Nelson, British Columbia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nelson
City
The Corporation of the City of Nelson
Historic Baker Street
Coat of arms
Nickname(s):  The Queen City
Motto(s):  "Forge Ahead"
Nelson Location in British Columbia
Country	Canada
Province	British Columbia
Region	Kootenays
Regional district	Central Kootenay
Incorporated	1897
Government
• Type	Elected city council
Area
• Land	11.93 km2 (4.61 sq mi)
Elevation	535 m (1,755 ft)
Population  (2016)
• Total	10,664
• Density	1,552.3/km2 (4,020/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC−8 (PST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (PDT)
Forward sortation area	V1L
Area code(s)	250, 778, 236, 672
Highways	Hwy 6 Hwy 3A

Nelson is a city in British Columbia, Canada. It is located in the Selkirk Mountains by the West Arm of Kootenay Lake. Nelson is often called "The Queen City" because it has many beautiful old buildings. These buildings were restored from the city's early days during a big silver rush.

Nelson is one of the three main cities in the West Kootenay area. The other two are Castlegar and Trail. Nelson is also the main office for the Regional District of Central Kootenay.

History of Nelson

How Nelson Started

The land where Nelson is built belongs to the Sinixt (or Lakes) and Ktunaxa (Kutenai) peoples. They have lived here for a very long time.

Gold and silver were first found in this area in 1867. In 1886, a lot of silver was discovered at nearby Toad Mountain. This made many people move to the area, and Nelson grew very quickly. The city officially became a city in 1897.

Two railway lines were built to pass through Nelson. Because of its good location for transportation, Nelson became a key place. It supplied the local mines and became the main center for moving goods around the region.

The city was named in 1888 after Hugh Nelson. He was the Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia at that time.

Nelson in the Early 1900s

Nelson around 1900

A famous architect named Francis Rattenbury designed some of Nelson's grand buildings. He also designed the British Columbia Parliament Buildings in Victoria. By the early 1900s, Nelson had several nice hotels, a Hudson's Bay Company store, and even an electric streetcar system. The local forestry (logging) and mining businesses were doing very well.

The town also built its own system to make electricity using water power (hydroelectric). People from England started fruit orchards by the lake. Also, Doukhobors, a group from Russia, came to farm the valley lands. There is a Doukhobor museum close by, near Castlegar.

From 1917 to 1920, Nelson used a special voting system called Single transferable vote (STV) to choose its city council members. This system helps make sure different groups are fairly represented.

During the Vietnam War, many young Americans who did not want to join the army moved to Nelson. This brought many educated young people to the area. Their arrival changed the culture and politics of Nelson quite a bit.

Nelson is built in a narrow valley with mountains all around. This meant the city could not spread out much. In the 1960s and 70s, many cities tore down old buildings to build new ones. But Nelson's downtown stores just covered their old buildings with new materials like aluminum siding.

Bringing Baker Street Back to Life

In the early 1980s, Nelson faced tough times when a big local sawmill closed down. Stores downtown were also losing business because a new shopping mall opened. Other cities like Victoria and Vancouver had started fixing up their old areas, and it was working well.

To save downtown Nelson, especially Baker Street, the city decided to do the same. They removed the modern coverings and brought the buildings back to their original look. A local designer, Bob Inwood, helped a lot with this project. By 1985, Baker Street looked completely different and beautiful.

In 1986, the famous actor Steve Martin chose Nelson to film his movie Roxanne. He used the local fire hall and other historic places for the movie. This showed how successful the Baker Street restoration was. This change also marked a new beginning for Nelson. It started to become a city known for its arts and tourism, instead of just its natural resources. Today, walking along Baker Street is a popular activity for visitors.

Nelson's Geography and Weather

Nelson's Climate

Nelson has a climate with four clear seasons. This is called a humid continental climate. Winters are cold and snowy. Summers are warm and usually drier, but nights are cool.

People of Nelson

Population and Diversity

In 2021, Nelson had a population of 11,106 people. This was a small increase from 10,572 people in 2016. The city covers an area of about 11.93 square kilometers.

Nelson is home to people from many different backgrounds. The table below shows the main groups of people living in the city over the years.

Religious Groups in Nelson

The 2021 census showed that many people in Nelson do not have a specific religion (69.1%). However, there are also many religious groups in the city.

• Christianity (24.9%)
• Buddhism (1.4%)
• Judaism (1.1%)
• Sikhism (0.7%)
• Hinduism (0.6%)
• Islam (0.2%)
• Indigenous Spirituality (0.1%)

Nelson's Economy

Nelson's economy used to be mostly about natural resources, especially forestry (logging). This is still an important part of the jobs in the area. Nelson is also a center for the provincial government in the Kootenays. Many government offices are located here.

Tourism is becoming more and more important for the city. Many talented craftspeople live in the Nelson area. The city has shops where they can sell their unique handmade items.

Nelson also has several stores that sell natural foods. One of these, the Kootenay Country Co-op, is known as the largest independent natural food store in Canada. The Save-On-Foods store in Nelson is also a top store for organic and natural foods for that company.

The Nelson Brewing Company is a smaller brewery located in Nelson.

Arts and Culture in Nelson

Nelson is well-known as a place that loves and supports art and culture.

For many years, Nelson has offered great opportunities for art education. In 1960, the Nelson School of Fine Art opened for students after high school. Later, the Kootenay School of the Arts opened in 1991, focusing on fine crafts. In 2006, this school joined Selkirk College and was renamed Kootenay Studio Arts. Selkirk College also has a respected School of Music & Media in Nelson.

The Oxygen Art Centre is run by artists and offers classes, art shows, and special programs. The Nelson Museum, Archives & Gallery also has space for art shows and displays work by local artists.

Fun Things to Do in Nelson

In 1998, Nelson was named the "Number One Small Town Arts Community in Canada." It is home to many different kinds of artists.

The yearly Artwalk is a popular event. Local artists show their work in different places around town. Visitors can see the art and learn about how artists create their work. Artwalk happens in July, August, and September. Each month has a special opening night with music and art for everyone to enjoy.

Nelson Marketfest

The Nelson Farmers Market is held at Cottonwood Falls Park every Saturday from May to October. The Downtown Farmers Market takes place on Baker Street every Wednesday from June to September. There are also two Market Night events each summer. These are lively evening street markets in downtown Nelson. All the markets offer fresh farm produce, tasty foods, and many handmade products from local artisans.

There are two popular hiking trails nearby. The Pulpit Rock Trail is a short but challenging hike. It leads to an amazing view of the city. After Pulpit Rock, the trail continues up Elephant Mountain. This offers even more great views. If you go past Pulpit Rock, make sure you have basic wilderness gear and are careful. The path to Pulpit Rock was reopened in 2009, making it easy for everyone to enjoy.

In winter, skiing and snowboarding are the main outdoor activities. Just 30 minutes south of Nelson is the Whitewater Ski Resort. It has slopes for all skill levels, from beginners to experts. The resort also offers access to many kilometers of off-trail skiing. In 2012, Nelson and Rossland were voted the best ski places in North America by Powder magazine readers.

Mountain biking is also very popular in Nelson. There are many trails for all skill levels.

Rock climbing is a favorite summer activity. Kootenay Crag, Hall Siding, Grohman Narrows, and CIC Bluffs are popular climbing spots in the city. Other spots are in nearby Slocan City and Castlegar. In 2003, bouldering (climbing on large rocks without ropes) became very popular in Nelson.

Nelson is also close to Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park, a beautiful natural area.

On January 13, 2007, Nelson was chosen to host the annual Hockey Day in Canada TV special.

Sports in Nelson

Nelson's Infrastructure

Getting Around Nelson

The "Big Orange Bridge" carries Highway 3A over the Kootenay Lake (West Arm) just north of downtown.

Highways 3A and 6 go through Nelson. For air travel, the West Kootenay Regional Airport in Castlegar is about 43 kilometers southwest. The Trail Airport is also nearby. Nelson has its own small airport, Nelson Airport, close to downtown.

Public transportation in Nelson is provided by the West Kootenay Transit System. It has routes within the city and to nearby towns.

Nelson also has charging stations for electric vehicles. A carsharing service called Kootenay Carshare Co-operative is also available.

Nelson is served by the Kootenay Valley Railway, which carries freight. It is a part of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Nelson is the historic main office for the CPR Kootenay Division.

Education in Nelson

School District 8 Kootenay Lake runs the public schools in Nelson and the surrounding areas.

Other schools include:

• Nelson Christian Community School (K-Grade 8)
• St. Joseph's Catholic School
• école des Sentiers-alpins (a French-language school run by the Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique)

Nelson is also home to two campuses of Selkirk College. This college now includes Kootenay Studio Arts, which used to be the Kootenay School of the Arts.

Kootenay Columbia College of Integrative Health Sciences also has three campuses on Baker Street in Nelson.

Media in Nelson

Radio Stations

• CJLY-FM 93.5 (Kootenay Co-op Radio)
• CBYN-FM 98.7 (CBC Radio One)
• CHNV-FM 103.5 ("The Bridge")
• CKKC-FM 106.9 ("EZ Rock")

Local Newspapers

The Nelson Daily News was a local newspaper that started in 1902. It stopped publishing in 2010. Now, the Nelson Star is published weekly by Black Press.

Notable People from Nelson