Wells, British Columbia on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Wells is a small mining and tourist town in the
District of Wells
/ref> The closure of the gold and other mineral mines in 1967 took its toll on the town and most of the population moved away. Today it has a listed population of just 250 which doubles during the summer months. Between May and September, Wells sees over 100,000 tourists pass through on their way to Barkerville. Most visitors stay or camp overnight in Wells, which has an active arts and outdoor entertainment sector. During the winter months, visitors come for the cross-country ski trails, snowmobiling, and artistic and study retreats. During the summer visitors enjoy galleries and live performances.
Cariboo District
Cariboo District was a federal electoral district (Canada), electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1871 to 1872.
It was created when the Provinces and territories of Canada, pr ...
of central 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, ...
, located on BC Highway 26, from Quesnel and before the highway's terminus at Barkerville
Barkerville was the main town of the Cariboo Gold Rush in British Columbia, Canada, and is preserved as a historic town. It is located on the north slope of the Cariboo Plateau near the Cariboo Mountains east of Quesnel. BC Highway 26, which ...
. It gains much of its revenue and jobs from tourists who pass through on their way to the Bowron Lake Provincial Park
Bowron Lake Provincial Park is a provincial park located in northern British Columbia, Canada, roughly east of the city of Quesnel. Other nearby towns include Wells and the historic destination of Barkerville. Once a popular hunting and fishin ...
and to the historic museum town of Barkerville.
History
Originally a company town, it was managed by ''Cariboo Gold Quartz Mine''. Fred M. Wells, for whom the town was named, prospected in the area for 10 years before finding the minerals that built the company. At its heyday of the 1930s, Wells sported 4500 people. In 1942 it had a greater population than Quesnel or Prince George./ref> The closure of the gold and other mineral mines in 1967 took its toll on the town and most of the population moved away. Today it has a listed population of just 250 which doubles during the summer months. Between May and September, Wells sees over 100,000 tourists pass through on their way to Barkerville. Most visitors stay or camp overnight in Wells, which has an active arts and outdoor entertainment sector. During the winter months, visitors come for the cross-country ski trails, snowmobiling, and artistic and study retreats. During the summer visitors enjoy galleries and live performances.
Climate
Wells doesn't have a weather station, butBarkerville
Barkerville was the main town of the Cariboo Gold Rush in British Columbia, Canada, and is preserved as a historic town. It is located on the north slope of the Cariboo Plateau near the Cariboo Mountains east of Quesnel. BC Highway 26, which ...
does (located away). Wells has a subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
''Dfc''), resulting in long, cold and snowy winters, accompanied by short and cool summers due to its high altitude and latitude. Its growing season averages only 66 days.
Demographics
In the2021 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, Wells had a population of 218 living in 113 of its 156 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 217. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.
See also
* * *List of communities in British Columbia
Communities in the province of British Columbia, Canada can include incorporated municipalities, Indian reserves, unincorporated communities or localities. Unincorporated communities can be further classified as recreational or urban.
Indian ...
References
External links
* * {{authority control District municipalities in British Columbia Ghost towns in British Columbia Populated places in the Cariboo Regional District Mining communities in British Columbia