| Town of Gibsons | |
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| — Town — | |
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Town of Gibsons
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | British Columbia |
| Region | Sunshine Coast |
| Regional district | Sunshine Coast |
| Founded | 1886 |
| Incorporated | 1929 |
| Government | |
| • Governing body | Gibsons Town Council |
| • Mayor | Wayne Rowe |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4.32 km2 (1.7 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 10 m (33 ft) |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Total | 4,182 |
| Time zone | PST (UTC-8) |
| Gibsons Way / Highway 101 | 101 |
| Waterways | Howe Sound |
| Website | Town of Gibsons |
Gibsons is a coastal community of 4,200 located in southwestern British Columbia, Canada on the Strait of Georgia. It is the main marine gateway to the Sunshine Coast.
Although Gibsons is on the British Columbia mainland, it is not accessible by road. Vehicle access is by BC Ferries from Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver, a 40 minute crossing. The town is also accessible by water, by float plane to the harbour, or by small aircraft to Sechelt Airport, approx. 20 km northwest of Gibsons.[1] Gibsons is best known in Canada as the setting of the popular and long running CBC Television series The Beachcombers, which aired from 1972 to 1990. The storefront "Mollys Reach", now a cafe, the restored tug Persephone and a display about the series at the Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives are popular Gibsons attractions. Other movies that have used Gibsons as a filming location include Charlie St. Cloud (2010), starring Kim Basinger and Zac Efron (as a stand-in for Marblehead, Massachusetts), and Needful Things (1993), starring Max von Sydow and Ed Harris.[2]
In February 2005, Gibsons won the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting contest, coming first in the world.[3]
In October 2009, the town was declared the "Most Liveable Community in the World" (under 20,000 population) at the international Livcom Awards.[4] Endorsed by the United Nations Environment Programme, the LivCom competition focuses on Best Practices for management of the local environment.[5]
In 2009 Gibsons also won an Energy & Climate Action Award for Community Planning and Development, awarded by the Community Energy Association. [1] A major factor in this award was a new housing development, which will be heated by the first publicly owned geoexchange system in Canada.[6][7]
The Sunshine Coast has seen a three-decades transition from a forestry and fishing based economy, to a more diverse economy with construction trades, business services, retail and tourism becoming prominent.[8]
Gibsons is a popular retirement destination, and also has attracted many artists and musicians, as well as professionals who commute by ferry into nearby Vancouver, or are able to work from home. Between 2001 and 2006, the population of Gibsons grew by 7.1 % (faster than the overall British Columbia growth rate of 5.3%). The median age in Gibsons in 2006 was 50.2 years; significantly higher than the Provincial median of 40.8 years.[9]
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The town was established in 1886 by George Gibson and his sons. It was incorporated in 1929 as "Gibson's Landing", and in 1947 the name was changed to "Gibsons" at the request of the residents. The town is now split between the seaside area known as "Lower Gibsons", which is mostly residential but also includes Molly's Reach, which achieved fame in The Beachcombers, as well as shops and restaurants catering mostly to vacationers, and "Upper Gibsons", which is clustered along Highway 101, and which contains the commercial areas of town including Sunnycrest Mall, the town's two major supermarkets, a variety of fast food restaurants, as well as the high school. Gibsons is also the first town in British Columbia to have a styrofoam recycling facility (Gibsons Recycling Depot). This recycling depot has toured to many places advertising styrofoam recycling and has even been invited to Brazil. [10]
Notable people from Gibsons include environmentalist Paul George, evangelist Todd Bentley, major league baseball player Ryan Dempster, and Canadian politician and feminist Grace MacInnis.
Gibsons has won a number of awards:
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