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27-489: For other ridings in the Kootenay region , please see Kootenay (electoral districts) . Note: Winners in each election are in bold . The Boundary area was redistributed following the 1963 election . The new riding representing the area as of the 1966 election was Boundary-Similkameen . Elections BC Historical Returns Kootenays The Kootenays or Kootenay ( / ˈ k uː t n i / KOOT -nee )

54-537: A few light snowfalls and intermittent snow cover, whereas others receive several large snowstorms and snow cover from December to March. Precipitation is higher than many other drier Southern Interior locations, but still fairly low. The primary vegetation in the Grand Forks area is typical of the Southern BC dry belt. Sagebrush, bunchgrass, prickly pear cactus, arrowleaf balsamroot, ponderosa pine and douglas-fir dominate

81-726: A geographical region and the other a legal boundary, the Kootenay Land District , which was identical with the original federal and provincial Kootenay ridings . Once settled by miners, loggers, and rail workers, the area experienced a silver rush in the 1890s. The district now contains important tourism, outdoor activity and fruit-growing regions ( Creston Valley ) and numerous commercial centres, including Grand Forks , Kaslo , Robson , Ymir , Warfield , Montrose , Fruitvale , Salmo , Trail , Nelson , Slocan , Playmor , Winlaw , Cranbrook , Kimberley , Fernie , Castlegar , Rossland , Erickson , and Creston . The region has

108-463: A large network of outdoor activity operators, with the biggest facilities including lift, cat and heli-skiing. This includes some of the oldest resorts in North America such as Red Mountain , and largest Revelstoke Mountain . The highway that connects them all has been named the powder highway . With the emergence of fibre internet, digital nomads and technology developers are now a growing part of

135-412: A population of 4,112 living in 1,871 of its 1,969 total private dwellings, a change of 1.6% from its 2016 population of 4,049. With a land area of 10.37 km (4.00 sq mi), it had a population density of 396.5/km (1,027.0/sq mi) in 2021. According to the 2021 census , religious groups in Grand Forks included: Major industries in Grand Forks are limited and have become smaller over

162-597: Is a region of southeastern British Columbia . It takes its name from the Kootenay River , which in turn was named for the Kutenai First Nations people. The Kootenays are more or less defined by the Kootenay Land District , though some variation exists in terms of what areas are or are not a part. The strictest definition of the region is the drainage basin of the lower Kootenay River from its re-entry into Canada near Creston , through to its confluence with

189-567: Is in close proximity to the Okanagan, which is a large tourist destination. Christina Lake, which is 20 minutes east of Grand Forks, is home to many resorts and summer homes and its year round population of 1,000 increases to 6,000 during the summer. The City of Grand Forks has a seven-person elected council, with Everett Baker currently serving as mayor. The incumbent councillors are: Zak Eburne-Stoodley, Neil Krog, Christine Thompson, David Mark, Deborah Lafleur and Rod Zielinski. Provincially, Grand Forks

216-469: Is located (rather than splitting the region into "East/Central/West" subregions). That being said: It remains unclear why both Kootenay and Kootenay s are used somewhat interchangeably to describe the area. The plural form is in reference to The Kootenays , both East and West; the singular is in reference to the Kootenay Region . In practice the two terms are used interchangeably, although one indicates

243-602: Is located in the constituency of Boundary-Similkameen , where it is represented by MLA Donegal Wilson (BC Conservative Party), who defeated the NDP incumbent, Roly Russell in this year's Provincial Election, and federally it is located in the South Okanagan—West Kootenay riding and represented by MP Richard Cannings . The short-line Grand Forks Railway is based out of Grand Forks. The company owns 3.7 mi (6.0 km) of track, which connects Roxul and Interfor with

270-589: The 2021 Western North America heat wave Schools in the region are operated by School District 51 Boundary which has its main office in Grand Forks and also serves Midway , Greenwood , Beaverdell , and Rock Creek . There are two elementary ( Dr. D. A. Perley Elementary School , and John A. Hutton Elementary School ) and one secondary school ( Grand Forks Secondary School ). The District also operates an alternate learning centre in Grand Forks ( Walker Development Centre ). Selkirk College , based in Castlegar , has

297-710: The Canadian Pacific Railway 's (CP) Columbia and Western Railway , the Kettle River Valley Railway, and the Great Northern Railway (GNR). Grand Forks and Columbia amalgamated in 1903, but only after lengthy disagreements over an acceptable name. In 1907, it was the home of a local branch of the Western Federation of Miners . In 1908 and 1911, the downtown core was affected by a fire, because of wood-frame buildings and stores. Between

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324-583: The Columbia at Castlegar (illustrated by a , right) . In most interpretations, however, the region also includes: Some or all of the following areas to the north, which drain into the Columbia River, are also commonly included in the Kootenays: When the above regions are added, sometimes the region's name is morphed into Columbia-Kootenay or Kootenay-Columbia , although that terminology also includes

351-827: The Big Bend Country and Kinbasket Lake, to the north of Golden and Revelstoke, which is not generally considered part of the Kootenays, though part of the Kootenay Land District . Finally, the Boundary Country , a southern east–west corridor between the Okanagan and the Bonanza Pass and drained by the basins of the Kettle and Granby Rivers , is sometimes mentioned as being in the West Kootenay, and in other reckonings as being part of

378-620: The Boundary area usually receives slightly colder and snowier winters and slightly hotter summer temperatures, due to its location away from large lakes. Daytime highs during the summer often top 30 °C (86 °F) and surpass 40 °C (104 °F) at least once every few years. Night temperatures often fall rapidly in summer, and frost is rare but not unheard of in June or September. Winter temperatures are moderately (seldom severely) cold, but definitely mild by Canadian standards. Some years may see only

405-532: The Boundary region as a whole, were affected by flooding of the Kettle and Granby Rivers. Low-lying areas, including part of the downtown core, saw extensive damage. The Ruckle neighborhood was most affected. The federal government is expected to buy out all the homes in North Ruckle and turn the area back into a natural flood plain. In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , Grand Forks had

432-765: The Grand Forks Junction at the south end of town. It is the shortest railway in Canada. Train cars then get sent to the United States via the Kettle Falls International Railway . The city is also served by the Grand Forks Airport . Grand Forks experiences a humid continental climate ( Köppen climate classification Dfb ) with a similar climate to the Okanagan Valley to the west. However,

459-513: The Kootenays could be described as the complete Canadian portion of the Columbia Basin minus lands drained by the Okanagan River . Contingent on the above boundaries, the Kootenays are commonly split either into East and West, or East, Central and West. In general use amongst locals of the area, the "East/West" convention is more common as a descriptor of where someone is from or where a town

486-603: The Okanagan. In actuality, the settlement of the Boundary Country predates development in either of the regions it is now attached to, as is also the case with the Similkameen Country to the west of the Okanagan. In some descriptions, the Boundary Country includes Osoyoos and Oliver in the South Okanagan (rather than the other way around). The Boundary Country is (illustrated by h ) In the event of its inclusion,

513-525: The bioregion together under one magazine. It covers a range of topics including outdoor adventure, environmental issues, arts and culture, local events, and profiles of people living in the region. Grand Forks, British Columbia Grand Forks is a city in the Boundary Country of the West Kootenay region of British Columbia , Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Granby and Kettle Rivers ,

540-605: The economy. Several coworking and innovation centres have sprouted including Kootenay Lake Innovation Centre . A number of Community Radio stations exist in the region, most notably CJLY-FM in Nelson, CIDO-FM in Creston and Stoke FM in Revelstoke. These stations usually operate either as Cooperatives or as non-profit Societies . Since 2001, The Kootenay Mountain Culture has brought

567-503: The former GN route, plans to decommission the line north of Laurier, Washington by 2023. Grand Forks has been promoting industrial growth, which has been declining since the early 2000s. Over time, Grand Forks has gradually expanded in population and now has 4,049 residents within its city limits. The greater rural area, (Area D of the Regional District of Kootenay-Boundary), has another ~3,500 residents. In May 2018 Grand Forks, and

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594-578: The latter being a tributary of the Columbia River . The city is just north of the Canada–United States border , approximately 500 km (310 mi) from Vancouver and 200 km (120 mi) from Kelowna and 23 km (14 mi) west of the resort area of Christina Lake by road. In 1894, a new settlement at the North Fork bridge, where the rivers join, was called Grand Forks. However,

621-466: The past decade with the loss of major industries, such as Pope & Talbot , the industries in Grand Forks are logging , agriculture , rock wool manufacturing, fabrication (metal) and tourism . The city is close to the site of the former Phoenix copper mine , which closed in 1935. The slag piles on the Granby River just outside town are remnants of a large copper smelting operation. The slag from

648-450: The piles at the north end of town is owned by Pacific Abrasives, who sells it to the US Navy and ships it by rail to San Diego , California, to use for sandblasting ships. The sawmill in Grand Forks is operated by Interfor (formerly Pope and Talbot) and ships forest products into the United States via rail. Tourism has declined in Grand Forks due to a lack of tourist attractions. However, it

675-477: The valley bottom and south facing slopes. More mountainous species such as bearberry, lodgepole pine, western larch, Engelmann spruce, western red cedar and black cottonwood can be found along the Kettle and Granby Rivers and on north facing slopes. Though an official weather station no longer exists in Grand Forks, unconfirmed reports suggest the highest temperature ever recorded was in excess of 45 °C (113 °F), possibly as high as 48, on 29 June 2021, during

702-430: The valley, dominated by copper mining, was called Grand Prairie, and early settlers equally used that name for the town. The city was laid out in 1895 and Grand Forks was established as a city on 15 April 1897. The adjacent City of Columbia was incorporated on 4 May 1899. By 1902, Grand Forks had three railways, lumber mills, a smelter, mines, a post office, a school and a hospital. The railways servicing Grand Forks were

729-553: The years of 1909 and 1913, a group of pacifist Russian immigrants known as Doukhobors settled in the area because of the fertile farm land. Today, many residents of Grand Forks are descendants of the Doukhobors. In 1991, CP decommissioned their railway line through Grand Forks, and the former right-of-way became part of the Trans Canada Trail . The Kettle Falls International Railway , the only remaining operator, which services

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