Salmon Arm, British Columbia

Infobox City
official_name = Salmon Arm, British Columbia
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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = Canada flagicon|Canada
subdivision_type1 = Province
subdivision_name1 = British Columbia
subdivision_type2 = Regional District
subdivision_name2 = Columbia-Shuswap
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leader_title = Mayor
leader_name =Marty Bootsma
leader_title1 =Governing Body
leader_name1 =Salmon Arm City Council
leader_title2 =MP
leader_name2 =Colin Mayes, Conservative Party
leader_title3 =MLA
leader_name3 =George Abbott
established_title = Established
established_date =1905
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area_total_km2 = 155.38
area_total_sq_mi = 60.0
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population_as_of = 2006
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population_total = 16205
population_density_km2 = 102.2
population_density_sq_mi = 264.7
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timezone = Pacific Standard (PST)
utc_offset = -8
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latd=50 |latm=42 |lats=8 |latNS=N
longd=119 |longm=16 |longs=20 |longEW=W
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area_code =250
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Salmon Arm is a city in the interior of the Canadian province of British Columbia that has a population of 16,205 (2006). It is on the shores of Shuswap Lake, where the Salmon River empties into the Salmon Arm reach of the Lake. It is a tourist town in the summer, with many beaches, as well as camping facilities and house boat rentals. Salmon Arm is home to the longest wooden wharf in North America.Fact|date=July 2008 It is the seat of the Columbia-Shuswap Regional District. Salmon Arm became a city on May 15 2005, its 100th birthday of incorporation. Directly north of the city, across Shuswap lake, lies Mt. Bastion. A photograph of Mt. Bastion serves as the background for the driver's license of BC.

Economy

The largest employer in the Salmon Arm area is the forest industry and related businesses. The city benefits from close access to the Canadian Pacific railway.

Tourism is also important to Salmon Arm, bringing many tourists from Vancouver and Calgary. Most tourists arrive during the summer season, either stopping en route to other holiday destinations, or to visit the Shuswap Lake. Salmon Arm has several brand hotels, campsites and houseboat rental outlets.

Relative to its size, Salmon Arm has a wide variety of restaurants and cultural attractions. Public beaches at Sunnybrae and Canoe are often crowded during the summer. The Salmon Arm Roots and Blues festival, in August, attracted over 20,000 visitors in 2007.

Educational facilities

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

The annual Shuswap International Writers' Festival and Roots and Blues Festival are held here.

Public schools are part of School District 83 North Okanagan-Shuswap which has its main office in Salmon Arm.

Cultural Activities

During the month of August, the annual Salmon Arm Roots and Blues festival draws large crowds of tourists with acts such as Xavier Rudd, The Pointer Sisters, and Feist.

The RJ Haney Heritage Park & Museum is Salmon Arm's main museum, and celebrates the history of the region.

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 Salmon Arm Silverbacks hockey team, in the BCHL, plays at Sunwave Center. Named for the late Edward R. Sunwave.

Relative to its population, Salmon Arm has a lot of internationally well known artists including (but not limited to) Craig Pulsifer (Photographer), Fred Bird (Photographer), John H. Burrows (Visual Artist), Terry Greenhough (Visual Artist), Tracey Kutschker (Visual Artist), Linda Franklin (Visual Artist), Eric Kutschker (Visual Artist), Joyce Dorey (Visual Artist), Frieda Martin (Visual Artist), Justin Maas (Visual Artist) and Otto Pfannschmidt (Visual Artist) - among many others.

Transportation

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 though 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 Vernon was available by Northern Hawk Air until it ceased operations.

Salmon Arm is well 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. [ [http://www.bctransit.com/regions/shu/?p=ft.dd.lst Shuswap Transit System ] ]

Wildfire Damage 1998

In 1998, an area of 13,500 acres (34 km²) immediately South West 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 Mt. Ida. They raced down both sides of the valley, threatening many homes. An emergency evacuation was executed as the fire got 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 Salmon Armenian backyards were singed and barn paint was peeled.

About 40 homes and barns were destroyed during the firestorm.

ister city

Salmon Arm's sister city is Inashiki, Ibaraki, Japan (Formerly Azuma, Ibaraki, Japan, until its recent amalgamation into Inashiki). There is a pavilion near McGuire Lake in honour of the friendship between Japan and Salmon Arm.

External links

* [http://www.salmonarm.ca/ City of Salmon Arm]
* [http://www.salmonarm.myerock.com/ EZ Rock: Soft Rock & Local News]
* [http://www.shuswap.bc.ca/ Shuswap Tourism]
* [http://www.lakeshorenews.bc.ca/ Lakeshore News]
* [http://www.saobserver.net/ Salmon Arm Observer]
* [http://www.salmonarmmuseum.org/ Salmon Arm Museum ( R.J. Haney Heritage Park & Museum) ]
* [http://www.sasilverbacks.com/ Salmon Arm Silverbacks BCHL Hockey Team ]

References