Nelson is a city in British Columbia, Canada. The city serves as the seat of the Regional District of Central Kootenay. It is represented in the provincial legislature by the riding of Nelson-Creston and in the Parliament of Canada by the riding of Columbia-Kootenay-Southern Rockies.The city contains numerous heritage buildings constructed during the regional silver rush of 1886. Along with Castlegar and Trail, Nelson is one of three cities forming the commercial and population centers of the West Kootenay region.

History

Founding and early history

In 1867, gold and silver deposits were discovered in the area. Additional silver deposits were discovered at Toad Mountain in 1886, leading to rapid population growth and the town's incorporation in 1897.

To support the growing community, two railways were constructed through Nelson. The town developed into a transportation and distribution hub. Its proximity to major transportation routes also made it an important supply centre for regional mining operations.

Nelson was founded in 1888 and named in honour of Hugh Nelson, then Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia. A steamboat dock was constructed in 1892. In 1896, the newly built hydroelectric plant at Cottonwood falls began generating electricity for the city, becoming the first hydroelectric plant in British Columbia.

Early 20th century

thumb|left|Nelson, 1900

Architect Francis Rattenbury designed the granite courthouse and other civic buildings. By the 1900s, Nelson possessed several hotels, a Hudson's Bay Company store, and an electric streetcar system. Mining and forestry also contributed to the town's economy.

From 1917 to 1919, Nelson used single transferable vote (STV), a form of proportional representation, to elect its councillors. Councillors were elected in one at-large district. Each voter cast a single vote using a ranked ballot.

During the Vietnam War, many American draft evaders settled in Nelson and the surrounding area. The town took on the nickname "Resisterville." Those U.S. draft evaders organized several intentional communities in the Nelson area: Harmony's Gate, The Reds and the Blues, and New Family. As a successor to those intentional communities, the Middle Road Community commune was founded in Nelson in 1996.

Nelson's mountainous geography kept growth confined to the narrow valley bottom, except for specific hillside structures such as the local high school and the former Notre Dame University College (NDU) campus. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, when more prosperous cities were demolishing and rebuilding their downtown areas according to contemporary design trends, Nelson merchants clad their buildings in aluminum siding. In the early 1980s, Nelson faced an economic downturn when the local Kootenay Forest Products sawmill was closed. Downtown merchants had begun competing with a large regional shopping centre, the Chahko Mika Mall, on Nelson's central waterfront. At the time, larger cities such as Victoria and Vancouver were undergoing historical restorations of their oldest areas.

Geography

Climate

Nelson has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) with four distinct seasons. Winters are cold and snowy, while summers are warm and drier, with cool temperatures during the night.

| date = August 2010

| source =

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Nelson had a population of 11,198. Of its 5,314 total private dwellings, 4,948 were occupied, an increase of from the 2016 population of 10,572. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

According to the Nelson Star, Nelson's poverty rate is nearly double the provincial and national averages.

Ethnicity

{| class="wikitable collapsible sortable"

|+ Panethnic groups in the City of Nelson (2001−2021)

! rowspan="2" |Panethnic<br>group

! colspan="2" |2021

! colspan="2" |2011

! colspan="2" |2006

! colspan="2" |2001

|-

!Population (human biology)|

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

|-

| European

| 9,135

|

| 9,160

|

| 9,270

|

| 8,440

|

| 8,690

|

|-

| Indigenous

| 585

|

| 560

|

| 425

|

| 300

|

| 175

|

|-

| East Asian

| 275

|

| 210

|

| 165

|

| 165

|

| 165

|

|-

| South Asian

| 245

|

| 85

|

| 55

|

| 90

|

| 35

|

|-

| Southeast Asian

| 215

|

| 70

|

| 0

|

| 10

|

| 10

|

|-

| Latin American

| 90

|

| 60

|

| 25

|

| 30

|

| 10

|

|-

| African

| 80

|

| 60

|

| 15

|

| 30

|

| 25

|

|-

| Middle Eastern

| 10

|

| 10

|

| 0

|

| 0

|

| 35

|

|-

| Other/Multiracial

| 75

|

| 55

|

| 0

|

| 25

|

| 30

|

|-

! Total responses

! 10,725

!

! 10,255

!

! 9,980

!

! 9,085

!

! 9,165

!

|-

! Total population

! 11,106

!

! 10,572

!

! 10,230

!

! 9,258

!

! 9,298

!

|- class="sortbottom"

| colspan="15" |

|}

Religion

According to the 2021 census, religious groups in Nelson included:

  • Irreligion (7,415 persons or 69.1%)
  • Christianity (2,675 persons or 24.9%)
  • Buddhism (150 persons or 1.4%)
  • Judaism (115 persons or 1.1%)
  • Sikhism (70 persons or 0.7%)
  • Hinduism (65 persons or 0.6%)
  • Islam (20 persons or 0.2%)
  • Indigenous Spirituality (10 persons or 0.1%)

Economy

Nelson’s economy has traditionally been shaped by forestry and other extractive industries. Although these sectors play a smaller role than they once did, they remain part of the local economic base. Nelson also functions as an administrative centre for the Kootenays, with regional offices of both provincial and federal governments located in the city. Tourism has grown and contributes to the local economy.

Nelson has several retailers specializing in natural and organic foods. The Kootenay Co-op operates a year-round market and grocery store focused on natural foods, Local manufacturing includes the Nelson Brewing Company, a microbrewery based in the city.

In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, Nelson and the surrounding region were reported as centres of illegal marijuana production. In 2010, The Guardian reported that marijuana cultivation contributed to a shift in the local economy toward arts, culture, and outdoor recreation. When the NSFA expanded its program to offer a diploma, it was renamed Kootenay School of Art. It received support from the provincial government. In 1969, the school's studio training was relocated to the city's Notre Dame University campus. In 1972, direct support from the province for its programs ended. Soon thereafter, while remaining at the Notre Dame campus, the school was steered into a "trial" merger with the regional Selkirk College. Once the school was fully merged into Selkirk College, it began offering graduate internships and became affiliated with Eastern Washington University, then known as Eastern Washington State College.

When Notre Dame University closed in 1977, so did the Kootenay School of Art.

In 2025, Selkirk College decided to terminate the KSA programs at the end of June 2026. However, it was announced on April 29, 2026 that the Nelson City Council decided the KSA Victoria Street building’s new leaseholder will be the Nelson Community Land Trust, working in collaboration with "key partners and anchor tenants". Among them is the newly formed Kootenay School of the Arts Society (KSAS), a non-profit organization established to carry forward KSA’s educational programming.

Exhibitions

The former post office building at 502 Vernon Street, home to the Nelson Museum, Archives & Gallery (NMAG), provides gallery space for travelling exhibitions and for works by regional artists.

The Nelson & District Arts Council holds an annual ArtWalk event in downtown Nelson to promote the work of regional visual and performing artists. Exhibitions take place for ten weeks from July to September.

Films

thumb|Nelson Marketfest

In 1986, producer Steve Martin chose to film the feature film Roxanne primarily in Nelson, using the local fire hall as a filming location.

In 1986, the film director Bill Forsyth filmed the movie Housekeeping, starring Christine Lahti, in Nelson.

Sports

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"

|+<!-- initially sorted by date established -->

|-

! scope="col" | Club

! scope="col" | League

! scope="col" | Sport

! scope="col" | Venue

! scope="col" | Established

! scope="col" | Championships

|-

| Nelson Leafs

| KIJHL

| Ice Hockey

| Nelson Community Complex

| 1932<!-- Nelson JR. Maple Leafs franchise that evenutally rebranded into the Nelson Leafs was founded in 1932 but co-founded the KIJHL prior to the 1967/68 season -->

| 5

|-

| Kootenay Chill

| Thompson-Okanawgan Basketball League

| Basketball

| Lavelle Rojers Gym

| 2017, created by the Nelson Hoops Association

| 0 (the TOBL does not have a direct champion)

|}

Infrastructure

Transportation

thumb|right|250px|The "Big Orange Bridge" carries Highway 3A over the west arm of [[Kootenay Lake, just north of downtown Nelson.]]

Highways 3A and 6 pass through Nelson<!-- "as does the Southern Mainline of the CPR, and does an American lien still run in there? -->. Scheduled commercial airline service is available at the West Kootenay Regional Airport in Castlegar, approximately southwest of the city. Trail Airport is another nearby facility, while Nelson Airport (which does not provide scheduled service) is located several blocks from downtown. Public transit in Nelson is provided by the West Kootenay Transit System, which operates several routes within the city and to neighbouring communities.

Both Level 2 and Level 3 (DC fast-charging) electric vehicle charging stations have been installed in the city. A carsharing service is available in the town through the Kootenay Carshare Co-operative.

Nelson Pier is a lake pier designed by Matthew Stanley in Nelson. The pier was designed to symbolize the connection between the city and the lake.

Nelson is served by the freight-only Kootenay Valley Railway, an internal business unit of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Nelson is the historic headquarters of the CPR Kootenay Division, serving as the meeting point of the CPR Boundary subdivision running towards Castlegar, British Columbia, and the CPR Nelson subdivision running towards Cranbrook.

Schools include Nelson Christian Community School (NCCS), K-Gr. 8, and St. Joseph's Catholic School.

The Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique operates one French-language school: école des Sentiers-alpins.

Nelson is home to the Tenth Street and Silver King campuses of Selkirk College, which absorbed Kootenay School of the Arts as a department and was renamed Kootenay Studio Arts.

Kootenay Columbia College of Integrative Health Sciences has three campuses on Baker Street in Nelson.

Media

Radio

  • CJLY-FM 93.5 (Kootenay Co-op Radio)
  • CBYN-FM 98.7 (CBC Radio One; repeats CBTK-FM Kelowna)
  • CHNV-FM 103.5 ("The Bridge")
  • CKKC-FM 106.9 ("EZ Rock")

Print

The Nelson Daily News was a local newspaper that began publishing in 1902. In 2010, it was announced that the paper would cease publication, with the final edition published on July 16, 2010. The closure occurred shortly after Black Press acquired the Nelson Daily News, which purchased the paper from Glacier Media Inc.

Black Press prioritized the publication and circulation of the Nelson Star, which is published twice weekly, on Wednesdays and Fridays. It began publishing twice weekly in 2010. The Nelson Star now circulates to over 9,000 recipients.

Notable people

  • Greg Adams, former professional hockey player
  • Sarah Allen, actress
  • Edward Applewhaite, politician
  • Nancy Argenta, soprano singer
  • Beth, drag queen
  • Selwyn G. Blaylock, mining official
  • Robbie Bourdon, freeride mountain biker
  • Margaret Catley-Carlson, civil servant
  • Anne DeGrace, writer and illustrator
  • Alana DeLong, politician
  • Syd Desireau, professional hockey player
  • Benno Friesen, politician, professor
  • Danny Gare, former professional hockey player and coach
  • James E. Gill, geologist, engineer
  • Ona Grauer, actress
  • Robert Hampton Gray, naval officer and pilot, Victoria Cross recipient
  • John Greyson, director and writer
  • Ted Hargreaves, professional hockey player and coach
  • Lillian Hickey, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player
  • John Houston, newspaper editor and politician
  • Levi William Humphrey, politician
  • Tim Hus, country and folk singer
  • Martin Michael Johnson, bishop
  • Lionel Kearns, poet and teacher
  • Geoff Kinrade, professional hockey player
  • Laurelee Kopeck, field hockey player
  • Patrick Lane, poet
  • Mike Laughton, professional hockey player
  • Edna Malone, dancer
  • Thomas Middleditch, actor, writer
  • Kliph Nesteroff, writer
  • John Newlove, poet
  • Frederick Niven, writer
  • Bri Price, musician
  • Pat Price, professional hockey player
  • Sandy Santori, politician
  • Adham Shaikh, composer, sound designer
  • Kurt Sorge, freeride mountain biker
  • Norman Symonds, musician
  • Daniel C. Van Norman, educator, clergyman, school founder
  • Tom Velisek, snowboarder
  • Padma Viswanathan, playwright
  • Jack Wright, tennis player

See also

  • Nelson City (provincial electoral district)
  • Kootenay Central, a provincial electoral district, formerly Nelson-Creston
  • List of electoral districts in the Kootenays
  • List of francophone communities in British Columbia

Notes

References