NELSON

NELSON

Is a small city located on the west end of Kootenay Lake, 45 kilometers northeast of Castlegar and 660 kilometers east of Vancouver.

Born in 1887, it was first known as Salisbury, after Robert Cecil the 3^rd Marquess of Salisbury, who was at the time, the British Prime Minister, and then, Stanley after the former Canadian governor general, Frederick Stanley, who was also the 16^th Earl of Derby. Now named Nelson after former British Columbia-Lieutenant-Governor; Hugh Nelson, it was incorporated as a city on March 18, 1897 and used to be the largest city between Vancouver and Winnipeg and boomed during the mining days between 1897 and 1907 as an area for the surrounding mines including Silver King on Toad Mountain and was also a major terminus and transfer point for railways and lake steamships. Mining continued during the early-1920s, and agriculture became important even though, a disease ruined the orchards between 1920 and 1950.  Logging, arts and crafts, and sawmilling are the major benefactors in the economy in addition to tourism.

Nelson is also known as the “the Heritage Capital of British Columbia” with about 350 buildings that have received heritage status since 1981 including the courthouse and the city hall. Nelson even had its own Electric Tramway transit system from 1899 to 1949 when service on the Nelson Street Railway was suspended and was eventually replaced by buses. Visitors can relive this era by riding Streetcar #23, the only surviving active restored streetcar that used to run in the city from 1925-1949 and is a major seasonal attraction that runs from usually Easter Weekend to Thanksgiving (depending on weather and the season) during the summer months, where it runs 11:30 to 4:30 pm daily from Lakeside Park in the waterfront section of the city near the Nelson Bridge to Chahko Mika Mall, one of Nelson’s shopping centers.

Nelson is also home to the Nelson Leafs of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League, who play their home games at the Nelson and District Community Complex, a multi-use facility which includes not only an arena but also has an indoor swimming pool, meeting room, and fitness room.

 Nelson’s population: 9,258