Chilliwack
City
City of Chilliwack
Flag Seal Logo
Nickname:  The Wack
Motto(s):  "Cor Viride Provinciae"  (Latin) "The Green Heart of the Province"
Location of Chilliwack in British Columbia Show map of British Columbia Chilliwack (Fraser Valley Regional District) Show map of Fraser Valley Regional District
Coordinates: 49°09′27.8″N 121°57′03.3″W / 49.157722°N 121.950917°W / 49.157722; -121.950917
Country	Canada
Province	British Columbia
Regional district	Fraser Valley
Settled	c. 3,000 BCE
Incorporated	1873; 151 years ago (1873)
Amalgamated	1980; 44 years ago (1980)
Government
• Mayor	Ken Popove
• Governing body	Chilliwack City Council
Area
• City	261.34 km2 (100.90 sq mi)
Elevation	10 m (30 ft)
Population  (2021)
• City	93,203
• Density	356.6/km2 (924/sq mi)
• Metro	113,767
• Metro density	78.8/km2 (204/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC−08:00 (PST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−07:00 (PDT)
Forward sortation area	V2P - V2R, V4Z
Area code(s)	604, 778, 236, 672
Highways	Hwy 1 (TCH) Hwy 9
Waterways	Chilliwack River, Vedder River, Fraser River, Hope River
Website	www.chilliwack.com

Chilliwack (/ˈtʃɪləwæk/ CHIL-ə-wak) is a city of about 100,000 people and 261 km² (100 sq mi) in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is located about 100 km (62 mi) east of the City of Vancouver in the Fraser Valley. The enumerated population is 93,203 in the city and 113,767 in the greater metropolitan area. It is the second-fastest growing metropolitan area in Canada.

The city is on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Stó꞉lō Coast Salish peoples. It is estimated that at the time of the first contact with Europeans, there were as many as 40,000 people living within Stó:lō territory.

About two-thirds of city land is protected as part of the Agricultural Land Reserve, and agriculture accounts for about 30 percent of the local economy. The city is bounded on the north side by the Fraser River, on the south side by the Vedder River and Canada–United States border, and is surrounded by tall mountain peaks, such as Mount Cheam and Slesse Mountain.

Etymology

In Halq'eméylem, the language of the Stó:lō communities around Chilliwack and Sardis, Tcil'Qe'uk means "valley of many streams".^[1] It also lends its name to the Chilliwack River, and group of aboriginal people, the Ts'elxwéyeqw (also spelt Ts'elxwíqw or Sts'elxwíqw).^[2] The spelling of Chilliwack is sometimes a matter of confusion. Prior to the amalgamation of the City of Chilliwack and the Municipality of Chilliwhack, there were two different spellings. When amalgamated, the current spelling of the city was adopted.^[3] Anglicized spellings include "Chilliwhyeuk" and other versions closer to the original Halq'eméylem.

History

The archeological record shows evidence of Stó:lō people in the Fraser Valley, or S'ólh Téméxw, 10,000 years ago. Permanent structures in the Chilliwack area date from around 5,000 years ago.^[4] It is estimated that at the time of the first contact with Europeans, there were as many as 40,000 people living within Stó:lō territory.

19th century

In the mid-nineteenth century, thousands of gold miners transited the area en route to the goldfields of the upper Fraser River. By the mid-1860s, settlers had established farms around Codville's Landing, Miller's Landing, Minto Landing, Sumas Landing, and Chilliwack Landing along the Fraser River.

On 26 April 1873, the "Corporation of the Township of Chilliwhack" (note the variant spelling) became the third municipality incorporated by the Province of British Columbia. The town centre at the time was concentrated at Chilliwack Landing along the Fraser River.^[5] Steamboats were the main mode of transportation, carrying goods and passengers between Chilliwhack and New Westminster. After the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1885, many residents began to cross the Fraser River at Minto Landing to ride the train from Harrison Mills.^[6][7]

In 1881, with little room for expansion and the threat of floods constantly looming, the town centre was moved south to "Five Corners" at the junction of the New Westminster-Yale Wagon Road, Wellington Avenue and Young Road. This subdivision was initially named "Centreville", but later was renamed "Chilliwack", as it was more commonly referred to by locals in 1887. The area would experience catastrophic flooding in 1894, 1935, 1948 and 2021.^[8][9]

On 20 April 1891, Richard Plunkett Cooke, George de Wolf, and Walter E. Graveley established the Chilliwhack Railway Company.^[10]

Early 20th century

On 20 February 1908, the area that was then known as Chilliwack, i.e., the subdivision within the greater Chilliwhack Township, was proclaimed as the City of Chilliwack by letters patent issued by the provincial government under the Chilliwack City Incorporation Act. The City of Chilliwack and the Township of Chilliwhack co-existed as separately administered municipalities until 1980.^[11]

On 4 October 1910, the British Columbia Electric Railway began operating regularly scheduled passenger service on the New Westminster–Chilliwack Interurban Line.^[12]

In 1941, Camp Chilliwack was established following Canada's entry into the Second World War in 1939. After the outbreak of the Pacific War, the camp was expanded to garrison Canadian Army units for the defence of Canada's West Coast. It continued to be used as a permanent training facility and army garrison during the Cold War. Following the unification of the Canadian Armed Forces in 1968, the base was renamed Canadian Forces Base Chilliwack (CFB Chilliwack). The base housed the following units:

• Canadian Forces Officer Candidate School
• First Combat Engineer Regiment (1CER)
• Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering
• Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry 3rd Battalion (3PPCLI)

Late 20th century

On 1 January 1980, the Township of Chilliwhack and the City of Chilliwack amalgamated to form a single municipality styled the District of Chilliwack, following the passage of referendae in both municipalities.^[13] On 16 July 1999, the District of Chilliwack, once again, was renamed the City of Chilliwack.^[14] To the present day, locals idiosyncratically use the same name to refer to the city as a whole, and to the old city centre. It is also the name of the greater metropolitan area encompassing adjacent sovereign indigenous nations, municipalities, and unincorporated areas.

In 1997, following the end of the Cold War a few years earlier, CFB Chilliwack closed. Its training facilities were converted into the Canada Education Park, a campus for multiple institutions, including the Justice Institute of British Columbia, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the University of the Fraser Valley, and the Western Area Training Centre (WATC). Today it also houses supply depots for the 39 Canadian Brigade Group of the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Army Cadets. The old quartermaster warehouse became the Canadian Military Education Centre Museum.^[15]

Geography

Chilliwack is located in the Upper Fraser Valley, 100 kilometres (60 mi) east of Vancouver on the Trans-Canada Highway. The city is bounded on the north by the Fraser River, and on the south by the Canada-United States border.

Chilliwack is surrounded by tall mountain peaks, such as Mount Cheam and Slesse Mountain, and large rivers (the Fraser and Vedder).

Geology

The Chilliwack Batholith forms much of the North Cascades in southwestern British Columbia, Canada and the U.S. state of Washington. The geological structure is primarily named after the City of Chilliwack, where it is the most notable geological feature.

The Chilliwack Batholith is part of the Pemberton Volcanic Belt and is the largest mass of exposed intrusive rock in the Cascade Volcanic Arc. The age of the Chilliwack batholith ranges from 26 to 29 million years old.

In 2013, Maclean's reported that, with an average annual temperature of 10.5 °C (50.9 °F), Chilliwack is the warmest city in Canada.^[16]

Cityscape

The city is made up of several amalgamated villages and communities. The urban core follows a north–south axis bisected by the Trans-Canada Highway. The city is bounded in the north by the Fraser River, in the east by the Eastern Hillsides, in the south by the Canada–US border, and in the west by the Vedder Canal. With 939 farms on approximately 17,322 hectares (42,800 acres) of dedicated farmland, farming remains an important part of the Chilliwack landscape.^[17]

Neighbourhoods

Neighbourhoods on the north side

Also referred to as "Chilliwack Proper Village West", the north side covers the area from the Trans-Canada Highway in the south, to the Fraser River in the north, and includes the communities of Camp River, Chilliwack Mountain, Downtown Chilliwack, East Chilliwack, Fairfield Island, Rosedale and Popkum. Downtown Chilliwack is the historical urban centre of the city. Several cultural attractions, such as the Chilliwack Coliseum, Chilliwack Cultural Centre, The Book Man and the Eagle Landing Shopping Centre are located there, as well as key government buildings, such as city hall, FVRD offices, and the Provincial Court of British Columbia.

Neighbourhoods on the south side

The south side includes the communities of Atchelitz, Cultus Lake Park, Greendale, Promontory Heights, Ryder Lake, Sardis, Vedder Crossing, Garrison Crossing and Yarrow. Sardis is the urban core of the south side and is a popular shopping destination.

Parks

• Bridal Veil Falls Provincial Park
• Cheam Wetlands Regional Park
• Chilliwack Heritage Park
• Chilliwack Lake Provincial Park
• Cultus Lake Provincial Park
• Fairfield Park
• Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve
• Gwynne Vaughn Park
• Island 22
• Salish Park
• Sardis Park
• Townsend Park

Arts and culture

Music

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Chilliwack has an active rock music scene, centering mostly around young ska and punk rock bands. Bands originating in Chilliwack include: These Kids Wear Crowns, Mystery Machine, and The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets.

Chilliwack also has a thriving classical music community, featuring the Chilliwack Symphony Orchestra and the Chilliwack Metropolitan Orchestra.

The drumline from Sardis Secondary School played at several venues during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Chilliwack also offers many other community events and classes throughout the year. The Downtown Chilliwack Business Improvement Association is hosting music in Central Park on Saturdays for the month of August 2022.

Despite their name, the band Chilliwack was actually formed, and is based, in nearby Vancouver.

Performing arts

The Chilliwack Cultural Centre is a performing arts venue located in downtown Chilliwack. The building is home to the Chilliwack Players' Guild (the resident theatre company), as well as the Chilliwack Academy of Music.

The UFV Theatre is a 206-seat thrust stage venue formerly belonging to the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) Theatre Department. Until 2017, UFV produced three or four mainstage shows each year, as well as the annual Directors' Festival, which featured student directors and performers from UFV, Capilano University, Thompson Rivers University, University of Victoria, UBC and Douglas College.^[18] As of 2021, the theatre is part of the Imagine High public high school.^[19]

The Chilliwack School of Performing Arts provides pre-professional training in acting, singing and dancing to children ages 3–18 at their downtown location. The mainstage show performs a two-week run every January at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre, and a Spring Festival featuring performances from many age groups in late May. Programs at the Chilliwack Performing Arts can be registered for at.^[20] Many different programs are available, including a Junior Musical Theatre and Summer Break Camps.

Public Art

The Chilliwack Mural Festival occurs annually. Co-founded and directed by Amber Price and Lise Oakley, their volunteer team has curated and directed the installation of over three dozen works of large scale original art in Historic Downtown Chilliwack.

Murals by Canadian Artists Emmanuel Jarus,^[21] Jason Botkin^[22] and Chris Perez^[23] can be found along with other public art via the Chilliwack Public Art Trail.

Festivals

Annual events and festivals include:

• Art of Wine Festival
• Canada Day
• Chilliwack Fair
• Chilliwack Flight Fest
• Chilliwack Independent Film Festival
• Christmas Craft Market
• Fraser Valley Culture and Craft Beer Festival
• Garlic Festival
• Lunar New Year
• Mural Festival
• Music and Dance Festival
• Party in the Park
• Pride Festival
• Sunflower Festival
• Tulip Festival
• Yarrow Days

Museums

• Chilliwack Sports Hall of Fame
• Canadian Military Education Centre^[15]
• Chilliwack Museum and Archives, located in the 1912 former Chilliwack City Hall on Spadina Avenue, is a National Historic Site of Canada.^[24] The Chilliwack Museum and Archives are a non-profit organization operated by the Chilliwack Museum and Historical Society which began in 1958 by brothers Oliver and Casey Wells.^[25]

Notable people

Academics

• Allan Brooks DSO, Ornithologist and distinguished wildlife artist
• Carin Bondar Ph.D., biologist, writer, filmmaker, speaker and television personality
• Charlotte Froese Fischer, Ph.D., mathematician and computer scientist
• Homer Thompson Ph.D., classical archeologist and excavator of the Ancient Agora of Athens
• Rita Steblin Ph.D., musicologist in Vancouver and Vienna, Austria
• Wayne Smith M.Econ, Chief Statistician of Canada

Activists

• Betty Fox, cancer research activist, mother of Terry Fox.^[26]
• Michael J. Fox OC, Actor^[27]
• Tony Clarke, activist

Athletes

• Amber Allen, former professional soccer player with the Vancouver Whitecaps.
• Dave Archibald, former professional hockey player with the Minnesota North Stars and Ottawa Senators.
• Jordyn Huitema, soccer player for Seattle Reign FC and the Canada national team
• Marc-Andre Leclerc, solo free climber
• Rick Klassen, former professional football player with the BC Lions and Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Arts and entertainment

• Bernie Herms, Grammy Award-winning artist^[28]
• Bria Skonberg, jazz musician, Juno Award winner
• Inez Jasper, musician
• Jim Vallance CM, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger and producer
• Patrick Gallagher, actor from Glee, True Blood and Night At The Museum
• Tasha Tilberg, model

Journalists

• Diana Swain, television journalist
• Jack McGaw, journalist and radio operator

Jurists

• Steven Point KC OC OBC, former Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia
• Thomas J. Crabtree KC, Supreme Court Justice
• William H. Davies KC, Supreme Court Justice (1982 - 1999) and Chair of the Davies Commission Inquiry

Military

• Piper James C. Richardson †, recipient of the Victoria Cross
• Mark Isfeld †, combat engineer and UN peacekeeper killed by a landmine

Politicians

• Barry Neufeld, former school trustee
• Barry Penner KC MLA, former Attorney General
• Chuck Strahl MP PC, former cabinet minister
• Dorothy Kostrzewa, former city councillor and first Chinese-Canadian woman elected to political office in Canada

Writers

• Allan Fotheringham, columnist
• Gayle Friesen, novelist
• W.P. Kinsella OC OBC, author of Shoeless Joe^[29]

Others

• Brian Minter CM OBC - horticulturist, author and syndicated columnist
• Keith Hunter Jesperson, serial killer
• Prest Family - One of the pioneer Chilliwack families

Media

Newspapers

• Chilliwack Progress - British Columbia's oldest community newspaper, published continuously with the same name in the same community since April 1891

Chilliwack Times published its final edition on December 28, 2016.^[30]

Radio

• FM 89.5 - CHWK-FM
• FM 91.7 - CBYF-FM
• FM 98.3 - CKSR-FM
• FM 99.9 - CBU-FM-7
• FM 102.1 - CBUF-FM-1
• FM 107.5 - CKKS-FM

Television

• Channel 11 CHAN-TV-1 Global

Sports

The British Columbia Hockey League's Chilliwack Chiefs, play at the Chilliwack Coliseum. The team used to be the Quesnel Millionaires. The franchise was purchased and moved to Chilliwack by the Chiefs Development group. They started in the BCHL's Interior Conference for the 2011/2012 BCHL Season. While the original Junior "A" team, the Chilliwack Chiefs, plays in Langley, British Columbia, as the Langley Rivermen (the Chiefs Development Group sold their interest in the Langley Chiefs but retained the 'Chiefs' name and history). The Western Hockey League's Chilliwack Bruins used to play at the Prospera Centre. The expansion franchise began to play in 2006 and ended when the team was sold at the end of the 2011 season. It became the Victoria Royals WHL hockey team in 2011.

Community sports include hockey, lacrosse, softball, soccer, football, baseball, field hockey and swimming. The Canadian Junior Football League's Chilliwack Huskers play at Exhibition Stadium.

Chilliwack Turbo Fastball club won the 1997 Canadian Jr. Men's National Championships. In 2013 the team was an inaugural induction into the Chilliwack Sports Hall of Fame.

Chilliwack's minor baseball Cougars were the 2003 Midget AAA Provincial champions as well as the 2006 Western Canadian tier 2 champions.

Sardis Flyers Are a speed skating club based out of Sardis Sports Complex

Chilliwack Hawks Field Lacrosse Are a field lacrosse team that play at Chilliwack Secondary School

Chilliwack Minor Lacrosse Mustangs Founded In 1994 but having roots since 1912 are a minor league lacrosse team that play in Sardis Sports Complex

Chilliwack Cougars College Prep Baseball Team won the Provincial Championship in 2016, 2017 and 2019. Most recent title against the Ridge Meadows Royals

Chilliwack hosted the 2007-2008 Synchronized Skating Canadian Championships at the Prospera Centre.

Chilliwack Minor Hockey Association was organized in 1958 with the opening of the Chilliwack Coliseum.^[31]

Climateedit

The climate is typical oceanic (Köppen: Cfb) but with some influence of the land mass being some distance from the sea, similar to Orléans, France (although the former has a precipitation more than twice as long and with a tendency towards the Mediterranean pattern).^[32][33][34] Chilliwack's mild climate with limited extremes provides excellent growing conditions for a wide variety of crops and agricultural products. In fact, when averaged from 1981 to 2010, Chilliwack had one of the warmest mean temperatures for any city in Canada.^[35]

The highest temperature recorded within the city of Chilliwack is 43.7 °C (110.7 °F) on June 28, 2021,^[36] which was set during the 2021 Western North America Heat wave, beating the old mark of 38.0 °C (100.4 °F) recorded on July 21, 2006.^[37] The lowest recorded temperature was −21.7 °C (−7.1 °F) on Dec 27, 1968.^[37] Precipitation falls mostly as rain, with snow limited to the surrounding mountains, except for two or three weeks per year generally in December or January when artic outflow occurs. In 2013, Maclean's wrongly reported that with an average annual temperature of 10.5 °C (50.9 °F), Chilliwack is the warmest city in Canada.^[16] The actual warmest city in Canada is Victoria, with an average annual temperature of 11.2 °C (52.2 °F).^[37] Chilliwack enjoys some of the warmest average high temperatures in Canada, with 15.5 °C (59.9 °F) being the yearly average high.

Chilliwack receives nearly the same number of days of precipitation (184.6 days at greater than 0.2 mm) as comparable local communities nearer Vancouver such as Maple Ridge (185.8 days) and the City of Mission (186.0 days) (Environment Canada Statistics). Summers in Chilliwack are usually sunny and warm, with long days (light out until well after 10 pm in June with dusk that lasts for hours) and with occasional stretches of heat where temperatures rise above 30 °C (86 °F).

Due to its location at the eastern end of the Fraser Valley, there has been some debate about preserving Chilliwack's air quality. However, the 2011 World Health Organization's study of air quality shows that Chilliwack enjoys air quality among the best in the world. For PM₁₀ (10 μm) size particulates, Canada averaged third best in the world (along with Australia) at an average of 13 micrograms per cubic metre. The City of Chilliwack and the Greater Vancouver Regional District were tied at a low 8.0 MPCM. For smaller particulate of 2.5 μm size (PM_2.5), "the City of Chilliwack averaged 4.9 micrograms per cubic metre. Vancouver also had 4.9, Calgary had 5.6, Winnipeg had 5.6, Toronto had 7.9, Montreal had 11.2 and Sarnia had 12.7."