| Thompson–Nicola | |
| Official Name: | Thompson–Nicola Regional District |
| Settlement Type: | Regional district |
| Image Blank Emblem: | Thompson-Nicola_BC_logo.png |
| Blank Emblem Type: | Logo |
| Map Alt: | A map of British Columbia depicting its 27 regional districts and equivalent municipalities. One is highlighted in red. |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Canada |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | British Columbia |
| Seat Type: | Administrative office location |
| Seat: | Kamloops |
| Government Footnotes: | [1] |
| Government Type: | Regional district |
| Governing Body: | Board of directors |
| Leader Title: | Chair |
| Leader Name: | Barbara Roden (Ashcroft) |
| Leader Title1: | Vice chair |
| Leader Name1: | Robin Smith (Logan Lake) |
| Leader Title2: | Electoral areas |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Land Km2: | 44449.42 |
| Dimensions Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population As Of: | 2021 |
| Population Total: | 143680 |
| Population Density Km2: | 2.98 |
The Thompson–Nicola Regional District is a regional district in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The Canada 2021 Census population was 143,680 and the area covers 44,449.49 square kilometres. The administrative offices are in the main population centre of Kamloops, which accounts for 78 percent of the regional district's population. The only other city is Merritt; other municipally-incorporated communities include the District Municipalities of Logan Lake, Barriere and Clearwater and the Villages of Chase, Ashcroft, Cache Creek, Clinton and Lytton, and also the Mountain Resort Municipality of Sun Peaks.
The region is named indirectly for the Thompson River by way of the traditional regional names of "the Thompson Country" and "the Nicola Country"; the Nicola Country was named for Chief Nicola and was originally "Nicola's Country", where he held sway; he is also the namesake of that river. The regional district government operates over 125 services including libraries,[3] solid waste management and recycling, community services, emergency and development services, a film commission.[4] The region is unique in Canada as it consistently holds around some of the hottest summer temperatures in the country, while also containing an area around Ashcroft that may be the only arid climate in Canada.
| Municipality | Government Type | Population (2021) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kamloops | city | 97,902[5] | |
| Merritt | city | 7,051[6] | |
| Chase | village | 2,399[7] | |
| Clearwater | district municipality | 2,388[8] | |
| Logan Lake | district municipality | 2,255[9] | |
| Barriere | district municipality | 1,765[10] | |
| Ashcroft | village | 1,670[11] | |
| Cache Creek | village | 969[12] | |
| Clinton | village | 646[13] | |
| Sun Peaks | mountain resort municipality | 1,404[14] | |
| Lytton | village | 210[15] |
As a census division in the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Thompson-Nicola Regional District had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of 44347.23km2, it had a population density of in 2021.[16]
| 2021[17] | 2016[18] | 2011[19] | 2006[20] | 2001[21] | 1996[22] | 1991[23] [24] | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| European | 107,770 | 103,015 | 104,615 | 101,590 | 101,215 | 102,055 | 88,095 | ||||||||
| Indigenous | 19,420 | 17,555 | 14,425 | 13,200 | 11,590 | 9,985 | 10,900 | ||||||||
| South Asian | 4,940 | 2,960 | 2,445 | 2,325 | 2,525 | 2,505 | 2,270 | ||||||||
| East Asian | 2,895 | 2,710 | 2,500 | 2,330 | 2,130 | 2,255 | 1,480 | ||||||||
| Southeast Asian | 1,670 | 1,145 | 845 | 935 | 520 | 495 | 450 | ||||||||
| African | 1,200 | 700 | 305 | 245 | 400 | 255 | 180 | ||||||||
| Latin American | 585 | 345 | 175 | 240 | 145 | 175 | 90 | ||||||||
| Middle Eastern | 345 | 285 | 490 | 150 | 70 | 75 | 70 | ||||||||
| Other | 435 | 205 | 165 | 195 | 60 | 180 | |||||||||
| Total responses | 139,265 | 129,020 | 125,960 | 121,225 | 118,665 | 117,980 | 103,535 | ||||||||
| Total population | 143,680 | 132,663 | 128,471 | 122,286 | 119,222 | 118,801 | 104,386 | ||||||||
The regional district contains more than 60 provincial parks. See List of provincial parks of Thompson-Nicola Regional District.