North Cowichan
North Cowichan is a district municipality established in 1873 on Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. The municipality is part of the Cowichan Valley [Regional District, British Columbia|Cowichan Valley Regional District]. North Cowichan is noted for a landscape including forests, beaches, rivers, and lakes. The municipality encompasses the communities of Chemainus; Westholme; Crofton; Maple Bay; and "North Cowichan". The latter is an adjacent to City of Duncan and extending North to the Chemainus River and to Crofton.
Geography
Located on the east coast of southern Vancouver Island, North Cowichan is centrally located immediately north of and adjacent to the city of Duncan and south of Ladysmith. Spanning 193.98 square kilometres, North Cowichan is the largest incorporated municipality by land area on Vancouver Island, and includes the communities of Chemainus, Crofton, Westholme, Maple Bay and North Cowichan.Geology
The last glacial period, the Fraser Glaciation occurred between 29,000 and 15,000 years ago. The glaciers that formed carved out the Cowichan Valley and left behind glaciers up to 30 metres thick. These fertile lands and mild climate have led to a history rich in agriculture.Climate
Sheltered by the mountains of the central Island and the Olympic Peninsula, North Cowichan has a temperate, Mediterranean-like climate, with mild, damp winters with little snowfall and warm, dry summers. North Cowichan is classified as a warm-summer mediterranean climate Csb by the Köppen system.Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, North Cowichan had a population of 31,990 living in 13,741 of its 14,266 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 29,696. With a land area of, it had a population density of in 2021.The median family income in 2006 for North Cowichan was $62,125, which is below the British Columbia provincial average of $65,787.
Ethnicity
- Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses.
Religion
According to the 2021 census, religious groups in North Cowichan included:- Irreligion
- Christianity
- Sikhism
- Islam
- Hinduism
- Buddhism
- Mythologies of the [indigenous peoples of the Americas|Indigenous Spirituality]
- Judaism
Communities
- Chemainus
- Crofton
- Maple Bay
- South End
Transportation
North Cowichan is serviced by the Maple Bay Airport (YAQ), which offers services to Downtown Vancouver, Vancouver Airport, Ganges on Salt Spring Island and Bedwell Harbour on Pender Island. Service is provided by Saltspring Air and Harbour Air.The British Columbia Highway 1 traverses the municipality as a four-lane arterial divided highway with signals at major intersections. The speed limit varies between 80 and 90 km/h in the rural areas, lowering to 60 then 50 km/h in the denser urban area near Duncan.
British Columbia Highway 18 connects North Cowichan to Lake Cowichan as a 2-lane facility with a speed limit as high as 100 km/h.
Bus service in the municipality is provided by the Cowichan Valley Regional District with service connecting the North Cowichan communities of Chemainus and Crofton with the south end and Duncan.
North Cowichan is also serviced by the Nanaimo Regional Transit System with daily service through North Cowichan between Nanaimo and Duncan. The NCX 70 service has a stop at the Cowichan Commons shopping centre in North Cowichan.
North Cowichan has embraced roundabouts at many intersections on its network of municipal roads. As of 2021 North Cowichan has 14 roundabouts.
Economy
The original economic drivers steamed from the abundance of natural resources, including the fur trade, fishing, mining, and the forest industry. Today, the forest industry, retail, construction, manufacturing, and health care are large contributors to the local economy.Education
North Cowichan lies within the School District 79 Cowichan Valley. There are many elementary schools, and two secondary schools.North Cowichan is served by one public post secondary educational institution, Vancouver Island University.