Parksville, British Columbia
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Parksville is a city on
Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest ...
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. As of the 2021 Census, Parksville's population was 13,642, representing a 9.5% increase over the 2016 Census. Parksville is well known for its large, sandy beaches at Parksville Bay and Craig Bay. The city's best-known annual event since 1982 is a sandcastle-building competition held from mid-July to mid-August, dubbed "Parksville Beachfest". Beachfest is the only World Championship Sand Sculpting official qualification event in Canada. Parksville is served by the coast-spanning Island Highway, the
Island Rail Corridor The Island Corridor, previously the Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway (E&N Railway), is a railway operation on Vancouver Island. It is owned by the Island Corridor Foundation, a registered charity. The railway line is in length from Victoria, Brit ...
, and a nearby airport.


History

Human habitation has occurred in the area for thousands of years. Prior to Euro-Canadian settlement, the area was inhabited by several Coast Salish indigenous groups: Qualicum, Snaw-naw-as (Nanoose), and
Snuneymuxw The Snuneymuxw First Nation (pronounced ) is located in and around the city of Nanaimo on east-central Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The nation previously had also occupied territory along the Fraser River, in British Columbia. Pr ...
peoples. The Spanish were the first Europeans to explore the area in 1791, followed shortly by the fleet of
George Vancouver Captain (Royal Navy), Captain George Vancouver (; 22 June 1757 – 10 May 1798) was a Royal Navy officer and explorer best known for leading the Vancouver Expedition, which explored and charted North America's northwestern West Coast of the Uni ...
of the
British Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
. On Spanish maps, the
Englishman River Englishman River ( Halkomelem: K̓wal̓uxw) is a river in the eastern side of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. It starts on the eastern slopes of the Beaufort Range, originating from tiny Jewel Lake and flowing in an easterly direction ...
was called 'Rio de Grullas,' (River of Cranes, i.e.
herons Herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 75 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genus '' Botaurus'' are referred to as ...
) at the site of modern-day San Pareil, while French Creek was named 'Punta de Leonardo.' The first European landholder in the Parksville area was John Hirst, who pre-empted 120 hectares (300 acres) of land on both sides of the Englishman River in 1873, although he never relocated there from Nanaimo. The River, as it was known, remained an outpost until the turn of the 20th century when a road was built from Nanaimo. A post office soon followed in 1877, with mail distributed from the cabin of the first postmaster, Nelson Parks, for whom the city is named. At that time, logging was a major industry and the extension of the Esquimalt and Nanaimo (E & N) Railway in 1901, to McBride Junction spurred Parksville's growth and the beginning of a tourism boom, mainly Vancouver Islanders who travelled to Parksville to enjoy the incredible beaches. Motels, stores, resorts and campgrounds soon followed and the community continues to prosper today. The Village of Parksville was incorporated June 19, 1945. Parksville became a town on April 1, 1978, and a city on June 1, 1981.


Geography

The city lies along Highway 19A, northwest of
Nanaimo Nanaimo ( ) is a city of about 100,000 on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. "The Harbour City" was previously known as the "Hub City", which was attributed to its original layout design with streets radiating fr ...
, east of
Port Alberni Port Alberni () is a city located on Vancouver Island in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The city lies within the Alberni Valley at the head of the Alberni Inlet, Vancouver Island's longest inlet. Port Alberni currently has a total popu ...
and kilometres southeast of Qualicum Beach. Highway 4A originates to the south of the city, before heading west to Errington and Coombs. The majority of Parksville's land base lies between
Englishman River Englishman River ( Halkomelem: K̓wal̓uxw) is a river in the eastern side of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. It starts on the eastern slopes of the Beaufort Range, originating from tiny Jewel Lake and flowing in an easterly direction ...
and French Creek, although a substantial portion of the city lies east of Englishman River, along the western shores of Craig Bay.


Climate

Parksville has a ''Csb'' 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 ...
with July and August having less than 40mm of rain.


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 ...
, Parksville had a population of 13,642 living in 6,754 of its 7,105 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 12,453. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. The median household income in 2006 for Parksville was $55,524, which is below the British Columbia provincial average of $62,346.


Ethnicity


Religion

According to the 2021 census, religious groups in Parksville 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, ...
(6,900 persons or 51.9%) *
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 ...
(6,085 persons or 45.7%) *
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 ...
(60 persons or 0.5%) *
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 ...
(35 persons or 0.3%) *
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 ...
(25 persons or 0.2%) *
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 ...
(10 persons or 0.1%) *
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 ...
(10 persons or 0.1%) * Indigenous Spirituality (10 persons or 0.1%)


Economy

Tertiary sector The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the ...
and secondary sector jobs make up the largest part of the Parksville economy. The three largest types of occupations in Parksville are the
service industry The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the s ...
; the construction industry; and the business, financial, and administration industries. These are the largest sectors of the city's economy largely due to the summer tourism industry, and a large influx of retirees moving into the area. There is also a fair amount of
primary sector The primary sector of the economy includes any industry involved in the extraction and production of raw materials, such as farming, logging, fishing, forestry and mining. The primary sector tends to make up a larger portion of the economy in d ...
industry in the surrounding areas of Parksville, primarily fishing and forestry. There is an industrial park located in the Southeast section of the city, known as the Orange Bridge Business District, which includes many tradesman shops. ;Tourism Parksville has long been a tourist location primarily catering to people from across
Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest ...
as well as
Greater Vancouver Greater Vancouver, also known as Metro Vancouver, is the metropolitan area with its major urban centre being the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The term ''Greater Vancouver'' describes an area that is roughly coterminous with the r ...
. Parksville Beach (located at Community Park) and Rathtrevor Beach are two of the city's main attractions.


Education

The City of Parksville is located within School District 69 Qualicum. Springwood Elementary, Oceanside Elementary and Ballenas Secondary School are all located within Parksville. School District 69 also operates a Continuing Education Centre, Collaborative Education Alternate Program and PASS/Woodwinds Alternate School in Parksville. A regional campus of
Vancouver Island University Vancouver Island University (abbreviated as VIU, formerly known as Malaspina University-College and Malaspina College) is a Canadian public research university serving Vancouver Island and coastal British Columbia. Malaspina College opened in 196 ...
is located in Parksville.


Culture, recreation, and leisure


Polar Bear Splash

Every year on January 1, residents gather at Parksville Community Park beach to plunge into the cold water to welcome in the new year.


Summer By the Sea Market

Each summer, Parksville holds a night market on Tuesdays. The market draws in visitors and helps to support local small businesses. In the past, the market has had up to 150 vendors. During the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, the market was relocated to the Parksville Community Centre and the number of vendors was reduced. As of 2022, it has returned to Craig Street.


Canada Day Parade

Parksville hosts an annual Canada Day celebration. In the morning there is a parade that runs along the Island Hwy. Residents and visitors gather along the road to watch the procession and then walk down to Parksville Community Park where there are vendors, including food trucks, live music performances, some carnival attractions, and fireworks.


Notes


References


External links

* * {{Coord, 49.315, N, 124.312, W, region:CA_type:city, display=title Cities in British Columbia Populated places on the British Columbia Coast Regional District of Nanaimo