Clearwater is a

district municipality A district municipality is a designation for a class of municipalities found in several locations, including Canada, Lithuania, and South Africa. Canada British Columbia Under provincial law, municipalities in British Columbia are to be desi ...

in the North

Thompson River The Thompson River is the largest tributary of the Fraser River, flowing through the south-central portion of British Columbia, Canada. The Thompson River has two main branches, the South Thompson River and the North Thompson River. The river ...

valley in

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, where the Clearwater River empties into the North Thompson River. It is located north 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 ...

. The District of Clearwater was established on December 3, 2007, making it one of the newest municipalities in British Columbia. It is near

Wells Gray Provincial Park Wells Gray Provincial Park is a large wilderness park located in east-central British Columbia, Canada. The park protects most of the southern, and highest, regions of the Cariboo Mountains and covers 5,415 square kilometres (541,516 hectares or ...

and is surrounded by the Trophy Mountains, Raft Mountain and Dunn Peak.

History

Prior to European settlement, the area that is now occupied by the village was occupied by the Okelhs First Nations. They were eventually superseded by the Chilcotins in the 1870s. The fur trade brought the earliest settlers to the area. The Overlanders expedition to the Cariboo goldfields rafted down the

North Thompson River The North Thompson River is the northern branch of the Thompson River, the largest tributary of the Fraser River, in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It originates at the toe of the Thompson Glacier in the Premier Range of the Cariboo M ...

in 1862. When they first arrived at the mouth of the Clearwater River, they named it for its distinct clarity compared to the relatively muddy waters of the North Thompson. The Overlanders also named Raft Mountain, which rises northeast of Clearwater to a height of .Neave, Roland (2004). ''Exploring Wells Gray Park'', 5th edition. Wells Gray Tours, Kamloops, BC. .

Other dates

*1914 - Rail access was established. Previously access had been by steam boat or overland. *1953 - Transmountain pipeline completed through area. *1970s -

Yellowhead Highway The Yellowhead Highway () is a major interprovincial highway in Western Canada that runs from Winnipeg west to Graham Island off the coast of British Columbia via Saskatoon and Edmonton. It stretches across the four western provinces of Britis ...

complete through area. *1968 - Clearwater is incorporated as a settlement. *December 2007 - Municipal government is incorporated.

Geography, location and climate

Geography

Clearwater is 406 metres above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

. It is located in the North Thompson Valley in the Shuswap Highlands of the

Interior Plateau The Interior Plateau comprises a large region of the Interior of British Columbia, and lies between the Cariboo and Monashee Mountains on the east, and the Hazelton Mountains, Coast Mountains and Cascade Range on the west.''Landforms of Bri ...

. The

Cariboo Mountains The Cariboo Mountains are the northernmost subrange of the Columbia Mountains, which run down into the Spokane area of the United States and include the Selkirks, Monashees and Purcells. The Cariboo Mountains are entirely within the province ...

are located to the west and the

Monashee Mountains The Monashee Mountains are a mountain range lying mostly in British Columbia, Canada, extending into the U.S. state of Washington. They stretch from north to south and from east to west. They are a sub-range of the Columbia Mountains. The hig ...

to the east. ThompsonRiverBritishColumbia Location

Climate

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 ...

, Clearwater had a population of 2,388 living in 1,057 of its 1,145 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 2,324. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. The 2017 unemployment rate was 5.7%. The majority of residents are married or live common law.

Language

Nearly all residents speak English as their mother tongue though there is a small proportion who speak French.

Religion

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

(1,770 persons or 75.2%) *

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 ...

(540 persons or 22.9%) *Other (35 persons or 1.5%)

Industry

Forestry

Forestry was the principal industry in the area. There was one major mill in the area, in Vavenby, but that mill was closed permanently by Canfor in 2019 due to outdated equipment. There are several woodlot licenses within the area.

Agriculture

There is local production of beef, alfalfa, hay crops and vegetables.

Tourism

Tourism is where Clearwater gains international recognition. The town of Clearwater calls itself the "gateway to

", as the main access to the park is through the town. The park houses a multitude of lakes and waterfalls, including several inactive and potentially active volcanoes. In 2012 the total number of tourism based visitors was 578,445. In 2011 the estimated economic impact of tourism in Wells Gray Country was $21,513,261. Sports tourism is also a growth sector for the community.

Mining

The town is close to the Ruddock Creek mine and the Harper Creek mine. The forest industry, tourism, and related outdoors and sports services are major industries in the area.

Sports

Parks

Within the city there are 7 parks; Capostinsky Park, Chad Memorial Park, Dutch Lake park, Raft River Viewing Park, Rotary Sports Park, Weyerhaeuser Pioneer Park and Wyndhaven Park. Dutch Lake Park has a beach and there are a number of water activities there in the summer as well as ice fishing in the winter.

is located just to the north. The park encompasses 5,250 square kilometres, with four rivers, six major lakes, and 39 named waterfalls, including Canada's fourth highest,

Helmcken Falls Helmcken Falls is a waterfall on the Murtle River within Wells Gray Provincial Park in British Columbia, Canada. The protection of Helmcken Falls was one of the reasons for the creation of Wells Gray Provincial Park in 1939. There are six other ...

Mountain biking

A mountain bike park is located at Candle Creek, east of the city centre. This consists of 13 km of mountain and cross country trails. There are also trails present that head North from the city into Wells Gray park.

Cross country skiing / snowshoeing

A series of cross country ski trails and snowshoeing trails are present at Candle Creek, east of the city centre.

Downhill skiing

The Clearwater Ski Hill is located on the south side of the city, which includes a small hill with a T-bar. This lift was the fastest T-bar in western Canada when it was installed.

Education

K - 12

Clearwater has two schools: Raft River Elementary with approximately 300 students and Clearwater Secondary School with about 225 students. Clearwater Secondary School's team sports are named "The Raiders" and include soccer, rugby, volleyball, and basketball. Currently, they play in single "A" categories. The school falls under the jurisdiction of School District #73.

Post-secondary

The closest university to the town is

Thompson Rivers University Thompson Rivers University (commonly referred to as TRU) is a Public university, public research university located in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada. The university's name comes from the two rivers which converge in Kamloops, the North Thomp ...

in Kamloops. The university has a branch location in the town which provides a limited number of specialized courses.

Healthcare

Hospital

The community is serviced locally by Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital, a level 1 community hospital. It has an emergency department, acute care beds as well as long care beds. This hospital refers patients to Royal Inland Hospital in

. The hospital was originally founded in 1972 and consisted of several portable buildings connected together. Prior to its construction there was no prior hospital in the area, no prior regular physician and no drug store. A new multi-level hospital was opened June 10, 2002. The original hospital structure was demolished in 2016. It is named after Dr.

John Sebastian Helmcken John Sebastian Helmcken (June 5, 1824 – September 1, 1920) was a British Columbia physician who played a prominent role in bringing the province into Canadian Confederation. He was also the founding president of the British Columbia Medic ...

Assisted Living

Assisted living is provided in the adjacent Evergreen Acres and is scheduled for an expansion.

Transportation

*Road - Clearwater is located on the

#5. Its closest major junctions are to the south (Highway 24 in Little Fort) and to the North (Yellowhead Highway #16), diverging between Prince George and

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

. *Rail -

Via Rail Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via (stylized as VIA Rail), is a Canadian Crown corporation that operates intercity passenger rail service in Canada. As of December 2023, Via Rail operates 406 trains per week across eight ...

's ''

The Canadian ''The Canadian'' () is a transcontinental passenger train operated by Via Rail with service between Union Station in Toronto, Ontario, and Pacific Central Station in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Canadian Pacific introduced this serv ...

'' calls at the Clearwater station three times per week in each direction; this is a flag stop. The Canadian National Railway mainline runs through the town. *Air - Scenic flights and fixed-wing air charter services are provided by Wells Gray Air from the Clearwater Airport. International and domestic scheduled air service is provided in

. Chartered helicopter service is also available. *Bus - For travel outside of the city there is a community service bus provided by BC transit. With the closure of

Greyhound Lines Greyhound Lines, Inc. is an American operator of Intercity bus service, intercity bus services. Greyhound operates the largest intercity bus network in the United States, and also operates charter and Amtrak Thruway services, as well as interci ...

Canadian routes, there is no longer any commercial bus service to the town, though there are plans for this in the future. For travel within the town there is scheduled bus service with limited ride times.

References

External links

* * {{authority control District municipalities in British Columbia Populated places in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District Thompson Country Wells Gray-Clearwater 2007 establishments in British Columbia