Castlegar is a community in the

West Kootenay The Kootenays or Kootenay ( ) is a region of southeastern British Columbia. It takes its name from the Kootenay River, which in turn was named for the Kutenai First Nations people. Boundaries The Kootenays are more or less defined by the Kootena ...

region of

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, Canada. In the

Selkirk Mountains The Selkirk Mountains are a mountain range spanning the northern portion of the Idaho Panhandle, eastern Washington, and southeastern British Columbia which are part of a larger grouping of mountains, the Columbia Mountains. They begin at Mic ...

, at the confluence of the Kootenay and

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook language, Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin language, Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river headwater ...

s, it is a regional trade and transportation centre, with a local economy based on forestry, mining and tourism. Castlegar is home to

Selkirk College Selkirk College is a public college founded in 1966 with its main campus in Castlegar, British Columbia, Canada. The college has student housing at its Castlegar and Nelson campuses. Students frequently struggle to find accommodation. The col ...

, a regional airport, a pulp mill, and several sawmills. Its population of 8,338 includes many

Doukhobors The Doukhobors ( Canadian spelling) or Dukhobors (; ) are a Spiritual Christian ethnoreligious group of Russian origin. They are known for their pacifism and tradition of oral history, hymn-singing, and verse. They reject the Russian Ortho ...

, who were largely responsible for much of the town's early development and growth. The area which became Castlegar was an important centre for the

Sinixt The Sinixt"Sinixt Nation…" (; also known as the Sin-Aikst or Sin Aikst,Reyes 2002, ''passim.'' "Senijextee", "Arrow Lakes Band", or—less commonly in recent decades—simply as "The Lakes") are a First Nations People. The Sinixt are d ...

(Lakes) Peoples. Outside the city limits are the small surrounding communities of

Ootischenia Ootischenia () is south of Castlegar on the east side of the Columbia River in the West Kootenay region of southern British Columbia. Background In 1895, Hiram Landis arrived to clear and farm land soon named Waterloo Landing. The landing was a ...

, Brilliant, Robson, Robson West,

Raspberry The raspberry is the edible fruit of several plant species in the genus ''Rubus'' of the Rosaceae, rose family, most of which are in the subgenus ''Rubus#Modern classification, Idaeobatus''. The name also applies to these plants themselves. Ras ...

, Tarrys, Thrums, Glade, Shoreacres, Fairview, Genelle, Pass Creek and Krestova, and the much smaller communities of Deer Park, Renata, and Syringa on Lower Arrow Lake. These outlying areas have a further population of about 8,000 people.

History

On 5 September 1811, David Thompson arrived in the area of present-day Castlegar, and camped near the mouth of the Kootenay River. A plaque dedicated to him is on the east bank of the Columbia River overlooking the town. The area's first settlement was West Waterloo, now known as South Castlegar. With widespread provincial interest in gold prospecting in the late 19th century, by 1895 there were 40 houses in Waterloo. The town boomed until the end of the century when interest in the local mines declined. Castlegar takes its name from Castlegar Estate, the ancestral home of townsite founder Edward Mahon, near

Ahascragh Ahascragh () is a village in east County Galway, Ireland. It is located north-west of Ballinasloe on the Ahascragh/Bunowen River, a tributary of the River Suck. The R358 road (Ireland), R358 Regional road (Ireland), regional road passes through ...

County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...

, Ireland. Castlegar, BC was planned in 1897. Around 1902, the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

(CPR) built the bridge there and laid the wide-gauge railway tracks to

Trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or a small paved road (though it can also be a route along a navigable waterways) generally not intended for usage by motorized vehicles, usually passing through a natural area. Ho ...

. They built a boxcar station at the old Waterloo Trail crossing and named it Kinnaird Station in honour of

Lord Kinnaird Lord Kinnaird was a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1682 for George Kinnaird, 1st Lord Kinnaird, George Kinnaird. The ninth Lord was created Baron Rossie, of Rossie in the County of Perth, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom i ...

, a CPR shareholder. There was little in Castlegar until after the completion of the CPR bridge. A Mr. Farmer built the first store, housing both the post office and town hall. William Gage built the Castlegar Hotel in 1908, which stood until 1982 when it was destroyed by fire. Also in 1908, the first schoolhouse was built by a few local residents. A dance pavilion, garage, tourist cabins and a

slaughterhouse In livestock agriculture and the meat industry, a slaughterhouse, also called an abattoir (), is a facility where livestock animals are slaughtered to provide food. Slaughterhouses supply meat, which then becomes the responsibility of a mea ...

were established by 1925. On 30 October 1946, Castlegar was incorporated into a village; and in 1966, became a town. It amalgamated with neighbouring Kinnaird into a city on 1 January 1974, effectively doubling its population. On 20 May 2004, the city's boundary was extended to include the Blueberry Creek Irrigation District.

Indigenous peoples history

Castlegar is in the border area between the

(

Interior Salish The Interior Salish languages are one of the two main branches of the Salishan language family, the other being Coast Salish. It can be further divided into Northern and Southern subbranches. The first Interior Salish people encountered by Ameri ...

) and

Ktunaxa The Kutenai ( ), also known as the Ktunaxa ( ; ), Ksanka ( ), Kootenay (in Canada) and Kootenai (in the United States), are an indigenous people of Canada and the United States. Kutenai bands live in southeastern British Columbia, norther ...

Indian bands. Experts cannot agree where one band's range ended and the other's began, as there was much overlapping of cultural and territorial activity between them. Most recent information suggests that the Sinixt were the area's original people, and that the Kootenai arrived several hundred years ago from central

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. ''Kp'itl'els'' was an Indigenous settlement on the north side of the Kootenay River, just above the junction with the Columbia River. Implements such as arrowheads and pestles have been found along the nearby

Arrow Lakes The Arrow Lakes in British Columbia, Canada, divided into Upper Arrow Lake and Lower Arrow Lake, are widenings of the Columbia River. The lakes are situated between the Selkirk Mountains to the east and the Monashee Mountains to the west. Beac ...

. A reconstructed kekuli dwelling was discovered on Zuckerberg Island, at the confluence of the Kootenay and Columbia rivers.

Doukhobor history

The

operated a ferry near Brilliant on the

Kootenay River The Kootenay River or Kootenai River is a major river of the Northwest Plateau in southeastern British Columbia, Canada, and northern Montana and Idaho in the United States. It is one of the uppermost major tributaries of the Columbia River, ...

in 1910, and the

Christian Community of Universal Brotherhood Christian Community of Universal Brotherhood (CCUB) () was the main spiritual and economic organization of the majority of Doukhobors from Russia in Canada, followers of Peter Verigin, Peter V. Verigin, from its incorporation in 1917 until its bankr ...

(CCUB) applied to CPR for a railway station and siding to that point. Brilliant was the centre of the CCUB commercial enterprises, including the Brilliant Jam Factory, a grain elevator, and a flax mill. Castlegar Street

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 Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...

, Castlegar had a population of 8,338 living in 3,549 of its 3,702 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 8,039. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. *Population (2016): 9,023 *Population (2011): 7,816 *Population (2006): 7,259 **Growth Rate: +7.7% *Total Private Dwellings: 3,349 *Population Density: 399.3 per km² *Area: 19.8 km² *Median Age: 46.1 *Number of Immigrants: 725

Ethnicity

Language

*Mother Tongue: **English: 6,500 **French: 65 **Other: 1,010

Religion

According to the 2021 census, religious groups in Castlegar included: *

Irreligion Irreligion is the absence or rejection of religious beliefs or practices. It encompasses a wide range of viewpoints drawn from various philosophical and intellectual perspectives, including atheism, agnosticism, religious skepticism, ...

(4,875 persons or 60.5%) *

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

(2,855 persons or 35.4%) *

Sikhism Sikhism is an Indian religion and Indian philosophy, philosophy that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent around the end of the 15th century CE. It is one of the most recently founded major religious groups, major religio ...

(115 persons or 1.4%) *

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

(65 persons or 0.8%) *

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

(40 persons or 0.5%) *

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

(30 persons or 0.4%) *

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

(10 persons or 0.1%) *Other (70 persons or 0.9%)

Climate

Castlegar 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 cold ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Dfb'') or an inland

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...

(''Cfb''), bordering an inland warm-summer

mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

(

''Csb''). Summers are warm and sunny, with late summer being quite dry, while winters are cool and frequently unsettled. Precipitation peaks in the winter months when the

Aleutian Low The Aleutian Low is a semi-permanent low-pressure system located near the Aleutian Islands in the Bering Sea during the Northern Hemisphere winter, driven by warm sea water compared to cooler land. It is a climatic feature centered near the Aleu ...

is strongest, and a range of precipitation is experienced, sometimes in short time periods. Castlegar is wetter than most places in the Southern Interior of BC, and the city receives around 400 mm more precipitation than nearby

Kelowna Kelowna ( ) is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan, Okanagan Valley in the British Columbia Interior, southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the head office of the Regional District of Central Okanagan. The name Kelowna ...

Penticton Penticton ( ) is a city in the Okanagan, Okanagan Valley of the British Columbia, Canada, situated between Okanagan Lake, Okanagan and Skaha Lake, Skaha lakes. In the 2021 Canadian Census, its population was 36,885, while its Census geographic un ...

and

Kamloops Kamloops ( ) is a city in south-central British Columbia, Canada, at the confluence of the North Thompson River, North and South Thompson Rivers, which join to become the Thompson River in Kamloops, and east of Kamloops Lake. The city is the ad ...

(which are in the drier

Okanagan The Okanagan ( ), also called the Okanagan Valley and sometimes the Okanagan Country, is a region in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. It is part of ...

region of British Columbia, while Castlegar is in the Kootenay region). The highest temperature ever recorded in Castlegar is on 30 June 2021, which exceeded the previous mark of , recorded on 2 July 1924 and 11 July 1926. The coldest temperature ever recorded was on 30 December 1968.

Airport

The

West Kootenay Regional Airport The West Kootenay Regional Airport (Castlegar Airport) is a small regional airport located south southeast of Castlegar, British Columbia, Canada. It serves the West Kootenay region, including Castlegar, Nelson and Trail. It is owned and operate ...

is owned and operated by the City of Castlegar, and provides regular service to

Vancouver International Airport Vancouver International Airport is an international airport located on Sea Island (British Columbia), Sea Island in Richmond, British Columbia, Richmond, British Columbia, serving the city of Vancouver and the Lower Mainland region. It is lo ...

. The other nearest airport is Trail Airport, to the south.

Schools

Castlegar is part of

School District 20 Kootenay-Columbia School District No. 20 (Kootenay-Columbia) is a school district in southeastern British Columbia. It includes Trail, Castlegar, Rossland, Warfield, and Fruitvale. History The Kootenay-Columbia School District was created in 1996 by combining ...

. There are four elementary schools in the town: * Castlegar Primary School * Kinnaird Elementary School * Robson Community School *

Twin Rivers Elementary School School District No. 20 (Kootenay-Columbia) is a school district in southeastern British Columbia. It includes Trail, Castlegar, Rossland, Warfield, and Fruitvale. History The Kootenay-Columbia School District was created in 1996 by combining ...

There is one high school,

Stanley Humphries Secondary School Stanley Humphries Secondary, also known as "SHSS", is a public high school in Castlegar, British Columbia part of School District 20 Kootenay-Columbia School District No. 20 (Kootenay-Columbia) is a school district in southeastern British Colu ...

's main campus is also in Castlegar.

Recreation

Dozens of walking trails in and near Castlegar are maintained by the Castlegar Parks and Trails Society. The area attracts retirees and tourists for its summer and winter sports. The

flows through Castlegar. Along the river to the west are Scotties Marina and

Syringa Provincial Park Syringa Park is a provincial park on the east shore of Lower Arrow Lake in the West Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia. At the foot of the Norns Range, Tulip Creek passes through the centre, and Syringa Creek is closer to the sout ...

, with boating and camping amenities.

Sports

The city's collegiate hockey team is the Selkirk College Saints of the BCIHL, who, as of 2016, are four-time defending league champions. The

Castlegar Rebels The Castlegar Rebels are a Junior 'A' ice hockey team based in Castlegar, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Neil Murdoch Division of the Kootenay Conference of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL). They play th ...

of the KIJHL are the city's Junior "B" level hockey team. Other local sport activities include Castlegar Baseball Association, Castlegar Skating Club, Dancing at Turning Pointe Dance Studio and Scottie School of Highland Dance, Castlegar Aquanauts, Castlegar Minor Soccer Association, Selkirk Challengers Gymnastics Club, Castlegar Minor Hockey, West Kootenay Minor Football Association, Castlegar Sentinels Football Club, and the Kootenay Jiu Jitsu Academy. There are local lacrosse, golf, curling, tennis, volleyball and basketball programs. Many other fitness programs (including yoga) are offered at the Castlegar Community Complex.

Geography

Castlegar's main business street, Columbia Avenue, runs the length of the city. It becomes Highway 22 at its south end, and the Robson Bridge at its north end. Most of Castlegar's local businesses are located there. There are several neighbourhoods in Castlegar, including Downtown, Southridge, Oglow Subdivision, Woodland Park, Grosvenor, Kinnaird, and Blueberry Creek. The city's outskirts include the neighbourhoods of Robson, Robson West, Brilliant, Raspberry, Pass Creek, Ootischenia, Tarrys, Thrums and Genelle.

Transportation

Castlegar is a transportation hub for its region. In addition to its airport (above), it is at the junction of highways 3A, 3 and 22. Highway 22, known locally as Columbia Avenue, runs the length of the city. At its north end, Columbia meets the Robson Bridge, carrying traffic to the rural suburb of Robson, accessed via Broadwater Road. There is a small highway interchange where the Robson Access Road meets Highway 3A towards

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

. Highway 3 bisects Castlegar, providing the main access to the Grovesnor area, and crossing the Columbia River at the Kinnaird Bridge, to Ootischenia. Highway 3 and 3A provide routes through Ootischenia, and Highway 22 also connects to Blueberry. To the north, Highway 3A heads to Nelson. To the south, Highway 22 leads to

. To its east, Highway 3 leads to

Salmo ''Salmo'' is a genus of ray-finned fish from the subfamily Salmoninae of family (biology), family Salmonidae, and is part of the tribe (biology), tribe Salmonini along with the sister genera ''Salvelinus'' and ''Salvethymus''. Almost all ''Salmo ...

, and to

Grand Forks Grand Forks is a city in and the county seat of Grand Forks County, North Dakota, United States. The city's population was 59,166 as of the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in the state, after Fargo and Bismarck. Grand For ...

to its west.

Notable residents

Felix Belczyk Felix Belczyk (born 11 August 1961) is a Canadian former alpine skier who competed in the 1988 Winter Olympics and 1992 Winter Olympics. Belczyk was born on 11 August 1961 in Calgary, Alberta. He was a member of the Canadian National Alpine Ski ...

, former

alpine skier Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether ...

Earle Connor Earle Connor (born July 30, 1976) is a Canadian retired Paralympic amputee sprinter. Connor holds several athletics world records in the class of T42, or above-knee, amputee. During his career, Connor was banned twice for anti-doping rule viola ...

Paralympic The Paralympic Games or Paralympics is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of disabilities. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Kore ...

amputee Amputation is the removal of a limb or other body part by trauma, medical illness, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is ...

sprinter *

Travis Green Travis Vernon Green (born December 20, 1970) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player who is the head coach for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Green formerly served as head coach for the Vancouver C ...

, retired ice hockey player, former head coach of the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...

, and current associate coach of the

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The club w ...

* Shawn Hook, Canadian singer/songwriter *

Shawn Horcoff Shawn Paul Horcoff (born September 17, 1978) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He was selected in the fourth round of the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, 99th overall, by the Edmonton Oilers, with whom he played 12 seasons and served as ...

, retired ice hockey player, former Edmonton Oilers captain * Dane Jackson, retired

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

player * Steve Junker, retired ice hockey player * Doug Kostynski, retired ice hockey player *

Darcy Martini Darcy R. Martini (born January 30, 1969) is a Canadian former ice hockey player. He played two NHL games for the Edmonton Oilers. Playing career Martini was drafted 162nd overall by Edmonton in 1989 from Michigan Tech. He turned pro in 1992 and s ...

, retired ice hockey player *

Gordie Walker Gord Walker (born August 12, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played 31 games in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings between 1987 and 1989. The rest of his career, which lasted f ...

, retired ice hockey player *

Luke Walker James Luke Walker (born September 2, 1943) is an American former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played between and for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1965–66, 1968–73) and Detroit Tigers (1974). He batted and threw left-handed. Walker st ...

, retired ice hockey player

Sister cities

Sister cites are: * Enbetsu, Japan *

Yueyang Yueyang, formerly known as Yuezhou or Yochow, is a prefecture-level city on the eastern shores of Dongting Lake and the Yangtze river in the northeastern corner of Hunan Province in the People's Republic of China. Yueyang has an administrative ...

, China *

Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador Stephenville (Canada 2021 Census population 6,540) is a town in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, on the west coast of the island of Newfoundland. The town functions as a local service centre for the southwestern part of the island, serving a d ...

Notes

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Cities in British Columbia British Columbia populated places on the Columbia River