Queen Charlotte, British Columbia

Queen Charlotte
Village
Village of Queen Charlotte[1]
City Harbour
Location within British Columbia
Coordinates: 53°15′17″N 132°06′49″W / 53.25472°N 132.11361°W / 53.25472; -132.11361Coordinates: 53°15′17″N 132°06′49″W / 53.25472°N 132.11361°W / 53.25472; -132.11361
Country  Canada
Province  British Columbia
Region Haida Gwaii
Regional district North Coast
Founded 1908
Incorporated 2005
Government[2]
 • Governing body Queen Charlotte Village Council
 • Mayor Greg Martin
Area
 • Total 37.28 km2 (14.39 sq mi)
Elevation 20 m (70 ft)
Population (2016)[3]
 • Total 852
 • Density 23.9/km2 (62/sq mi)
Time zone UTC-8 (PST)
Highways 16
Waterways Skidegate Inlet
Website Official website

The Village of Queen Charlotte, more commonly known by its residents as Charlotte, is a village municipality on Haida Gwaii (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands) in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is located on the southern end of Graham Island at Skidegate Inlet and is a member municipality of the North Coast Regional District.

It was incorporated in 2005, having previously been represented as part of Electoral Area F of that regional district, which was coterminous with the Queen Charlotte Islands (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, additional work force was needed to supply allied warplanes with lumber. The town infrastructure quickly developed, offering public education, a hospital, general stores and other amenities, even a newspaper.

Logging and fishing were the main source of jobs in Queen Charlotte 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. [4]

Queen Charlotte 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 Queen Charlotte Visitor Centre, which is open year-round. With its small harbour, Queen Charlotte is often the starting-point for chartered tours into Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site on southern Moresby Island.

Queen Charlotte is just 9 km (5.6 mi) to Skidegate with its BC Ferries landing and connections to Prince Rupert.

References

  1. ↑ "British Columbia Regional Districts, Municipalities, Corporate Name, Date of Incorporation and Postal Address" (XLS). British Columbia Ministry of Communities, Sport and Cultural Development. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  2. ↑ Village of Queen Charlotte
  3. ↑ Statistics Canada. 2016 Census.
  4. ↑ Queen Charlotte City - History Archived June 27, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.