Bella Coola, British Columbia
Bella Coola is a community in the Bella Coola Valley, in British Columbia, Canada. Bella Coola usually refers to the entire valley, encompassing the settlements of Bella Coola proper ("the townsite") (population approximately 600), Lower Bella Coola, Hagensborg, Saloompt, Nusatsum, Firvale and Stuie. It is also the location of the head offices of the Central Coast Regional District.
The entire Bella Coola Valley had a population of 1,919 as of the 2011 census. This was an increase of 1% from the 2006 census, when the population was 1,900.
The primary geographical structure of the community, both in terms of physical structures and population distribution, is the long, narrow Bella Coola River valley. Highway 20 (known over most of its length as the Chilcotin Highway) stretches from the Government wharf (on the Pacific Ocean) through the extent of the populated portion of the valley before climbing to the Chilcotin Plateau, and the entire population of the community lives either on this road or very near to it.
In recent years, the mountainous terrain around (and accessible from) the Bella Coola Valley has become a publicized destination for heliskiing, with a number of skiing movies filmed in the area [8] and one local company advertising access to 1,500,000 acres (6,100 km2) of terrain.
"Bella Coola" is a rendering of the Heiltsuk bḷ́xʷlá, meaning "stranger".
Bella Coola's climate is a moderate oceanic climate due to its proximity to the Pacific Ocean, but its summers are warmer than coastal places much further south due to its semi-inland position. The maritime air is made warmer by the passage of the outer islands, but is stronger in terms of winter moderation. This results in a climate that far belies its northerly latitude in North America. There is a strong drying tendency in summer, but remains above the dry-summer climates that are often referred to as cs climates (mediterranean).
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