Nanaimo, British Columbia

Information about Nanaimo, British Columbia

There are several federal and provincial electoral districts with the name Nanaimo. These are listed on Nanaimo (electoral districts)
"Nanaimo" redirects here. For the SkyTrain station, see Nanaimo Station


Nanaimo, British Columbia
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Nanaimo Skyline
Nanaimo Skyline

Flag
Coat of arms
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Nanaimo, British Columbia
Location of Nanaimo within the Nanaimo District on Vancouver Island
Coordinates:
Country Canada
Province British Columbia
Regional District Nanaimo
Incorporated 1853
Government
 - Mayor Gary Richard Korpan
 - Governing body Nanaimo City Council
 - MPs Jean Crowder
James Lunney
 - MLAs Leonard Krog
Ron Cantelon
Area
 - City 89.30 km  (0 sq mi)
Elevation 20 m (0 ft)
Population (2006)
 - City 78,692 (ranked 61st)
 - Density 881.2/km (0/sq mi)
 - Metro 92,361 (ranked 38th)
 - Metro Density 72.2/km (0/sq mi)
Time zone PST (UTC-8)
Postal code span V9R to V9V
Area code(s) +1-250
Website: City of Nanaimo


Nanaimo (IPA: [nə ˈnaɪ mo]) (pop. 79,000), is the second largest city on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. It has been dubbed the "Bathtub Racing Capital of the World" and "Harbour City". Nanaimo is also sometimes referred to as the "Hub City" because of its central location on Vancouver Island and due to the layout of the downtown streets which form a "hub" pattern. It is also fondly known as the "Hub, Tub, and Pub City" because of its association with the bathtub racing and the numerous "watering holes" in Old Nanaimo. It is the seat of the Regional District of Nanaimo.

Location and geography

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Aerial photo of Nanaimo and surrounding area
Located on Vancouver Island at , Nanaimo is about 55 km west of Vancouver, separated by the Strait of Georgia, but directly linked to Vancouver via BC Ferries. By virtue of its proximity to Vancouver, Nanaimo is the gateway to many other destinations both on the island — Tofino, Comox Valley, Campbell River, Port Alberni, Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park — and off its coast — Newcastle Island, Protection Island, Gabriola Island, Valdes Island, and many other of the Gulf Islands.

History

Nanaimo began as a trading post in the early 1800s; in 1849 the Snuneymuxw chief Ki-et-sa-kun ("Coal Tyee") informed the Hudson's Bay Company of the presence of coal in the area, and in 1853 the company built a fort known as the Nanaimo Bastion (still preserved). Subsequently the town was chiefly known for the export of coal.

Robert Dunsmuir established coal mines in the Nanaimo harbour area and later to Wellington at Northfield. With the success of Dunsmuir and Diggle, the first company, more mines came to the area. Dunsmuir bought his partner out, and expanded his operations to include a steam railway. Dunsmuir sold the coal to the Royal Navy ships, and exported it to Puget Sound and San Francisco. The 1887 Nanaimo Mine Explosion killed 148 miners and was the largest man-made explosion until the Halifax Explosion. In the 1940s, lumber supplanted coal as the main business, although Minetown Days are still celebrated in the neighbouring community of Lantzville.[1].

Economy

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Nanaimo Waterfront
Nanaimo is now experiencing a great deal of growth, especially in the old city area and on the waterfront. There is some fear of overdevelopment as building sizes begin to increase, blocking water views from further back along the city. The current council is also working hard to solve illegal drug and biker issues. Nanaimo is also experiencing a significant increase in tech-related work, especially with regards to the internet. High education levels and a low cost of living make Nanaimo a great candidate for expansion in an ever increasing tech / web field with rising costs.

Media outlets

Nanaimo is served by two newspapers - the award-winning Black Press-owned Nanaimo News Bulletin (35,000 copies three times a week) and the Canwest-owned Nanaimo Daily News with about 6,500 copies. Canwest also publishes an advertiser, the Harbour City Star. Nanaimo is served by television broadcasters: a bureau for A-Channel, which is carried on local cable channel 12, and a satellite office for CHEK-TV, which is carried on cable 6.

Three radio stations, CHWF-FM, CKWV-FM (both a part of The Jim Pattison Broadcast Group), and CHLY-FM (an independent community campus radio station) operate in Nanaimo.

Miscellaneous

Nanaimo is home to the oldest continuous community band in Canada, The Nanaimo Concert Band, established in 1872. Nanaimo is also known for its bathtub race during the annual marine festival, and for firing a cannon (blank) on the parapet next to the Bastion, (a bastion or fort), every day at noon during the summer months and for special events.

Nanaimo is home to Petroglyph Provincial Park, where visitors can view ancient petroglyph rock carvings and runes. Newcastle Island is another provincial park in Nanaimo, and was at one time a world-famous summertime tourist destination.

Nanaimo is named for the Snuneymuxw people. It is the origin of the famous Nanaimo bar dessert.

The Civic arena built in 1939 was torn down in the fall of 2006. During its demolition Native artifacts were found beside and under the arena. The Nanaimo midget 'A' Timbermen won the 2006 British Columbia provincial championships.

Politics

In the Canadian House of Commons, Nanaimo is represented by the ridings of Nanaimo—Cowichan (Jean Crowder, New Democratic Party) and Nanaimo—Alberni (Dr of Chiropractics James Lunney, Conservative). In the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Nanaimo is represented by the ridings of Nanaimo (Leonard Krog, New Democratic Party of British Columbia) and Nanaimo-Parksville (Ron Cantelon, British Columbia Liberal Party). The mayor of Nanaimo is currently Gary Richard Korpan. The most colourful and famous mayor Nanaimo ever had was Frank J. Ney, who instigated Nanaimo's well-known bathtub races, which he regularly attended dressed as a pirate. There is a statue to commemorate Ney - dressed in his pirate costume - and the bathtub races at Swy-a-Lana Lagoon, which is on the Nanaimo waterfront; Ney was also an MLA for the Social Credit party while he was also mayor.

Education

Elementary and high school classes are publicly available in School District 68 Nanaimo-Ladysmith. Privately, both Aspengrove School and Nanaimo Christian School offer elementary and high school courses.

Malaspina University-College's beautiful and scenic main campus is located in Nanaimo, which brings many international students to the city. The school is also renowned for its music programs, particularly the jazz program, pioneered by Professor Steve Jones, among others. The university is also becoming well known for its excellent teacher education programs.

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Nanaimo Harbour

Sports

Nanaimo is home to the Canadian Junior Football League's Vancouver Island Raiders, who play at Caledonia Park.

Nanaimo is home to the British Columbia Hockey League's Nanaimo Clippers and to the Western Lacrosse Association's Nanaimo Timbermen, both of which play at the Frank Crane Arena.

The Nanaimo Pirates, of the B.C. Premier Baseball League (BCPBL), play at Serauxmen Stadium.

Trivia

Diana Krall and Elvis Costello live just north of Nanaimo and are often seen perusing the racks of the local record stores.

The phrase "the full Nanaimo" has come to refer a certain style of dress associated with the male business community in Nanaimo dating in the 1960-1980s, and often associated with Frank Ney, who was the mayor and leading business figure in Nanaimo at this time. This dress style often features white patent leather shoes and a white belt, and sometimes with plaid pants or sports jacket, or with the leisure suit of this era. It is also associated with general tackiness in dress and fortrel material.

Notable persons

References

1. ^ Nanaimo Info - History

External links

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 •  • [ e]
Municipalities and regional districts of British Columbia
Regional districtsAlberni-Clayoquot Bulkley-Nechako Capital Cariboo Central Coast Central Kootenay Central Okanagan Columbia-ShuswapComox-Strathcona Cowichan Valley East Kootenay Fraser Valley Fraser-Fort George Greater Vancouver Kitimat-Stikine Kootenay Boundary Mount Waddington Nanaimo North Okanagan Northern Rockies Okanagan-Similkameen Peace River Powell River Skeena-Queen Charlotte Squamish-Lillooet Stikine Sunshine Coast Thompson-Nicola
Principal urban centresAbbotsford Kamloops Kelowna Nanaimo Prince George Vancouver Victoria
Large suburban communitiesBurnaby Coquitlam Delta Langley Township North Vancouver District Richmond Saanich Surrey
Other significant citiesCampbell River Chilliwack Courtenay Cranbrook Fort St. John Penticton Port Alberni Salmon Arm Vernon
See alsoList of communities
Nanaimo is the same of several Canadian federal and British Columbia provincial electoral districts, both historical and current, in and around the Vancouver Island city of Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada.
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Nanaimo Station

First opened: 1985
Line(s): Expo Line, Millennium Line
Connections

The Nanaimo Station of the Skytrain system is an elevated station located on the Expo Line in East Vancouver.
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The Regional District of Nanaimo is a regional district located on the eastern coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. It is bordered to the south by the Cowichan Valley Regional District, to the west by the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District, and to
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British Columbia
Colombie-Britannique

Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Splendor Sine Occasu (Latin: Splendour Without Sunset (diminishment))

Capital Victoria
Largest city Vancouver
Official languages English
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The Canadian Province of British Columbia is divided into regional districts. Like counties in some states of the United States, regional districts serve as the local government in areas not incorporated into a municipality.
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The Regional District of Nanaimo is a regional district located on the eastern coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. It is bordered to the south by the Cowichan Valley Regional District, to the west by the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District, and to
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Gary Richard Kopran is the current mayor of Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada.

One of the longest serving mayors of the city, Korpan was re-elected in the 2005 municipal elections with 30.5% of the vote.
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    Bold text denotes cabinet ministers (two cabinet members, Senator Michael Fortier and Senator Marjory LeBreton are not members of the House.
  • Italic text denotes party leaders

Members



     Conservative
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Jean A. Crowder

Incumbent
Riding Nanaimo—Cowichan
In office since 2004
Preceded by Reed Elley
Born July 7 1952 (1952--) (age 55)
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James D. Lunney

Incumbent
Riding Nanaimo—Alberni
In office since 2000
Preceded by Bill Gilmour
Born September 5 1951 (1951--) (age 56)
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Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is one of two components of the Parliament of British Columbia, the other being the Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia. Parliament meets in Victoria.
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Leonard Krog (born in Nanaimo, British Columbia) is a Canadian politician and lawyer in British Columbia. He was first elected in the 1991 general election representing the riding of Parksville-Qualicum in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia and served as a backbencher in
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Ron Cantelon was elected on to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada, May 17 2005 in the riding of Nanaimo-Parksville as a member of the BC Liberal Party caucus.

Ron first entered elected political life as a city councillor for the City of Nanaimo in 1999.
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Area is a physical quantity expressing the size of a part of a surface. The term Surface area is the summation of the areas of the exposed sides of an object.

Units

Units for measuring surface area include:
square metre = SI derived unit

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Square kilometre (U.S. spelling: square kilometer), symbol km², is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of surface area, the square metre, one of the SI derived units. 1 km² is equal to:
  • 1,000,000 m²
  • 100 ha (hectare)
Conversely:
  • 1 m² = 0.

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square mile is an imperial and US unit of area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. It should not be confused with the archaic miles square, which refers to the number of miles on each side squared.
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elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, often the mean sea level. Elevation, or geometric height, is mainly used when referring to points on the Earth's surface, while altitude or geopotential height
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1 metre =
SI units
1000 mm 0 cm
US customary / Imperial units
0 ft 0 in
The metre or meter[1](symbol: m) is the fundamental unit of length in the International System of Units (SI).
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1 foot =
SI units
0 m 0 mm
US customary / Imperial units
0 yd 0 in
A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′
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Timeline: New France (to 1764) Under British Control (1764-1867) Post-Confederation (1867-1914) World Wars and Interwar Years (1914-1945) 1945-1960 1960-1981 1982-1992 1992-Present
Topics: Military history Economic history Constitutional history
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Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, humans in particular.

Biological population densities


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metropolitan area is a large population centre consisting of a large metropolis and its adjacent zone of influence, or of more than one closely adjoining neighboring central cities and their zone of influence.
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The table below lists the 100 largest metropolitan areas in Canada by population, using data from the Canada 2001 Census [1] and the Canada 2006 Census. [2] Each metropolitan area is identified by the official name of the Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) or Census
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time zone is a region of the Earth that has adopted the same standard time, usually referred to as the local time. Most adjacent time zones are exactly one hour apart, and by convention compute their local time as an offset from UTC (see also Greenwich Mean Time).
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The Pacific Time Zone observes standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC-8). The clock time in this zone is based on the mean solar time of the 120th degree meridian west of the Greenwich Observatory.
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UTC−8 is a band of timezones separated from the Universal Coordinated Time by 8 hours.

Timezones

  • Pacific Standard Time
  • Alaska Daylight Time
  • Clipperton Island Standard Time


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Canadian postal codes

NL NS PE NB QC ON MB SK AB BC NU/NT YT
A B C E G H J K L M N P R [[List of S postal codes of Canada|S]] [[List of T postal codes of Canada|T]] [[List of V postal codes of Canada|V]] [[List of X postal codes of Canada|X]] [[List of Y postal codes of
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Area code 250 is an area code for most of the Canadian province of British Columbia, including Vancouver Island. It was created on October 19, 1996 as a split of area code 604. [1]

The area code also serves the American city of Hyder, Alaska.
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International Phonetic Alphabet

Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode.

The International
Phonetic Alphabet
History
Nonstandard symbols
Extended IPA
Naming conventions
IPA for English The
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