Salmon Arm

Salmon Arm
City
City of Salmon Arm

Salmon Arm and Shuswap Lake
Salmon Arm

Location of Salmon Arm in British Columbia

Coordinates: 50°42′8″N 119°16′20″W / 50.70222°N 119.27222°W / 50.70222; -119.27222
Country Canada Canada
Province British Columbia 
Region Shuswap Country
Regional District Columbia-Shuswap
Established 1905
Government
 • Mayor Nancy Cooper
 • Governing Body Salmon Arm City Council
 • MP Mel Arnold
 • MLA Greg Kyllo
Area
 • City 155.28 km2 (59.95 sq mi)
 • Metro 165.57 km2 (63.93 sq mi)
Elevation 415 m (1,362 ft)
Population (2011)
 • City 17,464
 • Density 112.5/km2 (291/sq mi)
 • Urban 11,810[1]
 • Metro 17,683
 • Metro density 106.8/km2 (277/sq mi)
Time zone Pacific Standard (PST) (UTC-8)
Postal code V1E, V0E
Area code(s) 250 / 778 / 236
Highways Trans-Canada Highway BC 1
Website City of Salmon Arm

Coordinates: 50°42′8″N 119°16′20″W / 50.70222°N 119.27222°W / 50.70222; -119.27222

Salmon Arm is a growing city of 17,464 (Census 2011) in British Columbia's interior, located on Shuswap Lake, midway between Calgary and Vancouver on the Trans-Canada Highway. With a beautiful four season climate, excellent access to healthcare, education and sports, culture and recreation options, Salmon Arm provides an exceptional quality of life for its residents. The City also boasts a unique, picturesque downtown and is home to the longest curved wooden wharf in North America[2] which draws tourists from around the World.

The wooden wharf in Salmon Arm, British Columbia, facing south (May 2013).

As the largest city in the Columbia-Shuswap Regional District, Salmon Arm is the service center for neighbouring communities, with a market area of approximately 45,000. The City's tremendous quality of life has supported the attraction of world-class companies and a highly-skilled workforce. The diverse and growing economy includes strong clusters of commerce and business services, retail, health, tourism, agriculture and manufacturing. Salmon Arm's major employers include: Canoe Forest Products, USNR, Forsite Consulting, Farmcrest Foods Ltd., Sawmill Equipment Company (SEC), Valid Manufacturing, ADAM Integrated Industries Inc., Salmon Arm Savings & Credit Union (SASCU), as well as public sector employers including School District #83, Interior Health, Columbia Shuswap Regional District and the City of Salmon Arm.

The City of Salmon Arm's designated Industrial Park is home to world class design, engineering and manufacturing firms, as well as the Shuswap Regional Airport, and the Okanagan College Trades Training Centre. Currently, the Industrial Park is home to over 80 businesses operating out of approximately 1 million square feet of existing industrial building space.

History

Little is known about the history of Salmon Arm preceding the laying of the Canadian Pacific Railway in September, 1885. While miners and settlers looked for gold in the surrounding areas, the beaches of Salmon Arm lay virtually untouched. In 1890, five years after the railway was built, the residents of the town requested and obtained a post office. At the time, there was only a population of 28 residents. By the end of the 1890s, the town had grown to include many new buildings such as two general stores, a school, and a hotel. The population had also grown to include over 200 citizens.

By 1904, Salmon Arm had acquired a reputation for having an excellent fruit harvest. The local businessmen grew fruit as a main export, sending it to the larger, more populated towns that surrounded it. The displays for their crops could be located in stores in Kamloops and New Westminster, and the Hudson's Bay Company in Vancouver often featured an entire local Salmon Arm display.

In May 1905, a formal local government was started by the request of its citizens. The main concerns brought to the government centered on the building and repairing of roads.

Later on, in 1912, Salmon Arm upgraded its town status to an official city. They did this in part to receive funds from the provincial government to assist in road improvement, which was still a continued concern, and also to build a public water system. With the money they received, it didn't take long to fulfill their second project as Salmon Arm's first water system was official turned on in January 1914.

Electricity came to Salmon Arm in 1913, with the acquiring of its first diesel engine and in 1928 Salmon Arm became a part of the West Canadian Hydro-electric company grid.[3]

On August 8, 1982, while Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau and his sons passed through Salmon Arm, they were confronted by three demonstrators protesting "high unemployment and the way the Prime Minister was handling the economy."[4] Trudeau infamously gave the protesters the finger; his gesture was caught on a single television camera and immediately used by some as, "a vivid symbol for those who thought the Liberal prime minister arrogant and hostile to Western Canada."[5]

However, to many Trudeau's response was seen as a commemorated joke. Only a month after the incident T-shirts, which depicted a characturized Trudeau leaning out of a train with his middle finger raised, were being produced and sold to the citizens of Salmon Arm.[4]

Geography

A view from Mt Ida overlooking Salmon Arm and Shuswap Lake.
 Sorrento Shuswap Lake Canoe
Chase Sicamous
   Salmon Arm  
Falkland Enderby, Armstrong
and Vernon		 Grindrod

Climate

With a December and January mean of −3.7 °C (25.3 °F) and a July mean of 19.1 °C (66.4 °F), Salmon Arm has a warm-summer humid continental climate with strong maritime influences as a result of its relative proximity to the Pacific Ocean.

Climate data for Salmon Arm
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 14.5
(58.1)		 14
(57)		 19
(66)		 28.5
(83.3)		 34
(93)		 36.5
(97.7)		 38.5
(101.3)		 39
(102)		 34
(93)		 25.5
(77.9)		 15.5
(59.9)		 9
(48)		 39
(102)
Average high °C (°F) −0.7
(30.7)		 2.3
(36.1)		 8.1
(46.6)		 14.3
(57.7)		 19
(66)		 22.8
(73)		 26.5
(79.7)		 26.2
(79.2)		 19.9
(67.8)		 11.4
(52.5)		 3.4
(38.1)		 −1
(30)		 12.7
(54.9)
Daily mean °C (°F) −3.7
(25.3)		 −1.6
(29.1)		 3
(37)		 8
(46)		 12.5
(54.5)		 16.2
(61.2)		 19.1
(66.4)		 18.5
(65.3)		 13.2
(55.8)		 6.7
(44.1)		 0.6
(33.1)		 −3.7
(25.3)		 7.4
(45.3)
Average low °C (°F) −6.6
(20.1)		 −5.5
(22.1)		 −2.1
(28.2)		 1.6
(34.9)		 5.9
(42.6)		 9.6
(49.3)		 11.6
(52.9)		 10.8
(51.4)		 6.4
(43.5)		 2
(36)		 −2.2
(28)		 −6.4
(20.5)		 2.1
(35.8)
Record low °C (°F) −31.5
(−24.7)		 −27
(−17)		 −19
(−2)		 −7
(19)		 −3
(27)		 −0.5
(31.1)		 3.5
(38.3)		 2.5
(36.5)		 −6
(21)		 −18
(0)		 −32
(−26)		 −33.5
(−28.3)		 −33.5
(−28.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 67.4
(2.654)		 33.9
(1.335)		 41.7
(1.642)		 43.6
(1.717)		 59.4
(2.339)		 65.7
(2.587)		 46.1
(1.815)		 37.5
(1.476)		 43.4
(1.709)		 54.2
(2.134)		 82.4
(3.244)		 77.8
(3.063)		 653
(25.71)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 11.2
(0.441)		 14.7
(0.579)		 32.5
(1.28)		 43.1
(1.697)		 59.4
(2.339)		 65.7
(2.587)		 46.1
(1.815)		 37.5
(1.476)		 43.4
(1.709)		 53.6
(2.11)		 50.7
(1.996)		 11
(0.43)		 468.9
(18.461)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 56.2
(22.13)		 19.2
(7.56)		 9.2
(3.62)		 0.6
(0.24)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0.7
(0.28)		 31.6
(12.44)		 66.8
(26.3)		 184.2
(72.52)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 12.6 8.2 10.9 11.7 13.2 13 10 7.7 8.5 12.8 15.7 13.7 138
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) 2.5 3.6 9.4 11.7 13.2 13 10 7.7 8.5 12.7 11 2.4 105.5
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) 10.9 5.2 2.5 0.3 0 0 0 0 0 0.4 6.1 11.9 37.1
Mean monthly sunshine hours 30 67.6 138.6 189.6 226.4 225 284.8 267.8 217 103 31.2 21.2 1,802.3
Percent possible sunshine 11.4 23.9 37.7 45.8 47.2 45.7 57.5 59.5 57.1 30.9 11.5 8.5 36.4
Source: [6]

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1921 967—    
1931 1,671+72.8%
1941 1,786+6.9%
1951 2,389+33.8%
1956 3,100+29.8%
1961 4,007+29.3%
1966 4,801+19.8%
1971 7,793+62.3%
1976 9,391+20.5%
1981 10,780+14.8%
1986 11,199+3.9%
1991 12,115+8.2%
1996 14,664+21.0%
2001 15,210+3.7%
2006 16,012+5.3%
2011 17,464+9.1%
Sources: Statistics Canada[7]
Canada 2006 Census Population % of Total Population
Visible minority group
Source:[8] 		Chinese 10 0.1%
South Asian 45 0.3%
Black 10 0.1%
Filipino 15 0.1%
Latin American 20 0.1%
Southeast Asian 15 0.1%
Arab 20 0.1%
West Asian 10 0.1%
Korean 10 0.1%
Japanese 35 0.2%
Other visible minority 0 0%
Mixed visible minority 0 0%
Total visible minority population 185 1.2%
Aboriginal group
Source:[9] 		First Nations 765 4.9%
Métis 0 0%
Inuit 0 0%
Total Aboriginal population 765 4.9%
White 14,605 93.9%
Total population 15,555 100%

Education

Public schools in Salmon Arm are part of School District 83 North Okanagan-Shuswap; within the city limits, there are currently five (5) elementary schools (kindergarten to Grade 7), one (1) middle school (Grades 6 to 8), and a secondary school with two (2) campuses. Several elementary schools outside the city limits, including one (1) combined elementary/middle school feed into the middle school and secondary school in Salmon Arm. The current division of education grades between the different categories of schools began in 2007; prior to 2007, elementary schools within the city limits offered kindergarten to Grade 7, followed by two junior high schools with Grades 8 to 10, and a single senior secondary school with Grades 11 and 12. School District 83 also has its administrative offices (located in the town centre) and maintenance complex (located in the community's main industrial park) in Salmon Arm.

Salmon Arm has a campus of Okanagan College that offers many programs in a wide range of fields.

Notable academics with ties to Salmon Arm include David Lethbridge and Mike Worobey,[10][11] winner of the Nora and Ted Sterling Prize in Support of Controversy for 2009 from Simon Fraser University[12]

Culture

The summer months is when the city experiences it largest fluctuation of population with people on holidays coming to visit the city and surrounding area. During every third weekend of August the annual Salmon Arm Roots and Blues festival draws large crowds of festival goers with an international roster of performers. The Festival emerged from the Shuswap Coffee House movement of the 1970s and 80's, which by 1991 had coalesced into the non profit Salmon Arm Folk Music Society, the Festival's founding body. From its grassroots beginnings, Roots & Blues has grown into the largest and most musically diverse festival in the British Columbian interior.[13] In July 2011 there was the first annual Sturgis North Motor Cycle Rally. Even though the city of Salmon Arm had mixed feelings for the event, 35,000 people attended.[14] There is also the annual Shuswap International Writers' Festival.

Salmon Arm is home to a multiplex movie theatre (Salmar Grand) and a single screen theatre for movies and live stage performances (Salmar Classic); both are owned and operated by a non-profit community organization, the Salmar Community Association.[15][16] Additionally, a community theatre society hosts plays and other live stage performances (Shuswap Theatre)[17] in a building across the street from the Salmar Grand multiplex.

The RJ Haney Heritage Park & Museum[18] is Salmon Arm's main museum, and celebrates the history of the region. The museum often offers a dinner theatre program during the summer months, with the theatre component offering plays based on local history.

Salmon Arm is home to a branch of Okanagan Regional Library (ORL),[19] which is currently located in Piccadilly Mall.

The Salmon Arm public art gallery is the Shuswap Art Gallery,[20] housed in a historic building owned by the city. The building was originally a post office, and later housed the Salmon Arm branch of Okanagan Regional Library for many years.

Notable performers with Salmon Arm connections include local blues group the Salmon Armenians.[21]

Sports and recreation

Large crowds of tourists and locals are drawn to the beaches at Sunnybrae, Canoe, and elsewhere on Shuswap Lake during the summer. The city has many large hotels, as well as berths for a number of houseboats.

The community offers a number of recreational facilities and sports leagues. There are fields for soccer/rugby/football, fields for baseball/softball, as well as a 6 sheet curling rink (SACC), five-pin bowling lanes (lakeside lanes bowling center), several golf courses and many seasonal recreational businesses. The proximity of the Shuswap Lake has also resulted in a growing interest in rowing and paddling sports,[22] particularly dragon boat racing.

The Salmon Arm Silverbacks hockey team, in the BCHL, plays at Shaw Centre (formerly the Sunwave Centre). The publicly owned twin ice rink facility is named in relation to the facility's community sponsor, Shaw Cable (which purchased the local, independent cable service provider SunCountry Cablevision in June 2011; SunCountry had branded its highspeed cable Internet service as Sunwave.net, and had sponsored the ice rink facility under the name Sunwave Centre). Co-located in the same area with the Shaw Centre are the city's recreation centre (with pool, racquet courts, weight facility and auditorium/gymnasium), curling rink, lawn bowling facility, horseshoe pitch, and the Salmon Arm campus of Okanagan College. The city's previous indoor ice arena, Memorial Arena, has been re-purposed as an indoor field sports facility, and is heavily used by such sports as soccer, rugby, and archery. Memorial Arena, with sponsorship from the Salmon Arm Savings & Credit Union has been re-branded as the SASCU Memorial Recreation Centre, while the main recreation centre is similarly sponsored and branded the SASCU Recreation Centre.

Former NHL player Dave Scatchard was raised in Salmon Arm, playing his minor hockey there. Other notable athletes raised in or with ties to Salmon Arm are swimmer Rick Say and curler Sandra Jenkins.

Transportation

Waterfront

Salmon Arm lies on the Trans-Canada Highway approximately halfway between Vancouver and Calgary. It is also at the top of Highway 97, which leads to Vernon and Kelowna. The economy benefits from through traffic; many brand-name hotels and restaurants have opened in the past few decades.

The Canadian Pacific Railway also runs though Salmon Arm. No passenger service is available, though the Rocky Mountaineer trains pass through on occasion.

Salmon Arm Airport mainly serves general aviation aircraft, though scheduled service to Vancouver and Calgary was available by Northern Hawk Aviation until it ceased operations.

Salmon Arm is served by Greyhound Bus Lines for travel to other cities in the region, province and across Canada.

Salmon Arm has a minor, infrequent bus service to nearby suburbs, using small commuter minibuses, as well as handyDart service for the disabled.[23]

Wildfire Damage 1998

In 1998, an area of 13,500 acres (34 km² or just over 5000 hectares) immediately southwest of Salmon Arm was burnt to the extent of deforestation by a wildfire started by lightning. The fire came down from the Fly Hills in the west and embers carried by the wind jumped the valley and ignited Mount Ida. Flames raced down both sides of the valley, threatening many homes. An emergency evacuation was executed as the fire hotfooted it closer. Remarkably, just as the fire reached the valley floor, a sudden change of wind direction forced the fire back on itself, extinguishing it. The fire came so close that trees in many backyards were singed and barn paint was peeled.

The media reported "20 homes and 15 barns"[24] were destroyed during the firestorm in the Silver Creek area to the south of Salmon Arm, which also produced Canada's largest civil evacuation up to that date when the "5,000-hectare forest fire that forced the removal of 7,000 residents of Salmon Arm was being blown toward the town."[25]

Sister city

Notable residents

In popular culture

References

  1. ↑ Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and population centres, 2011 and 2006 censuses: British Columbia. Statistics Canada. Retrieved March 17, 2013
  2. ↑ Salmon Arm BC's website
  3. ↑ Marshall, Denis. "Salmon Arm... A short history". Retrieved 16 February 2013.
  4. 1 2 "Trudeau Salute on Shirts". Tri City Herald. 10 September 1982. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  5. ↑ "One Finger Salute Crude to Ont. Film Review Bd.". The Canadian Press. 7 February 2009. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  6. ↑ "Calculation Information for 1981 to 2010 Canadian Normals Data". Environment Canada. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
  7. ↑ "British Columbia – Municipal Census Populations (1921–2011)". BC Stats. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Community Profiles from the 2006 Census, Statistics Canada - Census Subdivision". 2.statcan.gc.ca. 2010-12-06. Retrieved 2013-04-13.
  9. ↑ "Aboriginal Peoples - Data table". 2.statcan.ca. 2010-10-06. Retrieved 2013-04-13.
  10. ↑ University of Arizona faculty bio page
  11. ↑ Salmon Arm Observer news article, September 29, 2009, p. A4
  12. ↑ Sterling Prize website; after 2009, reference can be found on the annual recipients page
  13. ↑ Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival
  14. ↑ Sturgis North's website
  15. ↑ Salmar Theatres/Salmar Community Association website
  16. ↑ Salmon Arm Observer, December 1, 2009 news article on Salmar Community Association plans for theatres
  17. ↑ Shuswap Theatre website
  18. ↑ R.J. Haney Heritage Village & Museum website
  19. ↑ Okanagan Regional Library website
  20. ↑ SAGA Public Art Gallery website
  21. ↑ Salmon Armenians website
  22. ↑ Shuswap Association for Rowing and Paddling website
  23. ↑ Shuswap Transit System
  24. ↑ [John Colebourn, Staff Reporter. The Province. Vancouver, B.C.: Nov 5, 1998. pg. A.29]
  25. ↑ [Camille Bains. The Vancouver Sun. Vancouver, B.C.: Aug 11, 1998. pg. A.1.FRO]
  26. ↑ "International Exchange". List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures. Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). Retrieved 21 November 2015.
  27. ↑ Salmon Arm Observer news article, July 28, 2009

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Salmon Arm.
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