country
- FM 105.3 - CBU-4, CBC Radio Two
Television
The city's main daily newspaper is the Kamloops Daily News. The city is also home to Kamloops This Week, a thrice-weekly newspaper focusing solely on city news, entertainment and sports.
Education
Public Schools
Public schools in the Kamloops area are part of School District 73
- Secondary (Grades 10-12 or 8-12):
- Brocklehurst Secondary School
- NorKam Secondary School
- Sa-hali Secondary School
- South Kamloops Secondary School
- Twin Rivers Education Centre
- Valleyview Secondary School
- Westsyde Secondary School
Elementary Schools (Grades K-6 or K-7)
- Aberdeen Elementary School
- AE Perry Elementary School
- Arthur Hatton Elementary School
- Arthur Stevenson Elementary School
- Beattie Elementary School
- Bert Edwards Elementary School
- Dallas Elementary School
- David Thompson Elementary School
- Dufferin Elementary School
- George Hilliard Elementary School
- Heffley Creek Elementary School
- John Tod Elementary School
- Juniper Ridge Elementary School
- Kay Bingham Elementary School
- Lloyd George Elementary School
- Marion Shilling Elementary School
- McGowan Park Elementary School
- McQueen Lake Elementary School
- Oak Hills Elementary School
- Pacific Way Elementary School
- Parkcrest Elementary School
- Pinantan Elementary School
- Ralph Bell Elementary School
- Rayleigh Elementary School
- R.L Clemitson Elementary School
- South Sa-hali Elementary School
- Stuart Wood Elementary School
- Summit Elementary School
- Westmount Elementary School
- Westsyde Elementary School
Post-Secondary
Kamloops is home to Thompson Rivers University, an undergraduate degree-granting university with satellite campuses in Clearwater, Barriere, Chase, Williams Lake, 100 Mile House, Cache Creek, Ashcroft and Lillooet. TRU also has an open distance- learning division.
Communities
- Aberdeen
- Barnhartvale
- Brocklehurst
- Campbell Creek
- Dallas
- Heffley Creek
- Juniper Ridge
- Valleyview
- Kamloops Junction
- Knutsford
- North Shore
- Oak Hills
- Rayleigh
- Sahali
- Westmount
- Westsyde
- Batchelor Heights
- Mount Dufferin
- Sun Rivers
- Rose Hill
- Sun Peaks Resort
Sister city
See also
External links
- Thompson Rivers University
- School District 73
- City website
- City business development
- Tourism and things to do in Kamloops
- Kamloops Daily News
- Kamloops Flickr Group
- News, Weather, Sports, Music, and Community
- Stats Canada Kamloops Page
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