Halfmoon Bay (xwilkway in ''she shashishalhem'', the

Sechelt language The Sechelt language, ''Sháshíshálh'' or ''Shashishalhem'' (), is a Coast Salish language spoken by the Shishalh (Sechelt) people of the Pacific Northwest Coast. It is spoken in the area now called southwestern British Columbia, Canada, cen ...

) is a small community of about 2,800 people, many of whom are only summer residents. It is a large scalloped bay protected from the open sea by South Thormanby Island and

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...

. It encompasses a small village of permanent homes, summer cottages and five regional parks on the

Sunshine Coast Sunshine Coast may refer to: * Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia **Sunshine Coast Region, a local government area of Queensland named after the region **Sunshine Coast Stadium * Sunshine Coast (British Columbia), geographic subregion of the Br ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. It belongs to Electoral Area B in the

Sunshine Coast Regional District The Sunshine Coast Regional District is a regional district in British Columbia, Canada. It is located on the southern mainland coast, across Georgia Strait (part of the Salish Sea) from Vancouver Island. It borders on the qathet Regional Distri ...

. The community can be reached by the uniquely named Redrooffs Road, so-called because a popular local resort once featured a cluster of tourist cabins, all with red roofs. Some homes are also located off

Highway 101 Highway 101 was an American country music band founded in 1986 in Los Angeles, California. The initial lineup consisted of Paulette Carlson (lead vocals), Jack Daniels (guitar), Curtis Stone (bass guitar, vocals), and Scott "Cactus" Moser (drums) ...

. Halfmoon Bay Elementary School, the community's only elementary school, has 200–300 students ranging from kindergarten to grade seven. This school has performed extremely well for one of its size, achieving BC / Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA) scores above those of many private schools. After graduating, grade seven students can go to one of the three high schools on the southern

: Pender Harbour Secondary, Chatelech Secondary (in Sechelt), and Elphinstone Secondary (in Gibsons). The area in and around Halfmoon Bay was originally inhabited solely by the Shishalh people of the Coast Salish First Nations. Halfmoon Bay's settlers chose the area for its mild climate and abundance of fresh water and natural food (fish, shellfish, berries and roots). The Shishalh tribe became known as the Sechelts, a derivation of she'shalt, meaning "the people". Roberts Creek formed the boundary between the

Sechelt Sechelt (, Shishalh language chat'lich) 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 tr ...

people to the north and the

Squamish people The Squamish people (Squamish language, Squamish: ''Skwxwú7mesh'' , historically transliterated as Sko-ko-mish) are an Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Archaeological evidence sh ...

to the south. Originally named Priestland Bay after the Priestland family who settled in the area in 1899, its present name comes from the shape of Halfmoon Bay.

Climate

Halfmoon Bay has a warm

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

(Csb) near an

Oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

(Cfb)

References

External links

* Designated places in British Columbia Populated places in the Sunshine Coast Regional District Unincorporated settlements in British Columbia {{BritishColumbiaCoast-geo-stub