Houston ( ) is a
forestry
Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. ...
,
mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic ...
and
tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...
town in the
Bulkley Valley
The Bulkley Valley is in the northwest Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada.
Geography
The Bulkley, a stream running through Houston, British Columbia, joins the larger Morice River about to the west. At the confluence, they become not ...
of the
Northern Interior of British Columbia
Northern may refer to the following:
Geography
* North, a point in direction
* Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe
* Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States
* Northern Province, Sri Lanka
* Northern Range, a r ...
, Canada. Its urban population is approximately 3600 people, with approximately 2000 in the surrounding rural area. It is known as the "
steelhead
Steelhead, or occasionally steelhead trout, is the common name of the anadromous form of the coastal rainbow trout or redband trout (O. m. gairdneri). Steelhead are native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific basin in Northeast Asia and ...
capital" and it has the world's largest
fly fishing rod. Houston's tourism industry is largely based on
ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide fund ...
and Steelhead Park, situated along
Highway 16
Route 16, or Highway 16, can refer to:
International
* Asian Highway 16
* European route E16
* European route E016
Australia
- Thompsons Road (Victoria)
- South Australia
Canada
;Parts of the Trans-Canada Highway:
*Yellowhead Hi ...
. Houston is named in honour of the pioneer newspaperman
John Houston.
History
The Morice area was first charted by amateur historian, cartographer and geologist, Reverend
Adrien-Gabriel Morice
Adrien-Gabriel Morice (27 August 1859 – 21 April 1939) was a missionary priest belonging to the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. He served as a missionary in Canada, and created a writing system for the Carrier language.
Early life
Father Morice wa ...
(1859-1938) known to northern British Columbian locals as "Father Morice." In 1880, Morice came to
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, ...
as a Catholic missionary to the native people and was one of the first 'white men' to see most of the area. Morice wrote, ''The History of the Northern Interior of British Columbia (formerly New Caledonia)
660 to 1880'. The
Indigenous people
Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...
were initially known as
Carrier Indians, but today are more commonly referred to as the ''Wet'suwet'en'' (sometimes spelled Wit'suwit'en) and speak a language commonly referred to as
Dakeł (
Northern Athabaskan
Northern Athabaskan is a geographic sub-grouping of the Athabaskan language family spoken by indigenous peoples in the northern part of North America, particularly in Alaska (Alaskan Athabaskans), Yukon, and the Northwest Territories. The Northe ...
or
Na-Dene
Na-Dene (; also Nadene, Na-Dené, Athabaskan–Eyak–Tlingit, Tlina–Dene) is a family of Native American languages that includes at least the Athabaskan languages, Eyak, and Tlingit languages. Haida was formerly included, but is now considered ...
language). The
Morice River is called "''Wet-zuhn-kwa''" by the ''Wet'suwet'en'' people because of the bluish-green colour of the water.
''Wet-zuhn-kwa'' produces fresh water species like
rainbow trout,
cutthroat trout, and
Dolly Varden trout
The Dolly Varden trout (''Salvelinus malma'') is a species of salmonid fish native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. It belongs to the genus '' Salvelinus'', or true chars, which includes 51 recognized ...
(
bull trout
The bull trout (''Salvelinus confluentus'') is a char of the family Salmonidae native to northwestern North America. Historically, ''S. confluentus'' has been known as the " Dolly Varden" (''S. malma''), but was reclassified as a separate speci ...
).
Pacific salmon
''Oncorhynchus'' is a genus of fish in the family Salmonidae; it contains the Pacific salmon and Pacific trout. The name of the genus is derived from the Greek ὄγκος (ónkos, “lump, bend”) + ῥύγχος (rhúnkhos, “snout”), i ...
species include
Chinook salmon
The Chinook salmon (''Oncorhynchus tshawytscha'') is the largest and most valuable species of Pacific salmon in North America, as well as the largest in the genus '' Oncorhynchus''. Its common name is derived from the Chinookan peoples. Other ...
(spring or king salmon),
sockeye salmon,
pink salmon
Pink salmon or humpback salmon (''Oncorhynchus gorbuscha'') is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family. It is the smallest and most abundant of the Pacific salmon. The scientific species name is based on the Russian common name for ...
(humpies or humpbacks),
coho salmon
The coho salmon (''Oncorhynchus kisutch;'' Karuk: achvuun) is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family (biology), family and one of the five Pacific salmon species. Coho salmon are also known as silver salmon or "silvers". The scientif ...
, and steelhead salmon, an
anadromous form of the coastal rainbow trout.
The area is also rich in wildlife as it is not uncommon to spot moose, deer, black bear, grizzly bear, cougars and so on. Nanika River feeds Morice Lake and produces sockeye salmon. In the 1970s, the proposed
Kemano Completion Project threatened to dam Nanika River. The project was eventually shelved. Morice River is a tributary of the
Skeena river system
In geomorphology, drainage systems, also known as river systems, are the patterns formed by the streams, rivers, and lakes in a particular drainage basin. They are governed by the topography of land, whether a particular region is dominated by har ...
, which is the second-largest system in BC that enters the Pacific Ocean at
Prince Rupert.
In 1983, a huge forest-fire that started at Parrot Lakes threatened the community of Houston. A campfire being used by two tourists from Switzerland got out of control. The fire became known as the "Swiss Fire" and burned notable landmarks like Rose Ranch and Morice Mountain. In the post World War II era, many settlers in the region between Prince George and Prince Rupert arrived as a result of the
Frontier ApostleFrontier Apostle
/ref> movement.
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population
The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...
conducted by Statistics Canada, Houston had a population of 3,052 living in 1,271 of its 1,461 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 2,993. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.
Religion
According to the 2021 census, religious groups in Houston included:
*Irreligion
Irreligion or nonreligion is the absence or rejection of religion, or indifference to it. Irreligion takes many forms, ranging from the casual and unaware to full-fledged philosophies such as atheism and agnosticism, secular humanism and ...
(1,685 persons or 55.9%)
*Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
(1,230 persons or 40.8%)
*Sikhism
Sikhism (), also known as Sikhi ( pa, ਸਿੱਖੀ ', , from pa, ਸਿੱਖ, lit=disciple', 'seeker', or 'learner, translit=Sikh, label=none),''Sikhism'' (commonly known as ''Sikhī'') originated from the word ''Sikh'', which comes fro ...
(45 persons or 1.5%)
*Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
(25 persons or 0.8%)
*Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. ...
(15 persons or 0.5%)
*Other (10 persons or 0.3%)
Transportation
Via Rail's Jasper–Prince Rupert train
The Jasper–Prince Rupert train (formerly the ''Skeena'' and ''Panorama'', now known as Trains 5/6, sometimes called ''The Rupert Rocket'') is a Canadian passenger train service operated by Via Rail between Jasper, Alberta, Prince George and ...
calls at the Houston railway station several times per week. Houston can be reached by the Trans-Canada Highway
The Trans-Canada Highway (French: ; abbreviated as the TCH or T-Can) is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the Atlantic Ocean on ...
, which enters the community as Highway 16
Route 16, or Highway 16, can refer to:
International
* Asian Highway 16
* European route E16
* European route E016
Australia
- Thompsons Road (Victoria)
- South Australia
Canada
;Parts of the Trans-Canada Highway:
*Yellowhead Hi ...
, part of the Yellowhead Highway
The Yellowhead Highway (french: Route Yellowhead) is a major interprovincial highway in Western Canada that runs from Winnipeg to Graham Island off the coast of British Columbia via Saskatoon and Edmonton. It stretches across the four western ...
. Located northwest of the community is Houston Aerodrome which is operated by the District of Houston. The aerodrome has no scheduled service.
Politics
Houston is located in the federal electoral district of Skeena-Bulkley Valley, which has been held since 2004 by incumbent Nathan Cullen of the New Democratic Party of Canada. In the 2008 general federal election, Houston Mayor Sharon Smith ran as a Conservative Party candidate where she was defeated. She was also defeated a month later in the mayoral municipal election.
Provincially Houston is located in the new Nechako Lakes electoral district as of the general election of 2009 the elected MLA was John Rustad of the British Columbia Liberal Party
The British Columbia Liberal Party, often shortened to the BC Liberals, is a centre-right provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party currently forms the Official Opposition. Subsequent to the 2020 British Columbia genera ...
. Previously the Bulkley Valley-Stikine
Bulkley Valley-Stikine was a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada from 1991 to 2009. It was succeeded by the electoral district of Stikine.
Demographics
Geography
History
MLAs
*Fr ...
electoral district was held by Dennis MacKay, also of the British Columbia Liberal Party.
Geography
West of Houston are Telkwa
Telkwa is a village located along British Columbia Highway 16, nearly southeast of the town of Smithers and west of the city of Prince George, in northwest British Columbia, Canada.
History
Settlement in the area began around 1904 in a towns ...
(), Smithers
Smithers is a surname of English origin. It derives from the Middle English term "smyther", referring to a metalsmith, and is thus related to the common occupational surname Smith. The name Smither is related.
People
*Alan Smithers (born 1938 ...
(), Witset (), Old Hazelton, New Hazelton
New Hazelton is a district municipality on Highway 16 in northwest British Columbia, Canada. It is situated northeast of Terrace and northwest of Smithers and in 2016 had a population of 580 people, a decrease of 12.9% comparing to 2011. New ...
(), Terrace
Terrace may refer to:
Landforms and construction
* Fluvial terrace, a natural, flat surface that borders and lies above the floodplain of a stream or river
* Terrace, a street suffix
* Terrace, the portion of a lot between the public sidewalk an ...
(), and Prince Rupert (). East of Houston are Topley (), Granisle
Granisle () is a village on Babine Lake in the Northern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, to the north of Topley between Burns Lake and Houston.
History
The early inhabitants of the area were Carrier Indians, called " Babine" by the ...
(), Burns Lake (), Fraser Lake (), and Prince George ().
Houston is located near the confluence of the Bulkley River and Morice River approximately south of Smithers along Highway 16
Route 16, or Highway 16, can refer to:
International
* Asian Highway 16
* European route E16
* European route E016
Australia
- Thompsons Road (Victoria)
- South Australia
Canada
;Parts of the Trans-Canada Highway:
*Yellowhead Hi ...
. Buck Creek also joins the Bulkley River near the community by the local mall. Historically, Buck Creek formed a delta where most of the downtown is located. The delta was channelled and dyked which probably led to the downfall and destruction of important, rearing habitat of young salmon produced in that stream.
The area is in a rain shadow of the Coast Mountains, however due to being dominated by a low pressure region, Houston receives a mid-range volume of precipitation annually.
Morice Lake is located south along the Morice River Forest Service Road (FSR). Nestled into the Coast Mountains, many Houstonites use this area for recreational camping and fishing.
The Bulkley, a small stream running through Houston, and the Morice River join just west of Houston. At the point of their joining they become the Bulkley River, not the Morice despite the fact the Morice is larger. This was done by Poudrier, a government cartographer who, it is rumoured, never saw the region. The Bulkley is named for American engineer, Colonel Charles S. Bulkley, one of the surveyors constructing the Russian–American Telegraph
The Russian–American Telegraph, also known as the Western Union Telegraph Expedition and the Collins Overland Telegraph, was an attempt by the Western Union Telegraph Company from 1865 to 1867 to lay a telegraph line from San Francisco, Calif ...
line through the Pleasant Valley. This was in the late 1800s.
Nearby communities:
*Barrett
*Buck Flats
* Burns Lake
* Decker Lake
*Duncan Lake (Broman Lake)
*Endako
*Forestdale
*Fort Babine
Fort Babine, British Columbia (Wit'at) is a small native reserve community, located at the northern tip of Babine Lake, approximately 100 km north of Smithers. It is accessible by an all-weather gravel logging road. There are approximately 6 ...
* Fort Fraser
*François Lake
François Lake in British Columbia is about south of Burns Lake and west of Fraser Lake. The lake is long, making it the second longest natural lake entirely within British Columbia after Babine Lake. Nadina River
The Nadina River is a river ...
* Fraser Lake
*Granisle
Granisle () is a village on Babine Lake in the Northern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, to the north of Topley between Burns Lake and Houston.
History
The early inhabitants of the area were Carrier Indians, called " Babine" by the ...
*Grassy Plains
*Noralee
*Old Fort
*Palling
*Perow
*Quick
* Rose Lake
*Round Lake
*Smithers
Smithers is a surname of English origin. It derives from the Middle English term "smyther", referring to a metalsmith, and is thus related to the common occupational surname Smith. The name Smither is related.
People
*Alan Smithers (born 1938 ...
*Southbank
*Telkwa
Telkwa is a village located along British Columbia Highway 16, nearly southeast of the town of Smithers and west of the city of Prince George, in northwest British Columbia, Canada.
History
Settlement in the area began around 1904 in a towns ...
* Topley
* Topley Landing
*Walcott
* Witset (formerly Moricetown)
Climate
Houston has a humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...
(Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...
''Dfb'') with mild summers and cold winters. Houston is not as prone to extreme temperature record swings as some other nearby areas, but still retains sizeable seasonal differences and has a temperature amplitude of . Being in a rain shadow of the coastal mountains, Houston has a quite dry climate with relatively uniform precipitation year-round. Annual snowfall is still quite high due to the five-month period with means below freezing.
Recreation
The Houston Hikers' Society provides website where trail information, maps, photos and driving directions can be accessed. The Morice Mountain Nordic Ski Club is a volunteer non-profit society. The MMNSC is responsible for all developments and trail grooming as well as maintenance of the facilities, and for trail users' fee collections. The ski trails are situated south of Houston on Buck Flats Road. Skiing enthusiasts are able to explore over of challenging and beginner trails covering a rolling topography around Silverthorne Lake.
Many locals frequent the Nanika-Kidprice Lakes Basin canoe route. This basin lies on the eastern slope of the Coastal Mountain Range and forms the upper watershed of the Morice-Bulkley rivers. The basin area is above sea level and is surrounded by glaciated and snow-capped peaks that rise as high as . The route takes about three or four days to complete. There is approximately of portages between three lakes.
The recently constructed Houston Leisure Facility holds a pool, hot-tub, sauna and fitness gym. Houston has a nine-hole golf course. Jamie Baxter Park was named after a boy that disappeared in the forest while playing in the Buck Flats area in the late 1970s. It was fall-time and temperatures at night dipped below and the boy eventually lost his life.
Schools
Houston is located in School District 54 Bulkley Valley
School District 54 Bulkley Valley is a school district in northwestern British Columbia. Centered in Smithers, it includes the communities of Telkwa, Houston, and Witset.
History
Except for the two schools in Houston
Houston (; ) is the ...
and has three public schools and one privately run Christian denominational school.
Elementary schools:
*Silverthorne Elementary School
*Twain Sullivan Elementary School
Secondary schools:
*Houston Secondary School
Houston Secondary is a public high school in Houston, British Columbia, part of School District 54 Bulkley Valley
School District 54 Bulkley Valley is a school district in northwestern British Columbia. Centered in Smithers, it includes the ...
The Houston Christian School teaches from K-12.
References
Smith, Elnora. C. (1971). Marks On The Forest Floor - A Story Of Houston, British Columbia. Houston British Columbia: Houston Centennial '71 Committee.
*Hinzmann, Christine. Frontier Apostolate marks 60th anniversary, Prince George Citizen, August 18, 201
*North Coast Review, Frontier Apostles the focus of Vancouver Sun article (201
*The Kerryman, Frontier Apostle who loved travel an
literature
External links
*
{{authority control
District municipalities in British Columbia
Populated places in the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako
Bulkley Valley