| North Cowichan | |
| Official Name: | The Corporation of the District of North Cowichan[1] |
| Settlement Type: | District municipality |
| Motto: | No Steps Backwards |
| Pushpin Map: | Vancouver Island#Canada British Columbia |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of North Cowichan in British Columbia |
| Coordinates: | 48.8236°N -123.7192°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Canada |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Type2: | Regional District |
| Subdivision Name1: | British Columbia |
| Subdivision Name2: | CVRD |
| Established Title: | Incorporated |
| Established Date: | 1873 |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Rob Douglas |
| Leader Title1: | Governing body |
| Leader Name1: | North Cowichan Council |
| Area Total Km2: | 195.54 |
| Population Total: | 31,990 |
| Population As Of: | 2021 |
| Population Density Km2: | 163.7 |
| Area Code: | +1-250 |
| Leader Title2: | MPs |
| Leader Name2: | Alistair MacGregor |
| Leader Title3: | MLAs |
| Leader Name3: | Sonia Furstenau and Doug Routley |
| Timezone: | PST |
| Utc Offset: | −8 |
| Timezone Dst: | PDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | −7 |
North Cowichan (Canada 2021 Census population 31,990) is a district municipality established in 1873 on Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. The municipality is part of the Cowichan Valley Regional District. North Cowichan is noted for a landscape including forests, beaches, rivers, and lakes. The municipality encompasses the communities of Chemainus; Westholme; Crofton; Maple Bay; and "the South End". The latter is an informal name for a built-up area which is essentially a suburb of the City of Duncan, a separate municipality.
Located on the east coast of southern Vancouver Island, North Cowichan is centrally located immediately north of and adjacent to the city of Duncan and south of Ladysmith. Spanning 193.98 square kilometers, North Cowichan includes the communities of Chemainus, Crofton, Westholme, Maple Bay and the so-called "South End" which is functionally a suburb of Duncan, a separate municipality.
The last glacial period, the Fraser Glaciation occurred between 29,000 and 15,000 years ago. The glaciers that formed carved out the Cowichan Valley and left behind glaciers up to 30 metres thick. These fertile lands and mild climate have led to a history rich in agriculture.[2]
Sheltered by the mountains of the central Island and the Olympic Peninsula, North Cowichan has a temperate, Mediterranean-like climate, with mild, damp winters with little snowfall and warm, dry summers. North Cowichan is classified as a warm-summer mediterranean climate Csb by the Köppen system.
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, North Cowichan had a population of 31,990 living in 13,741 of its 14,266 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 29,696. With a land area of, it had a population density of in 2021.[3]
The median family income in 2006 for North Cowichan was $62,125, which is below the British Columbia provincial average of $65,787.[4]
| 2021 | 2016[5] | 2011[6] | 2006[7] | 2001[8] | 1996[9] | 1991[10] [11] | 1986[12] [13] [14] | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| European | 25,875 | 24,585 | 24,880 | 23,705 | 22,695 | 22,505 | 19,105 | 16,665 | |||||||||
| Indigenous | 2,860 | 2,380 | 1,985 | 1,880 | 1,570 | 1,225 | 985 | 790 | |||||||||
| South Asian | 900 | 870 | 720 | 1,015 | 995 | 940 | 800 | 795 | |||||||||
| East Asian | 640 | 535 | 315 | 340 | 230 | 270 | 175 | 245 | |||||||||
| Southeast Asian | 565 | 370 | 210 | 200 | 175 | 90 | 60 | 25 | |||||||||
| African | 280 | 85 | 60 | 45 | 90 | 25 | 55 | 0 | |||||||||
| Latin American | 90 | 65 | 50 | 55 | 30 | 20 | 20 | 15 | |||||||||
| Middle Eastern | 85 | 75 | 0 | 30 | 20 | 0 | 55 | 0 | |||||||||
| Other | 135 | 65 | 0 | 35 | 25 | 20 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |||||||
| Total responses | 31,425 | 29,035 | 28,240 | 27,315 | 25,835 | 25,105 | 21,255 | 18,535 | |||||||||
| Total population | 31,990 | 29,676 | 28,807 | 27,557 | 26,148 | 25,305 | 21,373 | 18,674 | |||||||||
According to the 2021 census, religious groups in North Cowichan included:[15]
North Cowichan is serviced by the Maple Bay Airport (YAQ), which offers services to Downtown Vancouver, Vancouver Airport, Ganges on Salt Spring Island and Bedwell Harbour on Pender Island. Service is provided by Saltspring Air and Harbour Air.
The British Columbia Highway 1 traverses the municipality as a four-lane arterial divided highway with signals at major intersections. The speed limit varies between 80 and 90 km/h in the rural areas, lowering to 60 then 50 km/h in the denser urban area near Duncan.
British Columbia Highway 18 connects North Cowichan to Lake Cowichan as a 2-lane facility with a speed limit as high as 100 km/h.
Bus service in the municipality is provided by the Cowichan Valley Regional District with service connecting the North Cowichan communities of Chemainus and Crofton with the south end and Duncan.
North Cowichan is also serviced by the Nanaimo Regional Transit System with daily (except Sunday) service through North Cowichan between Nanaimo and Duncan. The NCX 70 service has a stop at the Cowichan Commons shopping centre in North Cowichan.
North Cowichan has embraced roundabouts at many intersections on its network of municipal roads. As of 2021 North Cowichan has 14 roundabouts.
The original economic drivers steamed from the abundance of natural resources, including the fur trade, fishing, mining, and the forest industry. Today, the forest industry, retail, construction, manufacturing, and health care are large contributors to the local economy.
North Cowichan lies within the School District 79 Cowichan Valley. There are many elementary schools, and two secondary schools.
North Cowichan is served by one public post secondary educational institution, Vancouver Island University.
North Cowichan is served by three newspapers – the Duncan Journal, the Cowichan Valley Citizen, and the Chemainus Valley Courier. North Cowichan is also serviced by 89.7 Juice FM, a member of Vista Radio.
North Cowichan is home to the BC Forest Discovery Centre, the Pacific Northwest Raptors Bird of Prey and Raptor Visitor Center, and the world famous Chemainus Murals.
The Cowichan Theatre hosts many performers and shows during the year. The Chemainus Theatre Festival features classic and award-winning comedies, musicals and dramas.
North Cowichan is home to many recreation centres, including the Cowichan Aquatic Centre, cowichan community Centre, Fuller Lake Arena and the Cowichan Sportsplex. North Cowichan offers numerous parks and hiking trails.
The Vancouver Island terminal of the HVDC Vancouver-Island is found here.