Golden, British Columbia
| Golden | ||
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| Town | ||
| Town of Golden[1] | ||
Golden, British Columbia
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 Golden
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| Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. | ||
| Country |  Canada |
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| Province |  British Columbia |
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| Region | Columbia Valley | |
| Regional District | Columbia-Shuswap | |
| Incorporated | 1957 | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Ron Oszust | |
| • Governing Body | Golden Town Council | |
| • MP | David Wilks (Cons-Kootenay/Columbia) | |
| • MLA | Norm Macdonald (NDP-Columbia/Revelstoke) | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 11.41 km2 (4.41 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 800 m (2,600 ft) | |
| Population (2011)[2] | ||
| • Total | 3,701 | |
| • Density | 324.4/km2 (840/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | Mountain Time Zone (UTC-7) | |
| • Summer (DST) | Mountain Daylight Time (UTC-6) | |
| Postal code span | V0A | |
| Area code(s) | 250 | |
| Website | Town of Golden Home Page | |
Golden (Ktunaxa: ʔaknukǂuk [3]) is a town in southeastern British Columbia, Canada, located 262 kilometres (163 mi) west of Calgary, Alberta and 713 kilometres (443 mi) east of Vancouver.
Contents
History
Much of the town's history is tied into the Canadian Pacific Railway and the logging industry. Today, the town's economy still relies heavily on those two influences, but the development of Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, along with other outdoor adventure companies, has allowed the town to diversify into tourism. Mount 7, which is just southeast of town, is popular with paragliding, hang gliding, and mountain biking enthusiasts.
Kicking Horse Pedestrian Bridge is the longest freestanding timber frame bridge in Canada.[4] Planned as a community project by the Timber Framers Guild,[5] volunteers from Golden were joined by carpenters and timber framers from the United States and from Europe. The bridge structure is 150 feet (46 m) long, with a 210,000-pound Burr arch structure. The bridge was completed in September 2001.
On March 26, 2009, then-Mayor Aman Virk died suddenly of complications after suffering a heart attack while vacationing in India.[6]
Geography
Golden is nestled in the Rocky Mountain Trench, built around the confluence of the Columbia and Kicking Horse rivers, surrounded by three different mountain ranges (most notably the Purcell Mountains and Rocky Mountains) and five National Parks: Yoho National Park, Banff National Park, Jasper National Park, Glacier National Park, and Kootenay National Park.
Golden is located on Highway 1 (the Trans-Canada Highway) and it is the northern terminus of Highway 95, connecting it to the United States via the rest of the East Kootenay region and the city of Cranbrook, British Columbia. The Trans-Canada Highway east of Golden has numerous upgrade projects ongoing to greatly improve the roadway west of the Yoho National Park boundary. The Ten Mile Hill section of the project was recently completed and represents a major upgrade to the old highway.
Climate
| Climate data for Golden Airport | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high humidex | 6.7 | 8.4 | 19.6 | 25.5 | 34.2 | 35.9 | 38.5 | 38.4 | 32.0 | 22.4 | 11.2 | 5.4 | 38.5 |
| Record high °C (°F) | 8.3 (46.9) |
12.2 (54) |
20.2 (68.4) |
28.9 (84) |
35.6 (96.1) |
37.2 (99) |
40.0 (104) |
37.8 (100) |
33.9 (93) |
25.6 (78.1) |
17.2 (63) |
10.0 (50) |
40.0 (104) |
| Average high °C (°F) | −4.3 (24.3) |
−0.1 (31.8) |
6.6 (43.9) |
13.3 (55.9) |
18.4 (65.1) |
21.7 (71.1) |
24.5 (76.1) |
24.2 (75.6) |
18.4 (65.1) |
10.1 (50.2) |
1.0 (33.8) |
−4.8 (23.4) |
10.7 (51.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −7.9 (17.8) |
−5.0 (23) |
0.8 (33.4) |
6.5 (43.7) |
11.3 (52.3) |
14.9 (58.8) |
17.3 (63.1) |
16.7 (62.1) |
11.5 (52.7) |
5.0 (41) |
−2.0 (28.4) |
−7.8 (18) |
5.1 (41.2) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −11.5 (11.3) |
−9.8 (14.4) |
−5.0 (23) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
4.1 (39.4) |
8.0 (46.4) |
10.0 (50) |
9.1 (48.4) |
4.6 (40.3) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
−5.0 (23) |
−10.9 (12.4) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −46.1 (−51) |
−39.4 (−38.9) |
−31.7 (−25.1) |
−19.4 (−2.9) |
−9.4 (15.1) |
−6.7 (19.9) |
−2.2 (28) |
−2.8 (27) |
−9.4 (15.1) |
−18.3 (−0.9) |
−32.8 (−27) |
−43.9 (−47) |
−46.1 (−51) |
| Record low wind chill | −42.3 | −31.2 | −28.1 | −14.3 | −5.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | −4.5 | −15.0 | −29.9 | −38.0 | −42.3 |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 45.9 (1.807) |
24.1 (0.949) |
24.4 (0.961) |
24.4 (0.961) |
34.5 (1.358) |
49.7 (1.957) |
50.6 (1.992) |
45.3 (1.783) |
38.0 (1.496) |
34.9 (1.374) |
51.1 (2.012) |
43.9 (1.728) |
466.8 (18.378) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 6.4 (0.252) |
5.5 (0.217) |
14.1 (0.555) |
21.9 (0.862) |
33.3 (1.311) |
49.7 (1.957) |
50.6 (1.992) |
45.3 (1.783) |
38.0 (1.496) |
32.3 (1.272) |
21.6 (0.85) |
6.4 (0.252) |
325.2 (12.803) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 45.3 (17.83) |
20.7 (8.15) |
12.1 (4.76) |
2.5 (0.98) |
1.1 (0.43) |
0.0 (0) |
0.0 (0) |
0.0 (0) |
0.0 (0) |
2.8 (1.1) |
31.8 (12.52) |
42.5 (16.73) |
158.7 (62.48) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 14.6 | 9.1 | 9.8 | 10.6 | 12.5 | 15.4 | 13.7 | 13.2 | 10.6 | 12.1 | 13.9 | 13.5 | 148.8 |
| Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 2.4 | 2.7 | 6.3 | 9.9 | 12.4 | 15.4 | 13.7 | 13.2 | 10.6 | 11.3 | 6.8 | 1.9 | 106.5 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) | 13.5 | 7.1 | 4.8 | 1.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 8.2 | 12.8 | 49.5 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 81.2 | 70.7 | 53.6 | 38.8 | 38.6 | 42.4 | 42.0 | 44.2 | 50.0 | 60.0 | 80.4 | 82.2 | 57.0 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 25.2 | 55.3 | 111.3 | 155.2 | 209.6 | 194.1 | 227.0 | 228.9 | 162.5 | 85.0 | 26.1 | 12.9 | 1,492.9 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 9.7 | 19.6 | 30.3 | 37.4 | 43.5 | 39.2 | 45.5 | 50.7 | 42.7 | 25.6 | 9.7 | 5.2 | 29.9 |
| Source: [7] | |||||||||||||
Economy
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1996 | 3,968 | — |
| 2001 | 4,020 | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 3,811 | −5.2% |
| 2011 | 3,701 | −2.9% |
Golden has a service-based economy, relying heavily on tourism and services for tourists. Unlike many other Canadian towns with similar population size, Golden boasts nine automobile repair shops that all offer a wide range of services and are open extended hours. Golden also features a large number of hotels with mountain views that provide accommodation to both tourists and stranded drivers.
Education
Public education is provided by School District 6 Rocky Mountain which operates 3 primary schools and one secondary school. Community College education is offered by the Golden Campus of the College of the Rockies.
Sports
| Club | League | Sport | Venue | Established | Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Rockets | KIJHL | Ice Hockey | Golden Arena | 1991 | 0 |
Notable residents
Images
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Civic Centre
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Downtown Golden
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General hospital
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Library
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Post office
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Town hall
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Law Courts
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2006 Community Profiles
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Timber Framers Guild website
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Golden, British Columbia. |
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Wikivoyage has a travel guide for [[Wikivoyage:Golden (British Columbia)#Lua error in Module:Wikidata at line 863: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).|Golden, British Columbia]]. |
- Town of Golden (official website)
- Tourism Golden (official website)
- Construction of the covered bridge
- Virtual tour of the Golden Freeride skatepark
- Ten Mile Hill HD Video.
- School District 6 website
- College of the Rockies website
 Subdivisions of British Columbia |
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| Metro areas and agglomerations |
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