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24-452: Activities in the park include hiking, rock climbing, and camping. There are views from the park across Howe Sound and of Mount Garibaldi to the north. In 2009, the park received upgrades as part of the Sea to Sky Highway Improvement Project, which gave it a new signature pedestrian bridge with an unusual form that uses two blue, splayed arches and a curved concrete deck. It is located to the south of

48-616: A change of 22.2% from its 2016 population of 19,497. With a land area of 104.71 km (40.43 sq mi), it had a population density of 227.5/km (589.2/sq mi) in 2021. According to the 2021 census , religious groups in Squamish included: Squamish has an oceanic climate ( Cfb ) with warm summers and moderately cold winters. Squamish is one of the wettest inhabited locations in Canada, with over 2,200 millimetres (87 in) of rainfall per year, often falling in long stretches through

72-577: A collection of books, CDs, DVDs, and magazines. It has an art for loan collection and an online historical archive of various photographs, periodicals, and other items. Nearby museums include the Britannia Mine Museum and the West Coast Railway Association . In 1998, Squamish was briefly the home of the world's first unionized McDonald's franchise, although the union was decertified by the summer of 1999. From 2010 until 2016,

96-454: Is Canada's first private, non-profit, secular university, though only has an enrolment of less than 5000 students. Squamish is home to a variety of faiths. There are eleven churches and religious organizations, including several Christian denominations, as well as the Baháʼí Faith , and a Sikh temple. The Squamish Public Library is located in the downtown area, on Second Avenue. It houses

120-622: Is a community and a district municipality in the Canadian province of British Columbia , located at the north end of Howe Sound on the Sea to Sky Highway . The population of the Squamish census agglomeration , which includes First Nation reserves of the Squamish Nation although they are not governed by the municipality, is 24,232. Indigenous Squamish people have lived in the area for thousands of years. The town of Squamish had its beginning during

144-621: Is also a popular destination among Greater Vancouver hikers, mountaineers and backcountry skiers , who visit the large provincial parks in the surrounding Coast Mountains . The current mayor of Squamish is Armand Hurford, who won the 2022 election, after having served as a council member. Previous mayors have included Karen Elliot (2018-2022) Patricia Heintzman (2014-2018); Rob Kirkham (2011-2014); Greg Gardner (2008-2011); Ian Sutherland (2002–2008) among others. Current council members are Lauren Greenlaw, Eric Andersen, John French, Andrew Hamilton, Chris Pettingill, and Jenna Stoner. The municipality

168-687: Is part of the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District . On the provincial level, Squamish is in the West Vancouver-Sea to Sky electoral district. The current MLA is Jeremy Valeriote (BC Green Party). He was elected in the 2024 provincial election after running and loosing to Jordan Sturdy ( BC Liberal Party ) in the 2020 provincial election by 41 votes. Federally, Squamish is a part of the West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country electoral district. It

192-665: Is represented by Patrick Weiler of the Liberal Party of Canada , who took office after the 2019 Canadian federal election . Squamish has five English language public elementary schools: Brackendale Elementary, Garibaldi Highlands Elementary, Mamquam Elementary, Squamish Elementary, and Valleycliffe Elementary. Under the Sea to Sky Learning Connections, the public schools district also manages Sea to Sky Online, Sea to Sky Alternative, Cultural Journeys, and Learning Expeditions. The Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique operates one Francophone primary school in that city:

216-640: Is the name of an old village that was located on the Cheakamus River . St’á7mes is a community located near the south entrance to the town of Squamish, which lies below the Stawamus Chief , which gets its name from that village. Mámx̱wem is where the Mamquam River name comes from as well. Squamish territory comprises 6,732 km², though lands controlled by the Squamish Nation band government are relatively scarce, and on Indian reserves only, though

240-729: The école Les Aiglons . There are two public secondary schools – Howe Sound Secondary School and Don Ross Middle School – as well as the board office for School District 48 Howe Sound . Squamish hosts three private schools: Squamish Montessori Elementary School , Cedar Valley Waldorf School , and Coast Mountain Academy for grades seven through 12. Coast Mountain Academy is located in the campus of Quest University. Capilano University offers post-secondary education through its Squamish campus, including diploma programs and university transfer courses. Quest University , which opened in September 2007,

264-585: The Squamish Nation must be, like other native governments, consulted on developments within their people's territory. Residents of Indian Reserves are not governed by the District of Squamish but by the Squamish Nation. The Squamish Nation's population and Indian Reserves also include villages in North Vancouver and a number of other reserves at Gibsons and elsewhere in the general region. The name Keh Kait

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288-640: The Stawamus Chief Protected Area. The gondola had increased visitation to the park until its line was cut twice, in 2019 and 2020. A previous proposal to put a gondola on the Stawamus Chief itself was unsuccessful. This British Columbia protected areas related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Squamish, British Columbia Squamish ( IPA: [skwɔːmɪʃ] ; Squamish : Sḵwx̱wú7mesh , IPA: [ˈsqʷχʷuː.ʔməʃ] ; 2021 census population 23,819)

312-486: The areas surrounding the tributaries entering Howe Sound, Burrard Inlet, and English Bay. The word Squamish derives from the name of the people which in their language is Sḵwx̱wú7mesh . The people reside primarily on a number of Indian Reserves owned and managed by the Squamish Nation in the Squamish Valley area. A few places and names in the Squamish area derive from Squamish language words and names. Ch’iyáḵmesh

336-567: The back to access the three peaks that make up the massif, all giving views of Howe Sound and the surrounding Coast Mountains. In all, between Shannon Falls , Murrin Park , The Malamute, and the Smoke Bluffs, there are over 1500 rock-climbing routes in the Squamish area (and another 300 or so climbs north of Squamish on the road to Whistler). In recent years, Squamish has also become a major destination for bouldering , with over 2500 problems described in

360-581: The campus of Quest University . "The Double" is an award offered annually to the participant with the fastest combined time for both the Test of Metal and Arc'teryx Squamish 50. Other tourist attractions in Squamish include Shannon Falls waterfall; river-rafting on the Elaho and Squamish rivers; snowmobiling on nearby Brohm Ridge; and bald eagle viewing in the community of Brackendale , which has one of North America's largest populations of bald eagles. Squamish

384-533: The construction of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway in the 1910s. It was the first southern terminus of that railway (now a part of CN ). The town remains important in the operations of the line and also the port. Forestry has traditionally been the main industry in the area, and the town's largest employer was the pulp mill operated by Western Forest Products . However, Western's operations in Squamish permanently ceased on January 26, 2006. Before

408-521: The local guidebook. Kiteboarding and windsurfing are popular water sports in Squamish during the summer. Predictable wind on warm sunny days makes the Squamish Spit a top kiteboarding location in western Canada. Squamish's extensive quality trail system is a key feature of an annual 50-mile ultra trail run, the Squamish 50. Solo runners and relay teams run on many of the same trails as the Test of Metal, and pass through Alice Lake Provincial Park and

432-748: The municipality hosted the Squamish Valley Music Festival . Usually taking place in August, the event has hosted artists such as Eminem , Bruno Mars , Macklemore , and Arcade Fire . Squamish has been a filming location for a number of media works and is a very popular place to film movies and TV shows. Examples include the films Free Willy 3: The Rescue (1997), Insomnia (2002), Before I Fall (2015), Walking Tall (2004), Chaos Theory (2008), The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (2011), The 12 Disasters of Christmas (2012), Star Trek Beyond (2016), Woody Woodpecker (2018),

456-414: The pulp mill, the town's largest employer had been International Forest Products ( Interfor ) with its sawmill and logging operation, but it closed a few years prior to the pulp mill's closing. In recent years, Squamish has become popular with Vancouver and Whistler residents escaping the increased cost of living in those places, both less than one hour away by highway. Tourism is increasingly important in

480-578: The television series Men in Trees , The Guard , A&E's U.S. adaptation of The Returned , the Hallmark Channel 's Aurora Teagarden mysteries, and Netflix's Lost in Space reboot. Sneaky Sasquatch , an Apple Arcade game, is also based there. In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , Squamish had a population of 23,819 living in 9,191 of its 9,906 total private dwellings,

504-432: The town of Squamish , on the Sea to Sky Highway at the top NE corner of Howe Sound . In 2012, the B.C. government removed 2.36 hectares of land from Stawamus Chief Provincial Park through legislation, a move that garnered much public debate. This was done to enable construction of the privately operated Sea to Sky Gondola , which opened for business in 2014. The government re-designated the 20-metre-wide gondola corridor

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528-408: The town's economy, with an emphasis on outdoor recreation. The Squamish people are an indigenous people whose homeland includes the present day area of Squamish, British Columbia. Oral stories and archaeological evidence show that they have lived there for thousands of years. They have inhabited an area of southwestern British Columbia that includes North and West Vancouver, Howe Sound, Whistler,

552-705: The winter. Carbon Engineering , a company focusing on the commercialization of direct air capture technology, is headquartered in Squamish. A $ 5.1 billion electric liquefied natural gas export facility is being built in the area. Public transportation is provided by the Squamish Transit System ; this service is free over the summer to students at school age (elementary and secondary). Regional flights are operated from Squamish Airport (YSE) with daily bus service to Vancouver International Airport (YVR) provided by YVR Skylynx for international departures. Neighbourhoods of Squamish include: Squamish has

576-464: Was the traditional name for the site of downtown Squamish. Squamish is known for mountain biking , hiking , climbing , kiteboarding , and more. Attractions include the Stawamus Chief , a huge cliff-faced granite massif favoured by rock climbers. As well as over 300 climbing routes on the Chief proper, a majority of which require traditional climbing protection , there are steep hiking trails around

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