| elevation_footnotes = <!--for references: use tags-->
| elevation_m = 24
| elevation_ft =
| postal_code_type = Forward sortation area
| postal_code = V9H, V9W
| area_codes = 236, 250, 672, 778
| blank_name = Highways
| blank_info = Highway 19<br/>Highway 19A
| blank1_name = Waterways
| blank1_info = Discovery Passage, Strait of Georgia
| website =
| footnotes =
Campbell River is a city in the Strathcona District of British Columbia, Canada, on the east coast of Vancouver Island at the south end of Discovery Passage, which lies along the 50th parallel north along the important Inside Passage shipping route. Campbell River has a population (2021 census) of 35,138 Likewise, the name of HMS Discoverys First Lieutenant Zachary Mudge is preserved in the nearby Cape Mudge.
Sport fishermen travelled to the area as early as the 1880s, especially after the tales from anglers such as Sir Richard Musgrave<!--references say he was a British journalist who caught a big salmon in 1896--> and Sir John Rogers. The formation of the Campbell River Tyee Club in 1924, over concern regarding over-fishing of the salmon stocks, served to popularize the area among fishermen. E.P. Painter, for instance, moved to Campbell River the following year and opened his Painter's Lodge in 1929. Painter's Lodge attracted clientèle from Hollywood and regular patrons included Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. Commercial fishing was a large industry for many years. The town's magistrate Roderick Haig-Brown purchased a fishing cabin on Campbell River and wrote a number of books on fly fishing for both sport fishermen and conservationists.
Industrial logging took off in the 1920s with Merrill Ring and Company, Bloedel, Stewart and Welch and Comox Logging. A large forest fire started near Buttle Lake and burned much of the valley in 1938. Rock Bay, Menzies Bay, and Englewood all were big logging camps.
After 1912, Campbell River became a supply point for northern Vancouver Island, Quadra Island, and Cortes Island. The E and N Railway was surveyed to Campbell River, yet it only reached Courtenay, south. In its original conception, it would have been the last leg of the transcontinental railway, which had been proposed to run down Bute Inlet after crossing the British Columbia Interior, connecting to Vancouver Island just north of Campbell River at Seymour Narrows. After the Second World War, Campbell River became a boomtown and industrial centre with the building of the John Hart Dam, the Elk Falls Mill, and nearby mills in Tahsis and Gold River. Logging and mining in the area prospered. There is a lead zinc mine nearby as well as coal mines, while a large copper mine operated to the north.
In recent years Campbell River, about halfway up Vancouver Island, has continued to mark the boundary between the more developed south and the wild and natural areas of the northern part of the island.
Local fish hatcheries help to maintain salmon stocks for the fishing industry.
There is uncertainty about the source of the name of the city. It is thought that the river and the city may have been named for Dr. Samuel Campbell, who was assistant surgeon aboard from 1857 to 1861.
Climate
thumb|50th parallel marker next to the Old Island Highway in [[Campbell River, British Columbia, Canada]]
Campbell River has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csb), very closely bordering on oceanic (Cfb). The most precipitation is measured in November, at on average. (October maximum)
|source 2= weatherstats.ca (for dewpoint and monthly&yearly average absolute maximum&minimum temperature)
Demographics
In the 2021 Canadian census conducted by Statistics Canada, Campbell River had a population of 35,519 living in 15,557 of its 16,194 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 33,007. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.
Ethnicity
{| class="wikitable collapsible sortable"
|+ Panethnic groups in the City of Campbell River (1986–2021)
! rowspan="2" |Panethnic<br>group
! colspan="2" |2021
! colspan="2" |2011
! colspan="2" |2006
! colspan="2" |2001
! colspan="2" |1996
! colspan="2" |1991
! colspan="2" |1986
! colspan="2" |1981
|-
|-
!Population (human biology)|
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
|-
| European
| 28,995
|
| 26,680
|
| 26,820
|
| 25,730
|
| 25,035
|
| 26,065
|
| 18,270
|
| 15,040
|
| 14,250
|
|-
| Indigenous
| 3,870
|
| 3,670
|
| 2,670
|
| 2,540
|
| 1,560
|
| 1,305
|
| 1,870
|
| 1,220
|
| 970
|
|-
| Southeast Asian
| 645
|
| 635
|
| 600
|
| 475
|
| 665
|
| 395
|
| 295
|
| 40
|
|
|
|-
| South Asian
| 535
|
| 245
|
| 120
|
| 85
|
| 500
|
| 515
|
| 280
|
| 385
|
| 475
|
|-
| East Asian
| 445
|
| 385
|
| 210
|
| 315
|
| 360
|
| 300
|
| 185
|
| 110
|
| 165
|
|-
| African
| 175
|
| 125
|
| 120
|
| 45
|
| 90
|
| 90
|
| 55
|
| 10
|
|
|
|-
| Latin American
| 120
|
| 115
|
| 95
|
| 105
|
| 30
|
| 45
|
| 65
|
| 25
|
| 15
|
|-
| Middle Eastern
| 15
|
| 45
|
| 0
|
| 10
|
| 0
|
| 0
|
| 25
|
| 30
|
| 0
|
|-
| Other
| 80
|
| 55
|
| 65
|
| 45
|
| 60
|
| 0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
! Total responses
! 34,885
!
! 31,960
!
! 30,725
!
! 29,370
!
! 28,295
!
! 28,730
!
! 21,045
!
! 16,860
!
! 15,875
!
|-
! Total population
! 35,519
!
! 32,588
!
! 31,186
!
! 29,572
!
! 28,456
!
! 28,851
!
! 21,175
!
! 16,986
!
! 15,832
!
|- class="sortbottom"
| colspan="20" |
|}
Religion
According to the 2021 census, religious groups in Campbell River included: health care, international education, mining, technology and tourism.
Politics
In the House of Commons of Canada, Campbell River is represented by the riding of North Island—Powell River with the incumbent member of Parliament for the riding being Aaron Gunn of the Conservative Party of Canada. In the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Campbell River is represented by the riding of North Island which has been represented by Anna Kindy of the Conservative Party of British Columbia since the 2024 British Columbia general election.
The mayor of Campbell River is Kermit Dahl. He was elected on 15 October 2022.
Transportation
The city is served by Campbell River Airport (YBL), Campbell River Water Aerodrome at Campbell River Harbour, a BC Ferries route to Quadra Island, and an inland island highway and an ocean side island highway which connect the community to the rest of Vancouver Island. Campbell River Transit System provides bus service to the city and neighbouring communities. Operated by Watson and Ash Transportation, the transit system is funded under a partnership between the City of Campbell River and BC Transit, the provincial agency that plans and manages municipal transit systems.
Movies filmed in Campbell River
Notable residents
- Sybil Andrews – artist
- Rod Brind'Amour – National Hockey League player (born in Ottawa but learned to play hockey in Campbell River) and current coach of the Carolina Hurricanes
- Dawn Coe-Jones – golfer, winner of three LPGA Tour tournaments
- Brett Connolly – National Hockey League player
- John Davison – cricketer (born in Campbell River but grew up in Australia)
- Krsy Fox – actress, filmmaker, and musician
- Kris Fredheim – retired professional hockey player
- Celia Haig-Brown – scholar and filmmaker
- Roderick Haig-Brown – judge, author, and conservationist
- Teal Harle – freestyle skier, placed fifth in slope style in the 2018 Winter Olympics
- Cameron Levins – long-distance runner, Olympian
- Barry Pepper – actor
- Jacqueline Pirie – (former) actress (born in Scotland, but had a drama school in Campbell River also known as Jacqueline Chadwick)
- Nicholas Thorburn – musician
- Avalon Wasteneys – rower, Olympic gold medallist
Media
- Shaw Spotlight, formerly Shaw TV, community television (formerly Campbell River TV Association)
- Campbell River Mirror newspaper
- 88.7 FM – CHVI-FM, Christian radio
- 97.3 FM – CKLR-FM, hot adult contemporary
- 99.7 FM – CIQC-FM, adult contemporary music
- 100.7 FM – CKCC-FM, country music
Sister City
Since 1983, Campbell River has been a sister or twinned city of Ishikari, Hokkaido, Japan. This twinning was based on the importance of salmon to both cities.