Squamish (; , ; 2021 census population 23,819) is a community and 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

Canadian province Canada has ten provinces and three territories that are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Constitution of Canada, Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North Amer ...

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 ...

, located at the north end of

Howe Sound Howe Sound (, ) is a roughly triangular sound (geography), sound, that joins a network of fjords situated immediately northwest of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2021. Geography Howe Sound ...

on the Sea to Sky Highway. The population of the Squamish

census agglomeration The census geographic units of Canada are the census subdivisions defined and used by Canada's federal government statistics bureau Statistics Canada to conduct the country's quinquennial census. These areas exist solely for the purposes of stat ...

, which includes First Nation reserves of the

Squamish Nation The Squamish Nation, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw, is a First Nations government of the Squamish people. The Squamish Nation government includes an elected council and an administrative body based primarily in West Vancouver, North Vancouver (cit ...

although they are not governed by the municipality, is 24,232. The Indigenous

Squamish people The Squamish people ( , historically transliterated as Sko-ko-mish) are an indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Archaeological evidence shows they have lived in the area for more th ...

have lived in the area for thousands of years. The town of Squamish had its beginning during the construction of the

Pacific Great Eastern Railway The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...

in the 1910s. It was the first southern terminus of that railway (now a part of CN). The town remains important in the operations of the line and also the port. Forestry has traditionally been the main industry in the area, and the town's largest employer was the

pulp mill A pulp mill is a manufacturing facility that converts wood chips or other plant fiber sources into a thick fiber board which can be shipped to a paper mill for further processing. Pulp can be manufactured using mechanical, semi-chemical, or ...

operated by

Western Forest Products Western Forest Products Inc. is a Canadian lumber company based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. History Following its initial acquisition of the assets of Doman in 2004, the Company undertook a series of restructuring activities includi ...

. However, Western's operations in Squamish permanently ceased on January 26, 2006. Before the pulp mill, the town's largest employer had been International Forest Products ( Interfor) with its sawmill and logging operation, but it closed a few years prior to the pulp mill's closing. In recent years, Squamish has become popular with

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

and Whistler residents escaping the increased cost of living in those places, both less than one hour away by highway. Tourism is increasingly important in the town's economy, with an emphasis on outdoor recreation.

Squamish people

The

are an

indigenous people There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

whose homeland includes the present day area of Squamish, British Columbia. Oral stories and archaeological evidence show that they have lived there for thousands of years. They have inhabited an area of southwestern British Columbia that includes North and West Vancouver, Howe Sound, Whistler, the areas surrounding the tributaries entering Howe Sound, Burrard Inlet, and English Bay. The word ''Squamish'' derives from the name of the people which in their language is ''Sḵwx̱wú7mesh''. The people reside primarily on a number of

Indian Reserves In Canada, an Indian reserve () or First Nations reserve () is defined by the ''Indian Act'' as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." R ...

owned and managed by the

in the Squamish Valley area. A few places and names in the Squamish area derive from Squamish language words and names. ''Ch’iyáḵmesh'' is the name of an old village that was located on the

Cheakamus River The Cheakamus River (pron. CHEEK-a-mus) is a tributary of the Squamish River, beginning at the terminus of McBride Glacier on Mount Sir Richard in Garibaldi Provincial Park upstream from Cheakamus Lake on the southeastern outskirts of the res ...

. ''St’á7mes'' is a community located near the south entrance to the town of Squamish, which lies below the

Stawamus Chief The Stawamus Chief, officially Stawamus Chief Mountain (often referred to as simply The Chief, or less commonly Squamish Chief), is a granitic dome located adjacent to the town of Squamish, British Columbia, Canada. It towers over above the w ...

, which gets its name from that village. ''Mámx̱wem'' is where the Mamquam River name comes from as well. Squamish territory comprises 6,732 km², though lands controlled by the

band government are relatively scarce, and on

Indian reserve In Canada, an Indian reserve () or First Nations reserve () is defined by the '' Indian Act'' as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." ...

s only, though the Squamish Nation must be, like other native governments, consulted on developments within their people's territory. Residents of Indian Reserves are not governed by the District of Squamish but by the Squamish Nation. The Squamish Nation's population and Indian Reserves also include villages in North Vancouver and a number of other reserves at

Gibsons Gibsons is a coastal community of 4,758 in southwestern British Columbia, Canada on the Sunshine Coast (British Columbia), Sunshine Coast, where the southwest bank of Howe Sound meets the Strait of Georgia. During its early history as a Europe ...

and elsewhere in the general region. The name ''Keh Kait'' was the traditional name for the site of downtown Squamish.

Activities

Squamish is known for

mountain biking Mountain biking (MTB) is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability ...

hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

climbing Climbing is the activity of using one's hands, feet, or other parts of the body to ascend a steep topographical object that can range from the world's tallest mountains (e.g. the eight thousanders) to small boulders. Climbing is done for locom ...

kiteboarding Kiteboarding or kitesurfing is a sport that involves using wind power with a large power kite to pull a rider across a water, land, snow, sand, or other surface. It combines the aspects of paragliding, surfing, windsurfing, skateboarding, snow ...

, and more. Attractions include the

, a huge cliff-faced granite

massif A massif () is a principal mountain mass, such as a compact portion of a mountain range, containing one or more summits (e.g. France's Massif Central). In mountaineering literature, ''massif'' is frequently used to denote the main mass of an ...

favoured by rock climbers. As well as over 300 climbing routes on the Chief proper, a majority of which require traditional climbing protection, there are steep hiking trails around the back to access the three peaks that make up the massif, all giving views of Howe Sound and the surrounding Coast Mountains. In all, between

Shannon Falls Shannon Falls Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. It is located from Vancouver and south of Squamish along the Sea to Sky Highway. The park covers an area of . The main point of interest is Shannon Falls, the thi ...

, Murrin Park, The Malamute, and the Smoke Bluffs, there are over 1500 rock-climbing routes in the Squamish area (and another 300 or so climbs north of Squamish on the road to Whistler). In recent years, Squamish has also become a major destination for

bouldering Bouldering is a form of rock climbing that is performed on small rock formations or Climbing wall, artificial rock walls without the use of ropes or Climbing harness, harnesses. While bouldering can be done without any equipment, most climbers ...

, with over 2500 problems described in the local guidebook.Squamish Bouldering, 2nd Edition, Quickdraw Publications, 2010, . Kiteboarding and windsurfing are popular water sports in Squamish during the summer. Predictable wind on warm sunny days makes the Squamish Spit a top kiteboarding location in western Canada. Squamish's extensive quality trail system is a key feature of an annual 50-mile ultramarathon, the Squamish 50. Solo runners and relay teams run on many of the same trails as the Test of Metal, and pass through

Alice Lake Provincial Park Alice Lake Provincial Park is a provincial park Ischigualasto Provincial Park A provincial park (or territorial park) is a park administered by one of the provinces of a country, as opposed to a national park. They are similar to state parks ...

and the campus of

Capilano University Capilano University (CapU) is a teaching-focused public university based in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, located on the slopes of the North Shore Mountains, with programming that also serves the Sea-to-Sky Corridor and the Sunshi ...

(formerly

Quest University Quest University (officially Quest University Canada) was a private, not-for-profit, secular liberal arts and sciences university. The university opened in September 2007 with an inaugural class of 73 and suspended academic operations in April ...

). "The Double" is an award offered annually to the participant with the fastest combined time for both the Test of Metal and Squamish 50. From 1974 to 1999, Squamish served as the terminus for the Royal Hudson steam excursion train. The train was pulled by the restored ex-Canadian Pacific No. 2860 and ran from North Vancouver on

, until it reached Squamish. The train significantly boosted tourism in the region. Due to issues with No. 2860, back up locomotives were used to pull the train from 2000-2001, including No. 3716 and diesel locomotive No. 4069, until the train was phased out and no longer was running. Other tourist attractions in Squamish include

waterfall; river-rafting on the Elaho and Squamish rivers;

snowmobiling A snowmobile, also known as a snowmachine (chiefly Alaskan), motor sled (chiefly Canadian), motor sledge, skimobile, snow scooter, or simply a sled is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. Their engines normally ...

on nearby Brohm Ridge; and

bald eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche ...

viewing in the community of Brackendale, which has one of North America's largest populations of bald eagles. Squamish is also a popular destination among

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 ...

hikers,

mountaineers Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become sports ...

and backcountry skiers, who visit the large provincial parks in the surrounding

Coast Mountains The Coast Mountains () are a major mountain range in the Pacific Coast Ranges of western North America, extending from southwestern Yukon through the Alaska Panhandle and virtually all of the British Columbia Coast, Coast of British Columbia sout ...

Politics

The current mayor of Squamish is Armand Hurford, who won the 2022 election, after having served as a council member. Previous mayors have included Karen Elliot (2018-2022) Patricia Heintzman (2014-2018); Rob Kirkham (2011-2014); Greg Gardner (2008-2011); Ian Sutherland (2002–2008) among others. Current council members are Lauren Greenlaw, Eric Andersen, John French, Andrew Hamilton, Chris Pettingill, and Jenna Stoner. The municipality is part of the

Squamish-Lillooet Regional District The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) is a local government federation, consisting of four municipalities in British Columbia, Canada: Lillooet, Pemberton, Whistler and Squamish. It stretches from Britannia Beach in the south to Pa ...

. On the provincial level, Squamish is in the

West Vancouver-Sea to Sky West Vancouver-Sea to Sky (name in effect from April 2009 onwards, previously West Vancouver-Garibaldi from 1991 to 2009) is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada. For other current and histor ...

electoral district. The current MLA is Jeremy Valeriote (BC Green Party). He was elected in the 2024 provincial election after running and losing to Jordan Sturdy (

BC Liberal Party BC United (BCU), known from 1903 until 2023 as the British Columbia Liberal Party or BC Liberals, is a provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party has been described as conservative, neoliberal, and occupying a centre-right ...

) in the 2020 provincial election by 41 votes. Federally, Squamish is a part of the

West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country (formerly West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast) is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1997. Geography The ...

electoral district. It is represented by

Patrick Weiler Patrick B. Weiler (born April 30, 1986) is a Canadian politician and former lawyer. He is a member of the Liberal Party and has represented the riding of West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country in the House of Commons of Canada sin ...

of the

Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada (LPC; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''. and generally sits at the Centrism, ...

, who took office after the

2019 Canadian federal election The 2019 Canadian federal election was held on October 21, 2019. Members of the House of Commons were elected to the 43rd Canadian Parliament. In keeping with the maximum four-year term under a 2007 amendment to the ''Canada Elections Act'', ...

Education

Squamish has five English language public elementary schools: Brackendale Elementary, Garibaldi Highlands Elementary, Mamquam Elementary, Squamish Elementary, and Valleycliffe Elementary. Under the Sea to Sky Learning Connections, the public schools district also manages Sea to Sky Online, Sea to Sky Alternative, Cultural Journeys, and Learning Expeditions. The '' Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique'' operates one Francophone primary school in that city: the ''école Les Aiglons''. There are two public secondary schools –

Howe Sound Secondary School Howe Sound Secondary is a public Secondary school in Squamish, British Columbia part of School District 48 Howe Sound. It is the largest school in the district, and is one of 2 schools in Squamish to offer grades 10–12. History A new buildin ...

and Don Ross Middle School – as well as the board office for School District 48 Howe Sound. Squamish hosts three private schools
Squamish Montessori Elementary SchoolCedar Valley Waldorf School
an
Coast Mountain Academy
for grades seven through 12. Coast Mountain Academy is located in the campus of Quest University.

offers post-secondary education through its Squamish campus, including diploma programs and university transfer courses. It bought the campus of

, which opened in September 2007 and closed in April 2023, and was Canada's first private, non-profit, secular university.

Society and culture

Squamish is home to a variety of faiths. There are eleven churches and religious organizations, including several Christian denominations, as well as the

Baháʼí Faith The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the Baháʼí Faith and the unity of religion, essential worth of all religions and Baháʼí Faith and the unity of humanity, the unity of all people. Established by ...

, and a

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

temple. The Squamish Public Library is located in the downtown area, on Second Avenue. It houses a collection of books, CDs, DVDs, and magazines. It has an art for loan collection and an online historical archive of various photographs, periodicals, and other items. Nearby museums include the Britannia Mine Museum and the West Coast Railway Association. In 1998, Squamish was briefly the home of the world's first unionized

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...

franchise, although the union was decertified by the summer of 1999. From 2010 until 2016, the municipality hosted the Squamish Valley Music Festival. Usually taking place in August, the event has hosted artists such as

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...

Bruno Mars Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. Regarded as a pop icon, he is known for his three-octave tenor vocal range, live performances, R ...

Macklemore Benjamin Hammond Haggerty (born June 19, 1983), better known by his stage name Macklemore ( ; formerly Professor Macklemore), is an American rapper. A native of Seattle, Washington, he started his career in 2000 as an independent artist rele ...

, and

Arcade Fire Arcade Fire is a Canadian indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec, consisting of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, alongside Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury, and Jeremy Gara. The band's touring line-up includes former core ...

In media

Squamish has been a filming location for a number of media works and is a very popular place to film movies and TV shows. Examples include the films '' Free Willy 3: The Rescue'' (1997), ''

Insomnia Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder where people have difficulty sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep for as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low ene ...

'' (2002), ''

Before I Fall ''Before I Fall'' is a 2010 young adult novel written by the American author Lauren Oliver. The novel is written in the first-person perspective of a teenage girl, Samantha Kingston, who is forced to relive the day of her death every day for a ...

'' (2015), '' Walking Tall'' (2004), ''

Chaos Theory Chaos theory is an interdisciplinary area of Scientific method, scientific study and branch of mathematics. It focuses on underlying patterns and Deterministic system, deterministic Scientific law, laws of dynamical systems that are highly sens ...

'' (2008), '' The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1'' (2011), '' The 12 Disasters of Christmas'' (2012), ''

Star Trek Beyond ''Star Trek Beyond'' is a 2016 American science fiction film, science fiction action film directed by Justin Lin, written by Simon Pegg and Doug Jung. It is the 13th film in the ''Star Trek'' franchise and the third installment in List of Star ...

'' (2016), ''

Woody Woodpecker Woody Woodpecker is a cartoon character that appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz Productions, Walter Lantz Studio and Universal Animation Studios, Universal Animation Studio and distributed by Universal Pictures sinc ...

'' (2018), the television series ''

Men in Trees ''Men in Trees'' is an American romantic comedy-drama television series starring Anne Heche as relationship coach Marin Frist, which premiered on September 12, 2006, on ABC. The series is set in the fictional town of Elmo, Alaska, and concerns ...

'', '' The Guard'', A&E's U.S. adaptation of '' The Returned'', the

Hallmark Channel Hallmark Channel is an American cable television network owned by Hallmark Media, a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards. The channel broadcasts family-oriented general entertainment programming, including television series and made-for-TV movies. ...

's ''

Aurora Teagarden Aurora Teagarden is a fictional character created by author Charlaine Harris. She is the protagonist of a series of eleven crime novels written from 1990 to 2017. Hallmark Movies & Mysteries began adapting the novels in 2014 for their original ...

'' mysteries, and Netflix's ''

Lost in Space ''Lost in Space'' is an American science fiction television series created and produced by Irwin Allen, which originally aired between 1965 and 1968 on CBS. Lightly dramatic, sometimes comedic in tone, the series was inspired by the 1812 J ...

'' reboot.

Sneaky Sasquatch ''Sneaky Sasquatch'' is a 2019 adventure game, adventure video game developed and published by Canadian studio RAC7 for iOS, macOS and tvOS. It was released as a launch title for Apple Arcade. The game's scenery is inspired by Squamish, Briti ...

, an

Apple Arcade Apple Arcade is a video game subscription service offered by Apple Inc. It is available through a dedicated tab of the App Store on devices running iOS 13, visionOS, tvOS 13, iPadOS 13, and macOS Catalina or later. The service launched o ...

game, is also based there.

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 ...

, Squamish had a population of 23,819 living in 9,191 of its 9,906 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 19,497. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

Ethnicity

Religion

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

(16,500 persons or 70.1%) *

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 ...

(5,110 persons or 21.7%) *

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 ...

(1,260 persons or 5.4%) *

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 ...

(160 persons or 0.7%) *

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 ...

(90 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 ...

(70 persons or 0.3%) *

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 0.3%) * Indigenous Spirituality (40 persons or 0.2%)

Climate

Squamish has an

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) with warm summers and moderately cold winters. Squamish is one of the wettest inhabited locations in Canada, with over of rainfall per year, often falling in long stretches through the winter.

Industry

Carbon Engineering Carbon Engineering Ltd. is a Canadian-based clean energy company focusing on the commercialization of direct air capture (DAC) technology that captures carbon dioxide () directly from the atmosphere. This captured can either be stored undergr ...

, a company focusing on the commercialization of direct air capture technology, is headquartered in Squamish. A $5.1 billion electric liquefied natural gas export facility is being built in the area.

Transit

Public transportation is provided by the Squamish Transit System; this service is free over the summer to students at school age (elementary and secondary). Regional flights are operated from Squamish Airport (YSE) with daily bus service to Vancouver International Airport (YVR) provided by YVR Skylynx for international departures.

Neighbourhoods

Neighbourhoods of Squamish include: * Brackendale * Valleycliff * Downtown Squamish * Dentville * Northyards *

Garibaldi Highlands Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as (). In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as () or (). 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, revolutionary and republican. He ...

* Garibaldi Estates

Nearby localities

* Cheekye * Paradise Valley

Notable people

Sarah Burke Sarah Jean Burke (September 3, 1982 – January 19, 2012) was a Canadian freestyle skier who was a pioneer of the superpipe event. She was a five-time Winter X Games gold medallist, and won the world championship in the halfpipe in 2005. She s ...

freestyle skier Freestyle skiing is a skiing discipline comprising aerials, moguls, cross, half-pipe, slopestyle and big air as part of the Winter Olympics. It can consist of a skier performing aerial flips and spins and can include skiers sliding rails and ...

; resided in Squamish; * Ian Campbell, Indigenous Canadian politician; one of the Hereditary Chiefs of Squamish Nation; * Mike Carney, realtor; a former ski racer who had been a member of the Canadian Olympic downhill ski team; *

Daniel Cudmore Daniel Cudmore is a Canadian actor, stuntman, and former professional rugby union player. He is best known for his roles as the superhero Peter Rasputin / Colossus in the ''X-Men'' film series, and as the Volturi Felix in ''The Twilight Saga' ...

, actor who starred in the ''X-Men'' film series, and ''The Twilight Saga'' film series * Joe Eppele, football player; drafted by

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

in 2010 as an offensive linesman; *

Grimes Claire Elise Boucher (; born March 17, 1988), known professionally as Grimes, is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Her lyrics often touch on science fiction and feminist themes. The visuals in her videos are elabora ...

, musician; lived in Squamish while recording her fourth studio album, ''

Art Angels ''Art Angels'' is the fourth studio album by Canadian musician Grimes. It was digitally released on November 6, 2015, through 4AD, and in physical formats on December 11. Boucher began planning the record in 2013 as the follow-up to her third s ...

;'' * Maëlle Ricker, Olympian; Canadian Olympic gold medalist at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games in the

Snowboard Cross Snowboard cross, also known as boardercross, is a snowboard competition in which four to six competitors race down a course. Snowboard cross courses are typically quite narrow and include cambered turns, various types of jumps, berms, rollers, ...

Mike Sweeney Michael John Sweeney (born July 22, 1973) is an American former Major League Baseball designated hitter and first baseman. Sweeney played his first 13 seasons in the majors with the Kansas City Royals, first as a catcher, then at first base and ...

, soccer player; competed in the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...

with Team Canada; * Mikayla Martin, 2018

Ski Cross Ski cross is a skiing competition which incorporates terrain features traditionally found in freestyle skiing with courses which include big-air jumps and high-banked turns. In spite of the fact that it is a timed racing event, it is often con ...

Junior World Champion; *

Squamish Five The Squamish Five (sometimes referred to as the Vancouver Five) were a group of self-styled " urban guerrillas" active in Canada during the early 1980s. Their chosen name was Direct Action. The five were Ann Hansen, Brent Taylor, Juliet Caroli ...

, an

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and Political movement, movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or Social hierarchy, hierarchy, primarily targeting the state (polity), state and capitalism. A ...

urban guerrilla Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include recruited children, use ambushes, sabotage, terrorism, ...

group who lived and were arrested in the area *

Marc-André Leclerc Marc-André Leclerc (October 10, 1992 – March 5, 2018) was a Canadian rock climber, ice and mixed climber, and alpinist. He is known for his solo ascents–often in winter–of major ice and alpine climbing routes. In 2016, he completed the fir ...

, rock climber and alpinist. Known for his solo ascents of numerous mountains in several parts of the world. * Jackson Goldstone, well known professional mountain biker who competes in the downhill world championship is from Squamish. *Rémy Métailler, professional mountain biker who has competed in Redbull Rampage and resides in Squamish.

Sister cities

Squamish has a

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inte ...

arrangement with the following city: * Shimizu, Shizuoka, Japan

Freedom of the City

The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the City of Squamish.

Individuals

* Lois Wynne: 3 July 2018.

Notes

References

External links

* * {{Authority control District municipalities in British Columbia Populated places on the British Columbia Coast Climbing areas of British Columbia