| Quesnel, British Columbia | |
|---|---|
| Motto: In Situ | |
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| Coordinates: 52°58′42.4″N 122°29′33.6″W / 52.978444°N 122.492667°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | British Columbia |
| Region | Cariboo Regional District |
| Incorporated | 1928 |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Mary Schojstrom |
| - Governing body | Quesnel City Council |
| Area | |
| - City | 35.34 km2 (13.6 sq mi) |
| - Metro | 21,765.74 km2 (8,403.8 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 474 m (1,555 ft) |
| Population (2006) | |
| - City | 9,326 |
| - Density | 263.9/km2 (683.5/sq mi) |
| - Metro | 22,449 |
| - Metro Density | 1.0/km2 (2.6/sq mi) |
| Time zone | PST (UTC−8) |
| Postal code span | V2J*** |
| Highways | Highway 97, Highway 26 |
| Waterways | Bowron Lake Fraser River, Quesnel River |
| Website | http://www.city.quesnel.bc.ca/ |
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Quesnel (pronounced /kwəˈnɛl/) is a small city that is part of the Cariboo District of British Columbia, Canada. Located nearly evenly between the cities of Prince George and Williams Lake, it is on the main route to northern British Columbia and the Yukon. It is claimed to be home to one of the world's largest gold pans (disputed by Nome, Alaska and others).
Quesnel is sister city to Shiraoi, Japan and Val-d'Or, Quebec. Quesnel hosted the 2000 British Columbia Winter Games, an annual provincial amateur sports competition. To the east of Quesnel lie Wells, Barkerville, and Bowron Lake Provincial Park, a popular canoeing destination in the Cariboo Mountains.
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History
Quesnel was originally called 'Quesnellemouth' to distinguish it from 'Quesnel Forks', 60 miles up river. In 1870 it had been shortened to Quesnelle and by 1900 it was spelled the way it is now. Quesnel is located along the gold mining trail known as the Cariboo Wagon Road and was the commercial centre of the Cariboo Gold Rush. The name ultimately derives from Jules Maurice Quesnel, who accompanied Simon Fraser on his journey to the Pacific Ocean. It also marks one end of the Alexander MacKenzie Heritage Trail. Because of its location on the Fraser River it was also an important landing for sternwheelers during 1862 until 1886 and then from 1909 until 1921. The last sternwheeler on the upper Fraser was Quesnel's own namesake craft, and home town product, the Quesnel.
Geography
- Location: 52°59′N 122°29′W / 52.983°N 122.483°W
- Elevation: 474 m (1,555.1 ft)
- Average Annual Snowfall: 177.9 cm (70.0 in)
- Average Annual Rainfall: 540.3 mm (21.3 in)
- Frost Free Days: 179
- Average Winter Temperature: −8.6 °C (16.5 °F)
- Extreme Minimum Temperature: −46.7 °C (−52.1 °F)
- Average Summer Temperature: 16.7 °C (62.1 °F)
- Extreme Maximum Temperature: 36.7 °C (98.1 °F)
- Time Zone: Pacific Standard Time
Demographics
Quesnel had a population of 9,326 people in 2006, which was a decrease of 7.1% from the 2001 census count. The median household income in 2005 for Quesnel was $54,044, which is slightly above the British Columbia provincial average of $52,709.[1]
Climate
| Weather data for Quesnel | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 13.9 (57) |
15.1 (59) |
22.3 (72) |
31 (88) |
36.5 (98) |
35.6 (96) |
36.7 (98) |
36.2 (97) |
36.1 (97) |
26.8 (80) |
17.2 (63) |
12.2 (54) |
|
| Average high °C (°F) | -4.3 (24) |
0.8 (33) |
7 (45) |
13.4 (56) |
18.3 (65) |
21.2 (70) |
24 (75) |
23.7 (75) |
18.4 (65) |
10.7 (51) |
2 (36) |
-3.1 (26) |
11 (52) |
| Average low °C (°F) | -12.8 (9) |
-9.1 (16) |
-4.8 (23) |
-1 (30) |
3.5 (38) |
7.3 (45) |
9.3 (49) |
8.6 (47) |
4.5 (40) |
0.1 (32) |
-5.2 (23) |
-10.7 (13) |
-0.9 (30) |
| Record low °C (°F) | -46.7 (-52) |
-42.2 (-44) |
-38.9 (-38) |
-20 (-4) |
-10 (14) |
-3.3 (26) |
0.6 (33) |
-2.6 (27) |
-8.9 (16) |
-28.4 (-19) |
-37.8 (-36) |
-41.1 (-42) |
|
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 48.5 (1.91) |
24.4 (0.96) |
28.9 (1.14) |
21.9 (0.86) |
40.7 (1.6) |
68.6 (2.7) |
61.6 (2.43) |
50 (1.97) |
44.8 (1.76) |
51.4 (2.02) |
49.8 (1.96) |
49.7 (1.96) |
540.3 (21.27) |
| Source: Environment Canada[2] 2009-07-11 | |||||||||||||
Administration
- Mayor: Mary Sjostrom (elected November 2008)
- Peter Couldwell
- Mike Cave
- Sushil Thapar
- Laurey Roodenburg
- Coralee Oakes
- Ron Paull
Canadian Federal Member of Parliament:
Member of British Columbia Legislative Assembly:
Festivities
Billy Barker Days is held every year on the third weekend in July. It celebrates Quesnel's heritage and the first gold miner, William Barker (for whom Barkerville is named), to strike it rich in the Quesnel area. To kick off Billy Barker Days there is an annual Crash to Pass event. There is a large fair in downtown's Lebourdais park. Throughout the weekend there are performers from all over Canada. There are contests and prizes, as well as many things for children to do, including a "Kids' Day". The food is quite popular too, with many locals who set up food booths. The Rodeo goes on all weekend, and the whole thing ends with a fireworks display on Sunday evening.
Sports
Hockey
Quesnel is home to the BCHL's Quesnel Millionaires junior A hockey team. Quesnel also has a minor hockey association.
Soccer
The Quesnel Youth Soccer Association and the Quesnel Mixed Soccer Association both serve the community. The Quesnel Strikers are Quesnel's youth rep teams.
Notable Residents
- Bob Gassoff - Late NHL player.
- Rod Dallman - former New York Islanders player.
- Tony Fiala - One time member of Canadian Olympic Team.
Neighbourhoods & nearby communities
- Quesnel View
- West Quesnel
Red Bluff Rich Bar - Dragon Lake
- Cottonwood
- Nazko
Sister cities
Quesnel has "sister city" agreements with the following cities:
References
- ^ "Quesnel, British Columbia - Detailed City Profile". http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=5941013&Geo2=PR&Code2=48&Data=Count&SearchText=Quesnel&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom=. Retrieved 2009-10-01.
- ^ Environment Canada—Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000, accessed 11 July 2009
External links
- City of Quesnel website
- North Cariboo Visitors website
- Quesnel Info website
- Quesnel Community Portal
- BritishColumbia.com - Quesnel
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