Queen Charlotte, British Columbia

Queen Charlotte
Village
Village of Queen Charlotte[1]

City Harbour

Location within British Columbia

Coordinates: 53°15′17″N 132°06′49″W / 53.25472°N 132.11361°W / 53.25472; -132.11361Coordinates: 53°15′17″N 132°06′49″W / 53.25472°N 132.11361°W / 53.25472; -132.11361
Country  Canada
Province  British Columbia
Region Haida Gwaii
Regional district Skeena-Queen Charlotte
Founded 1908
Incorporated 2005
Government
 • Governing body Queen Charlotte Village Council
 • Mayor Carol Kulesha
Area
 • Total 37.28 km2 (14.39 sq mi)
Elevation 20 m (70 ft)
Population (2016)[2]
 • Total 852
 • Density 23.9/km2 (62/sq mi)
Time zone PST (UTC-8)
Highways 16
Waterways Skidegate Inlet

The Village of Queen Charlotte, more commonly known by its residents as Queen Charlotte City or Charlotte, is a village municipality on Haida Gwaii (formerly Queen Charlotte Islands) in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is located on the southern end of Graham Island at Skidegate Inlet and is a member municipality of the Skeena-Queen Charlotte Regional District.

It was incorporated in 2005, having previously been represented as part of Electoral Area F of that regional district, which was coterminous with the Queen Charlotte Islands (which now comprises Electoral Areas D and E).

The town site was established when the first sawmill in the archipelago began operating in 1908. In the wake of World War I, additional work force was needed to supply allied warplanes with lumber. The town infrastructure quickly developed, offering public education, a hospital, general stores and other amenities, even a newspaper.

Mining and especially fishing were other sources of employment in Queen Charlotte when the demand for lumber again increased by the second half of the 20th century.

Today, many inhabitants are still working in these resource-based jobs but recently a shift towards more tourism-oriented employment has been observed.[3]

Queen Charlotte was incorporated in 2005 and now offers several motels, shops, restaurants, crafts and car repair shops, banks, an RCMP station and a hospital.
It is also the location of the Queen Charlotte Visitor Centre, which is open year-round. This town with its small harbour is often the starting-point for chartered tours into Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site on southern Moresby Island.

Queen Charlotte is just 4 km (2.5 mi) to Skidegate with its BC Ferries landing and connections to Prince Rupert.

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. ↑ Statistics Canada. 2016 Census.
  3. ↑ Queen Charlotte City - History Archived June 27, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
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