Kaslo is a village on the west shore of Kootenay Lake in the West Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia. A member municipality of the Central Kootenay Regional District, the name derives from the adjacent Kaslo River.[3] At 2016, the population was 968,[2] and the idyllic village is regarded at the "Little Switzerland of Canada."[4]
Kaslo | |
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Village | |
Village of Kaslo[1] | |
Motto: Industry Progress Wealth | |
![]() ![]() Kaslo Kaslo (Canada) Show map of Canada | |
Coordinates: 49°54′48″N 116°54′41″W | |
Country | Canada |
Province | British Columbia |
Region | Kootenays |
Regional District | Central Kootenay |
Government | |
• Mayor | Suzan Hewat |
• Governing body | Kaslo Village Council - Molly Leathwood - Robert Lang - Kellie Knoll - Henry Van Mill |
• MP | Wayne Stetski (NDP) |
• MLA | Michelle Mungall (NDP) |
Area | |
• Land | 3.01 km2 (1.16 sq mi) |
Elevation | 591 m (1,939 ft) |
Population (2016)[2] | |
• Total | 968 |
• Density | 321.9/km2 (834/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC−08:00 (PST) |
Postal code span | V0G 1M0 |
Area code | 250 / 778 / 236 |
Highways | ![]() ![]() |
Waterway | Kootenay Lake |
Website | kaslo![]() |
Thousands of years before the arrival of European settlers on Kootenay Lake, indigenous nations made this country their home. Two nations, the Kutenai (Ktunaxa) and Lakes (Sinixt) lived a semi-nomadic existence, using their intimate knowledge of the land to follow its seasonal cycles for root harvesting, berry picking, fishing and hunting. Settlers came and used it as a sawmill site in 1889, but soon after Kaslo expanded as a result of the silver boom of the late 19th century. It retains much of the historic atmosphere from its earlier mining days. The economy is based mainly on the forestry and tourism industries, but with one of Canada's first independent 10gig fibre internet services, remote workers and tech professionals are setting up new business.
Kaslo was an important centre for shipping silver ore from mines in the area. In 1895, it became the eastern terminus for the Kaslo and Slocan Railway.
Kaslo's fortunes faded after the end of the silver rush, and the widespread collapse of mining activity following World War I, but the growth in fruit farming and logging partially offset this decline.[5]
After the 1891 townsite survey, building lots were marketed.[3] Kaslo was incorporated as a city on August 14, 1893, making it the oldest incorporated community in the Kootenays. Destroyed by the 1894 flood, the townsite was rebuilt. At the time, the population was about 3,000.[5][6]
The Kaslo Kootenian, a newspaper established in 1896,[7] existed at least into the mid 1950s.[8] The settlement was re-incorporated as a village on January 1, 1959.[6]
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Kaslo had a population of 1,049 living in 526 of its 583 total private dwellings, a change of 8.4% from its 2016 population of 968. With a land area of 3.01 km2 (1.16 sq mi), it had a population density of 348.5/km2 (902.6/sq mi) in 2021.[9]
Kaslo is home to two National Historic Sites of Canada:
In 1941, Kaslo was selected as one of many sites throughout BC for the internment of Japanese Canadians. 964 Japanese Canadians were relocated to Kaslo in 1942, before being moved to New Denver in 1946.[5]
Kaslo has been featured on the historical television series Gold Trails and Ghost Towns (season 2, episode 2). Kaslo was also featured in the 1995 film Magic in the Water, starring Mark Harmon and Joshua Jackson,[11] as well as in Tougher Than It Looks, starring Glenn Erikson in 2017.
Kaslo has a humid continental climate (Dfb) or an inland oceanic climate (Cfb) depending on the isotherm used.
Climate data for Kaslo | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 9.4 (48.9) |
15.6 (60.1) |
18.5 (65.3) |
27.8 (82.0) |
36.7 (98.1) |
34.4 (93.9) |
37.8 (100.0) |
36.5 (97.7) |
33.9 (93.0) |
23.9 (75.0) |
16.7 (62.1) |
10.6 (51.1) |
37.8 (100.0) |
Average high °C (°F) | 0.8 (33.4) |
3.2 (37.8) |
8.0 (46.4) |
13.5 (56.3) |
18.3 (64.9) |
21.6 (70.9) |
25.4 (77.7) |
25.4 (77.7) |
19.7 (67.5) |
12.0 (53.6) |
4.7 (40.5) |
0.4 (32.7) |
12.7 (54.9) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | −2.1 (28.2) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
3.4 (38.1) |
7.6 (45.7) |
12.0 (53.6) |
15.4 (59.7) |
18.5 (65.3) |
18.3 (64.9) |
13.5 (56.3) |
7.4 (45.3) |
1.7 (35.1) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
7.7 (45.9) |
Average low °C (°F) | −4.9 (23.2) |
−4.3 (24.3) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
1.7 (35.1) |
5.7 (42.3) |
9.2 (48.6) |
11.5 (52.7) |
11.2 (52.2) |
7.2 (45.0) |
2.7 (36.9) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
−4.8 (23.4) |
2.7 (36.9) |
Record low °C (°F) | −27.2 (−17.0) |
−26.1 (−15.0) |
−21.7 (−7.1) |
−12.8 (9.0) |
−6.1 (21.0) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
2.8 (37.0) |
2.2 (36.0) |
−6.1 (21.0) |
−10.6 (12.9) |
−22 (−8) |
−31.1 (−24.0) |
−31.1 (−24.0) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 105.8 (4.17) |
60.4 (2.38) |
72.9 (2.87) |
62.4 (2.46) |
60.9 (2.40) |
76.9 (3.03) |
56.0 (2.20) |
44.4 (1.75) |
56.7 (2.23) |
65.9 (2.59) |
112.8 (4.44) |
110.5 (4.35) |
885.6 (34.87) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 46.7 (1.84) |
39.3 (1.55) |
60.6 (2.39) |
60.7 (2.39) |
60.9 (2.40) |
76.9 (3.03) |
56.0 (2.20) |
44.4 (1.75) |
56.7 (2.23) |
65.6 (2.58) |
85.5 (3.37) |
44.8 (1.76) |
698.0 (27.48) |
Average snowfall cm (inches) | 59.2 (23.3) |
21.1 (8.3) |
12.3 (4.8) |
1.7 (0.7) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.3 (0.1) |
27.4 (10.8) |
65.7 (25.9) |
187.6 (73.9) |
Source: [12] |
Notable People
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