Powell River, British Columbia
| Powell River | |
|---|---|
| City | |
| City of Powell River | |
Powell River Mill and townsite area of Powell River. The river itself runs from Powell Lake (background) to the mill.
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 Powell River
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| Coordinates: 49°50′07″N 124°31′29″W / 49.83528°N 124.52472°WCoordinates: 49°50′07″N 124°31′29″W / 49.83528°N 124.52472°W | |
| Country |
 Canada
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| Province |
 British Columbia
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| Region | Sunshine Coast |
| Regional District | Powell River |
| Established | 1912 |
| Incorporated | 1955 |
| Reincorporated as a City | 2005 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | David Formosa |
| • City Council |
List of Councillors
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| Area | |
| • City | 28.91 km2 (11.16 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 800.72 km2 (309.16 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 50 m (164 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • City | 13,165 |
| • Density | 455.3/km2 (1,179/sq mi) |
| • Metro | 16,689 |
| • Metro density | 20.8/km2 (54/sq mi) |
| District pop = 19,906 | |
| Time zone | Pacific Standard (PST) (UTC-8) |
| Postal Code | V8A |
| Area code(s) | 604 |
| Website | www |
Powell River is a city on the northern Sunshine Coast of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Most of its population lives near the eastern shores of Salish Sea, which is part of the larger Georgia Strait between Vancouver Island and the Mainland. With two intervening long, steep sided fjords inhibiting the construction of a contiguous road connection with Vancouver to the south, geographical surroundings explain Powell River's remoteness as a community, despite a relative proximity to Vancouver and other populous areas of the BC Coast. The city is the location of the head office of the Powell River Regional District.
Prior to the establishment of European settlement in the area, the area was inhabited by Coast Salish peoples, and was used as a landing spot for gold prospectors coming from Vancouver Island who were treading their way to the Fraser River to find quick fortune prior to the creation of the Cariboo Road.
The Powell River was named for Israel Wood Powell, who was at that time superintendent of Indian Affairs for BC. He was travelling up the coast of BC in the 1880s and the river and lake were named after him.
The pulp mill was started in 1908, with a corresponding townsite company town commenced in 1910: the first roll of paper was produced at Powell River Mill in 1912. Similarly, large logging companies had earlier moved in to take advantage of the huge timber. Brooks, Scanlon & Obrien; Bloedel, Stewart and Welch; and Theodosia Logging were but a few logging companies, with the Brooks brothers and M.J. Scanlon forming the Powell River Company, western Canada's first pulp and paper mill. The Historic Townsite was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1995, recognizing the exceptionally well preserved early 20th Century planned community, rooted firmly in the Garden City Design Movement and the Arts and Crafts philosophy.
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