Hope, British Columbia

Hope is a district municipality with a population of 6,185 located at the confluence of the Fraser and Coquihalla rivers in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Located convert|154|km|mi|0|lk=on east of Vancouver, Hope is at the southern terminus of the Coquihalla Highway and the western terminus of the Crowsnest Highway (locally known as the Hope–Princeton), (Highways 5 and 3, respectively) where they merge with the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1). It is considered to be on the cusp of British Columbia's Lower Mainland and Interior regions.

The District of Hope was created from the Town of Hope and includes the local regions of Kawkawa Lake, Silver Creek/Flood and Lake of the Woods.

Geography

The dominant feature of Hope's geology is the Fraser River. The segment from Lytton to Hope passes through the Coast Mountains and contains the famous Fraser Canyon. At Hope, the river enters a broad flood plain extending convert|130|km|mi|0 to the coast and Vancouver.

History

The history of human settlement in the Hope area goes back at least to 9000 BCE, when the First Nations were already in the area. Explorer Simon Fraser arrived in what is now Hope in 1808, and the Hudson's Bay Company created the Fort Hope trading post in 1848.

The area was transformed by the Fraser Canyon (Cariboo) Gold Rush, beginning in 1858. The following year James Douglas laid out the Fort Hope townsite.

Late in 1859, Reverend Alexander St. David Francis Pringle arrived in Hope. On December 1 of that year he founded the first library on the B.C. mainland. Within two years, he founded Christ Church (Anglican). Today, Christ Church is the oldest church on the B.C. mainland still holding services on its original site. ["Historical Christ Church still on original site", p. 38 in "Experience Hope", 2008 visitor guide to Hope.]

Along with the rest of British Columbia, Hope became part of Canada in 1871.

Hope incorporated as a village in 1929, became a town in 1965, and was reincorporated as the District of Hope in 1992.

Demographics

(according to Statistics Canada 2006 census)
*Population: 6,185
*Growth Rate (2001-2006): 0%
*Total Private Dwellings: 2,855
*Area: 41.42 km².
*Density: 149.3 people per km².

Memorial Park and Friendship Garden

Immediately adjacent to the District Hall in Hope, is a Japanese garden called the Friendship Garden, dedicated to the Japanese-Canadians who were interned nearby at Tashme during World War II. ["Beautiful Japanese Garden", p. 26 in "Experience Hope", 2008 visitor guide to Hope.]

Hope Memorial Park, adjacent to the District Hall and Friendship Garden, is the site of a concert series on Sunday afternoons in July and August. ["Weekends come alive with music", p. 27 in "Experience Hope", 2008 visitor guide to Hope.]

Hope in film

Hope has been a popular location to shoot films. "First Blood" (1982)—the first Rambo film, starring Sylvester Stallone, Brian Dennehy, and Richard Crenna—was filmed almost entirely in and around Hope, as was "Shoot to Kill" (1988), starring Sidney Poitier, Tom Berenger and Kirstie Alley. "K2" (1992) was also filmed nearby, with the area's mountains standing in for the Himalayas."Hope's Hollywood Moments", p. 20 in "Experience Hope", 2008 visitor guide to Hope.]

"Hope Springs" (2003), starring Colin Firth and Heather Graham, was filmed in and around Hope, but set in a fictional Hope, Vermont in the United States.

Other films made in whole or in part in and around Hope have included "Fire With Fire" (1986), ")" (1994), "White Fang II" (1994), "The Pledge" (2001), "The Stick Up" (2003, starring James Spader), "Suspicious River" (2004), "Afghan Knights" (2007), and "Wind Chill" (2007).

Trivia

Hope was the setting for a story by Todd McFarlane in #8-12.

See also

*Hope Slide
*Hope_Airport_(British_Columbia)

Notes

External links

* [http://www.hope.ca/ District of Hope official site]
* [http://www.hopebc.ca/ Community Website]
* [http://www.hopestandard.com/ Local Newspaper "Hope Standard"]