(), known as Queen Charlotte City from 1891–2022, is a village municipality in the

Haida Gwaii Haida Gwaii (; / , literally "Islands of the Haida people"), previously known as the Queen Charlotte Islands, is an archipelago located between off the British Columbia Coast, northern Pacific coast in the Canadian province of British Columbia ...

archipelago (formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands) in the province 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 is located on the southern end of

Graham Island Graham Island () is the largest island in the Haida Gwaii archipelago (previously known as the Queen Charlotte Islands), lying off the mainland coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is separated by the narrow Skidegate Channel from the other pr ...

at Skidegate Inlet and is a member municipality of the North Coast Regional District. The name "Queen Charlotte" dates back to 1787 when Captain George Dixon was on a trading cruise along the coast. He named the island for his two hundred-ton vessel, the ''

Queen Charlotte Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Sophia Charlotte; 19 May 1744 – 17 November 1818) was Queen of Great Britain and Ireland as the wife of King George III from their marriage on 8 September 1761 until her death in 1818. The Acts of Un ...

''. The village was founded in 1891 and in 1908 was the first townsite registered in the islands, although it wasn't incorporated as a municipality until 2005. It was previously represented as part of Electoral Area F of that regional district, which was coterminous with the Haida Gwaii archipelago (which now comprises Electoral Areas D and E). The town site was established when the first sawmill in the archipelago began operating in 1908. In the wake of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, additional work force was needed to supply allied warplanes with lumber. The town infrastructure quickly developed, offering

public education A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in part by taxation and operated by the government of the state. State-f ...

, a hospital,

general store A general merchant store (also known as general merchandise store, general dealer, village shop, or country store) is a rural or small-town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, someti ...

s and other amenities, even a newspaper. Logging and fishing were the main source of jobs when the demand for lumber again increased by the second half of the 20th century. Today, few inhabitants are working in these resource-based jobs and a recent shift towards tourism-oriented employment has been observed, although the main economic driver is government jobs, including: hospital workers, school district, BC Ferries, local Forestry and Parks offices etc. The village was incorporated in 2005 and offers several motels, shops, restaurants, a gas station and auto repair, a credit union, RCMP station and a hospital. It is also the location of the Daajing Giids

Visitor Centre A visitor center or centre (see American and British English spelling differences), visitor information center or tourist information centre is a physical location that provides information to tourists. Types A visitor center may be a Civic c ...

, which is open year-round. With its small harbour, Daajing Giids is often the starting-point for chartered tours into

Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine Conservation Area, and Haida Heritage Site, usually referred to simply as Gwaii Haanas (), is located in southernmost Haida Gwaii (formerly known as Queen Charlotte Islands), off the mainland o ...

on southern

Moresby Island Moresby Island () is a large island () that forms part of the Haida Gwaii archipelago (formerly known as Queen Charlotte Islands) in British Columbia, Canada, located at It is separated by the narrow Skidegate Channel from the other princip ...

. On May 16, 2022, the village had its ancestral name of Daajing Giids restored with a unanimous council vote — the first in B.C. to do so, according to the provincial government. The village was known as Queen Charlotte from 1891–2022. Daajing Giids includes within its boundaries

Skidegate Landing Skidegate () is a Haida community in in British Columbia, Canada. It is on the southeast coast of Graham Island, the largest island in the archipelago, and is approximately west of mainland British Columbia across Hecate Strait. Skidegate, w ...

with its

BC Ferries British Columbia Ferry Services Inc., Trade name, operating as BC Ferries (BCF), is a former provincial Crown corporations of Canada, Crown corporation, now operating as an independently managed, State-owned enterprise, publicly owned Canadian c ...

landing and connections to

Prince Rupert Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Duke of Cumberland, (17 December 1619 ( O.S.) 7 December 1619 (N.S.)– 29 November 1682 (O.S.) December 1682 (N.S) was an English-German army officer, admiral, scientist, and colonial governor. He first rose to ...

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 ...

, Daajing Giids had a population of 964 living in 488 of its 574 total private dwellings, up from 2016. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

Healthcare

A new hospital opened in Daajing Giids in 2016 and has eight in-patient and eight long-term beds. It is officially known as Haida Gwaii Hospital and Health Centre or X̱aayda Gwaay Ngaaysdll Naay.

References

External links

* * {{authority control Villages in British Columbia Graham Island

Demographics

Healthcare

See also

References

External links