Kamloops, British Columbia
The Television & Movie Wiki: for TV, celebrities, and movies.
Image:FraserRiverBritishColumbia Location.png
- 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. Kamloops is ranked number 58 in Wikipedia's List of the 100 largest cities in Canada by population. (Its population in 2001 is 77,281.)
Contents |
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.
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.
Industry
Major Kamloops-area industries include primary resource processing (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.
Sports
Kamloops was home of the 1993 Canada Summer Games. As listed above, the city is known 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.
Demographics
(according to Statistics Canada 2001 census)
Population: 77,281.
Growth Rate (1996-2001): 1.2%
Total Private Dwellings: 32,076
Area: 297.57 km2
Density: 259.7 people per km2
Communities
- Aberdeen
- Barnhartvale
- Campbell Creek
- Dallas
- Heffley Creek
- Juniper Ridge
- Valleyview
- Kamloops Junction
- Knutsford
- North Kamloops
- Oak Hills
- Rayleigh
- Sahali
- Tranquille
- Westmount
- Westsyde
- Batchelor Heights
- Mount Dufferin
- Sun Rivers
Mayor
Terry Lake recently elected in November 2005 municipal elections.
Educational facilities
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.
There are 6 secondary schools in Kamloops: South Kamloops Secondary, NorKam Secondary, Westsyde Secondary, Valleyview Secondary, Sahali Secondary, and Brocklehurst Secondary.
