Terrace (British Columbia)
| Terrace | |||
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 View from Mount Thornhill |
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| Location in British Columbia | |||
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| State : |
 Canada
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| Province : | British Columbia | ||
| Regional District : | Kitimat stikine | ||
| Coordinates : | 54 ° 31 ′ N , 128 ° 36 ′ W | ||
| Height : | 60 m | ||
| Area : | 57.36 km² | ||
| Residents : | 11,486 (as of 2011) | ||
| Population density : | 200.2 inhabitants / km² | ||
| Time zone : | Pacific Time ( UTC − 8 ) | ||
| Postal code : | V8G | ||
| Foundation : | 1927 (incorporated) | ||
| Mayor : | David Pernarowski | ||
| Website : | www.city.terrace.bc.ca | ||
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Terrace is a place on the Skeena River in the western Canadian province of British Columbia . It is the seat of the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine and, after Prince Rupert, is the most economically important place in the sparsely populated region in the north of the province, which has been served by the Canadian National Railway and a trunk road ( Yellowhead Highway ) since the late 19th century ) is connected. After years of growth, the population fluctuates. It first fell from 12,109 in 2001 to 11,320 in 2006 and then rose again slightly to 11,486 by 2011.
The Kitselas , who belong to the Tsimshian , have lived in the region for several millennia. From the end of the 19th century, the timber industry dominated for over a century, exporting its products first across the Skeena River, then by rail and, since World War II, by road via Prince Rupert .
history
Early history
The ancestors of today's First Nations immigrated to the region more than ten millennia ago. From them emerged the Kitselas and Kitsumkalum , two of the fourteen tribes of the Tsimshian, which are today distinguished by the state , with extremely strong local stability . They named the Skeena River K'shian around 1800 , which means something like 'water from the clouds'. The river was by far the most important transport route and provided most of the food, although hunting and gathering played a certain role.
Steam ships, city foundation
The hard-to-reach region posed significant obstacles in 1866 to plans to establish a telegraph link from America through Russia to Europe. The steamboat Mumford drove with provisions and equipment to Kitsumkalum, which took three days from the estuary to Hazelton .
It wasn't until 1891 that the Caledonia , a Hudson's Bay Company ship , managed to pass Kitselas Canyon and reach Hazelton again. The Klondike gold rush led to a surge in traffic in the years from 1897. However, this phase ended in September 1912 when the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway took over the transport.
The later founder of the city, George Little, came to the Skeena in March 1905. He bought the land on which the city was built. and the station was called Littleton. As in many places, however, the government intervened to avoid confusion with other places with the same name, such as Littleton in New Brunswick . Little, who helped build the rails and build houses through a sawmill, named his town Terrace. He also bequeathed 47 acres of land to the railroad . The municipality was granted municipal self-government ( incorporated as Village Municipality ) on December 31, 1927 and since then the municipality has chosen its own representatives.
Terrace Mutiny
During the Second World War, troops were concentrated in western Canada to protect against a feared Japanese invasion. However, when Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King wanted to send conscripts overseas on November 24th ( 1944 conscription crisis ), a violent revolt, known as Terrace Mutiny , broke out by November 29th .
Wood boom and decline
In 1951 the city had 350 inhabitants. The city became one of the largest suppliers of wood, particularly through the establishment of the Canadian Cellulose Company . Every year more than 50,000 trees were felled and processed up to the turn of the millennium.
geography
location
The Hazelton Mountains are west of the city, the Kitimat Ranges , which are part of the coastal mountains, to the east. The region is of volcanic origin. Post-glacial water masses formed the terraces on both sides of the river. Terrace lies on one of these eponymous terraces.
The Skeena Valley is located in an area of the temperate rainforest, which consists mainly of giant arborvitae , hemlocks and balsam firs . The river is very rich in salmon .
climate
Terrace has a temperate climate due to the proximity of the Pacific Ocean, 60 km away, with an average annual temperature of 6.3 ° C. It is -4.3 ° C in January and 16.4 ° C in July, but it can also rise to over 30 ° C.
The amount of precipitation is 1160 mm per year, of which 204 mm falls as snow. This means that the precipitation is only about half as high as on the coast. The wettest months are October to December.
Flora and fauna
Terrace is proud to be home to what is known as the Kermode Bear or Spirit Bear, a white bear (Ursus Americanus Kermodei), a proven subspecies of the North American black bear since 1905. It adorns the city seal.
Economy and Infrastructure
economy
The median income of the residents was C $ 24,613 in 2005, which is only slightly below the average income of the entire province of British Columbia of C $ 24,867.
With an annual consumption of around 50,000 tree trunks known as cedar poles , Terrace was one of the largest suppliers of sleepers, building materials and suppliers of North American telephone and power lines, but also one of the largest forest destroyers in North America. After the construction industry purchased less wood, the economy partially switched to the production of cellulose for the paper industry. This all-dominating industry prevented the establishment of other industries and the slump was correspondingly deep when the market for wood collapsed after 2000.
2001 closed the Skeena Cellulose Inc. It was taken over by the Terrace Lumber Co. and some local investors, but could only last from August 2005 to mid-2006. The cellulose mill was demolished.
One of the largest employers is the Mills Memorial Hospital .
traffic
The railroad, which is operated by VIA Rail , plays only a minor role in passenger traffic, in contrast to road traffic and the air traffic running via the Northwest Regional Airport Terrace-Kitimat , which connects the city with Prince George, Smithers and Vancouver . The regional airport ( IATA code : YXT, ICAO code : CYXT, Transport Canada Identifier: -) is located about 6 kilometers south of the city.
Terrace is located on the northern section of the Trans-Canada Highway ( Highway 16 ), which passes the place in an east-west direction. Highway 37 also passes the city in a north-south direction . The Nisga'a Highway ( Highway 113 ), originally a logging road, is a so-called secondary highway and leads from here to Gingolx into the valley of the Nass River .
The Old Skeena Bridge , until 2002 the largest timber-planked bridge in North America, was completed in 1925, and the Skeena River Highway to Prince Rupert was opened in 1944 (153 km). In the 1970s, the New Skeena Bridge was built over Ferry Island to Thornhill.
education
The place belongs to School District 82 - Coast Mountains , since 1996 together with Kitimat. Only Caledonia Senior Secondary School offers classes for grades 11 and 12. French classes are offered for children up to grade 7 at Jack Cook School.
In 1975 the main campus of Northwest Community College was built in Terrace. The Freda Diesing School offers courses in Native American art.
media
A weekly newspaper appears in Terrace, since 1988 the Terrace Standard and the Terrace Daily.
In addition to CBC Radio One, there is a French-speaking radio station, Première Chaîne, and an Indian radio station , CFNR .
The local television broadcasts are supplied by CBC Television and SRC .
literature
- Norma Bennett: Pioneer Legacy: Chronicles of the Lower Skeena River , Dr. REM Lee Hospital Foundation 1997
Web links
- Terrace ( English, French ) In: The Canadian Encyclopedia .
- City of Terrace website
Remarks
- ↑ City website: Cityhall . Retrieved October 19, 2012 .
- ^ Terrace Community Profile. Census 2011. In: Statistics Canada . September 7, 2012, accessed October 19, 2012 .
- ^ Terrace Library, George Little Family page
- ^ Origin Notes and History. Terrace. In: GeoBC . Retrieved October 19, 2012 .
- ^ Daniel German: Press Censorship and the Terrace Mutiny: A Case Study in Second World War Information Management , in: Journal of Canadian Studies 31/4 (1996-97) 124-142.
- ↑ About Terrace , city website
- ^ Terrace Community Facts. In: BCStats . Retrieved October 19, 2012 .
- ↑ Caledonia Senior Secondary School ( Memento of the original from April 24, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .
- ^ Northwest Community College
- ↑ About Us, Terrace Standard ( Memento of the original from February 25, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Terrace Daily
