Telkwa

Telkwa
Village
The Corporation of the Village of Telkwa[1]
Motto(s): 
Where rivers meet and friends gather.
Telkwa is located in British Columbia
Telkwa
Telkwa
Location of Telkwa in British Columbia
Telkwa is located in Canada
Telkwa
Telkwa
Telkwa (Canada)
Coordinates: 54°41′50″N 127°03′00″W / 54.69722°N 127.05000°W / 54.69722; -127.05000[2]
CountryCanada
ProvinceBritish Columbia
RegionBulkley Valley
Regional districtRegional District of Bulkley-Nechako
Incorporated1952 (1952)
Government
 • Governing bodyTelkwa Village Council
Area
 • Total
7.04 km2 (2.72 sq mi)
Elevation
520 m (1,710 ft)
Population
 (2022)
 • Total
1,460
 • Density191.9/km2 (497/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-8 (PST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
HighwayBritish Columbia Highway 16
WaterwaysBulkley River, Tyhee Lake
Websitewww.telkwa.ca

Telkwa is a village located along British Columbia Highway 16, nearly 15 kilometres (9 mi) southeast of the town of Smithers and 350 kilometres (220 mi) west of the city of Prince George, in northwest British Columbia, Canada.[2]

History

Settlement in the area began around 1904 in a townsite known as Aldermere on the hill above Telkwa. Around 1907, people began to move down the hill to be closer to water supplies and the anticipated route of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. The name Telkwa is possibly an Indigenous term for "meeting of the waters" which appropriately describes the confluence of the Bulkley and Telkwa Rivers in town.[3]

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Telkwa had a population of 1,474 living in 562 of its 584 total private dwellings, a change of 11.1% from its 2016 population of 1,327. With a land area of 7.04 km2 (2.72 sq mi), it had a population density of 209.4/km2 (542.3/sq mi) in 2021.[4]

Religion

According to the 2021 census, religious groups in Telkwa included:[5]

Attractions

The history of the town can be explored at the Telkwa Museum and on a tour of the historic former town site of Aldermere. Telkwa hosts an annual barbecue and demolition derby on Labour Day weekend. The town also has Eddy Park, at the riverside, with a small gazebo right off the highway to sit and have a picnic and watch the Bulkley River go by.

There are four trails: the 8 km Hunter Basin Road, the 12.5 km Winfield Creek Road Trail, the 10.5 km McDowell Lake Trail, and the 51 km Telkwa Pass Trail.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Via Rail's Jasper – Prince Rupert train calls at the Telkwa railway station several times per week.

References

  1. ^ "British Columbia Regional Districts, Municipalities, Corporate Name, Date of Incorporation and Postal Address" (XLS). British Columbia Ministry of Communities, Sport and Cultural Development. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  2. ^ a b "Telkwa". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2012-10-24.
  3. ^ "Telkwa History". Village of Telkwa. Archived from the original on 2009-11-03. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
  4. ^ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), British Columbia". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  5. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2022-10-26). "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2023-03-12.