Chase is a village located in the Interior 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. It has a population of 2,399, and its main industries are

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...

and

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

. It is located at the outlet of Little Shuswap Lake, which is the source of the South Thompson River. Chase Creek, which drops over three small waterfalls before flowing through the town, enters the South Thompson just below the lake's outlet.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population 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 ...

, Chase had a population of 2,399 living in 1,175 of its 1,249 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 2,286. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

Religion

According to the 2021 census, religious groups in Chase 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, ...

(1,465 persons or 61.6%) *

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 ...

(880 persons or 37.0%) *

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 ...

(10 persons or 0.4%) *Other (20 persons or 0.8%)

Government and infrastructure

Fire department

The Village of Chase provides fire services to the community through the Village of Chase Fire Department.

Policing

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...

detachment is located in Chase and serves the village, surrounding highways and First Nations communities.

Health care

The Village of Chase is served by the Chase and District Health Centre, part of the Interior Health Authority. The BC Ambulance Service maintains a station in the community.

Transportation

Roads

The

Trans-Canada Highway The Trans-Canada Highway (Canadian French, 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 A ...

runs adjacent to the south side of the community and provides access to the nearby regional centres of

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 ...

( west) and Salmon Arm ( east). Other, minor routes connect Chase to Falkland and Barriere. There has been a perennial proposal to construct a winterized road between Chase and nearby Sun Peaks to aid in the development of Chase's economy. The road would offer a shorter route for visitors arriving at the resort community from the east.

Railway

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 ...

mainline travels through the community with through freight and passenger traffic.

Airports

The closest commercial airport is the Kamloops Airport. The

Shuswap (Skwlax Field) Aerodrome Shuswap (Skwlax Field) Aerodrome is located northeast of Chase, 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 t ...

is located on the northeast side of Little Shuswap Lake.

Culture and recreation

The primary attraction for the Village of Chase is Little Shuswap Lake. Beaches, boat launches and a large pier provide access to the lake and South Thompson River. The Sunshore Golf Club provides a nine-hole golf course. Some Chase residents say "There are two seasons in Chase; Corn season, and waiting for corn season." The town is known for its fertile farm land, and celebrates the production and sharing of local food.

Sport

Chase is home to the Chase Heat of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. It was the home of the Chase Chiefs of the same league, who existed from 2007 to 2010, before relocating to

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 ...

History

The town was named after one of the first settlers in the district, Whitfield Chase who established a ranch where the South Thompson River runs out of Little Shuswap Lake in 1865. When the Adams River Lumber Company laid out the town in 1902, James A. Magee, secretary of the company named the town for Chase.

References

External links

* * {{authority control Villages in British Columbia Populated places in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District Thompson Country Shuswap Country