McBride, British Columbia

McBride is a village in the Robson Valley region of British Columbia, Canada. The village is located 210 km (130 mi) southeast of Prince George, British Columbia, and 166 km (103 mi) west of Jasper, Alberta. Incorporated in 1932, McBride is located in the Robson Valley surrounded by the Rocky Mountains and Cariboo Ranges.

McBride
Village
The Corporation of the Village of McBride[1]
McBride and the Fraser River
Motto(s): 
"A Town on Track"
McBride
Location of the Village of McBridein
McBride
McBride (Canada)
Coordinates: 53°18′15″N 120°09′41″W
CountryCanada
ProvinceBritish Columbia
Regional DistrictFraser-Fort George
Established1913
IncorporatedApril 1932
Government
 • MayorEugene Runtz
Area
 • Total4.64 km2 (1.79 sq mi)
Population
 (2016)[2]
 • Total616
 • Density130/km2 (340/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC−08:00 (PST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−07:00 (PDT)
Area code(s)250 / 778 / 236
Highways Hwy 16 (TCH) Trans-Canada Highway
WebsiteOfficial website

History

McBride was founded in 1913 as Mile 90 of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway.[3] The village was named after the serving premier, Sir Richard McBride.[4]:167

McBride's early industries were rail, shipping, forest harvesting and the agricultural development of the valley.[5] In 1970 access to McBride changed with the opening of Highway 16 (Yellowhead), which enabled vehicles to travel through the valley.[5] McBride is rich in farmland in the valley bottom, with a mix of forest and alpine surrounding the valley. This unique mixture allows McBride to be a prime location for many industries. Current industries for McBride are railroad, forestry, tourism, small businesses and agriculture.[6] Barley, oats, forage crops and pasture are the main agricultural activities supported by dark gray Doré clay loam to clay and gray Rausch clay.[7]

McBride Community Forest Corporation

McBride Community Forest Corporation (MCFC) is a corporation that is owned by the Village of McBride. MCFC was set up in 2002 to manage community forest tenure for the village and the surrounding area.[8] The Community Forest license grants the village exclusive rights to harvest Crown timber from approximately 60,000 hectares of land. MCFC is able to serve the social, economic and environment needs for McBride's forest industry. MCFC manages "the forest for all of its product potential rather than just timber."[9]

McBride Hospital and Health Centre

McBride Hospital and Health Centre provides a variety of services to the community and surrounding area. The hospital is equipped with an emergency room, three acute care beds and eight long-term beds.[10] The hospital has two full-time doctors stationed at it, alongside other healthcare professionals. The hospital is also able to provide the community with x-ray and lab services. Acupuncture and massage therapy is accessible to residents in this region. A BC ambulance station is located in McBride beside the hospital, with 911 services being available to McBride and the surrounding areas.[11]

Attractions

The village offers a diverse outdoor attractions for all seasons. During the winter months, McBride has a variety of cross-country skiing trails and is world-famous snowmobiling trails and designated snowmobiling areas, as well as offering numerous locations for the ever-popular ice fishing. The warmer months in McBride allow for hiking, camping, fishing and bird watching. Recreation sites in the area include Beaver Falls Recreation Trail, Beaver River Recreation Site, LaSalle Lake Recreation Site and McBride Peak Halfway Hut.[12] Another popular site is Horseshoe Lake, a naturally formed ox-bow lake that allows birdwatchers to observe waterfowl and other birds from an observation platform.[3] The village has a ball field and Community Recreation Centre that is equipped with gym, a regulation sized ice hockey arena, two curling sheets and a convertible court.

The McBride and District Public Library and the Valley Museum and Archives are housed in a building on Main Street. A popular attraction among tourists, the Valley Museum and Archives presents a variety of touring exhibitions each year show casing the unique history and culture of the Robson Valley. The library offers a variety of services to the community and tourists, including workshops for all ages, internet access and computer stations, and a wide selection of media.

The Robson Valley Community Centre in McBride has a stage, dance floor and commercial kitchen. The Robson Valley Community Centre is available to rent for theatre performances, conferences, wedding receptions, tradeshows or a family reunion.

Community

The population of McBride was 616 at the 2016 Census.[13] The population including the surrounding area is 1,586.[14] Main Street has a variety of unique stores for visitors and locals to come and explore. The focal point of Main Street is the train station. The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway built the train station in 1913. A fire burnt the building down in 1918. The station was quickly rebuilt and reopened in 1919 on the original site. The last train dispatched from this station in 1989, but trains still ride through the station and pick up passengers on a daily basis.[15] In 1996, the Village of McBride bought the station. The station houses the Whistle Stop, a gallery of quality work done by local artists and crafters, as well as McBride's Visitor Information Centre and a locally owned coffee shop The Beanery.

Climate

McBride is relatively wet, especially in the summer. Precipitation occurs 21 days on average during the month of July. Only nearby Crescent Spur gets more rain days in July in all of Canada.

Climate data for McBride
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 10.5
(50.9)		 12.5
(54.5)		 19.5
(67.1)		 27.0
(80.6)		 33.0
(91.4)		 33.5
(92.3)		 34.5
(94.1)		 33.5
(92.3)		 30.5
(86.9)		 24.5
(76.1)		 15.0
(59.0)		 7.5
(45.5)		 34.5
(94.1)
Average high °C (°F) −2.6
(27.3)		 1.4
(34.5)		 5.9
(42.6)		 12.8
(55.0)		 17.6
(63.7)		 20.7
(69.3)		 22.3
(72.1)		 22.1
(71.8)		 17.1
(62.8)		 9.6
(49.3)		 2.2
(36.0)		 −1.8
(28.8)		 10.6
(51.1)
Daily mean °C (°F) −6.7
(19.9)		 −3.2
(26.2)		 0.6
(33.1)		 5.7
(42.3)		 10.1
(50.2)		 13.5
(56.3)		 15.2
(59.4)		 14.6
(58.3)		 10.6
(51.1)		 4.9
(40.8)		 −1.1
(30.0)		 −5.0
(23.0)		 4.9
(40.8)
Average low °C (°F) −10.7
(12.7)		 −7.8
(18.0)		 −4.8
(23.4)		 −1.4
(29.5)		 2.5
(36.5)		 6.1
(43.0)		 8.1
(46.6)		 7.1
(44.8)		 4.0
(39.2)		 0.2
(32.4)		 −4.3
(24.3)		 −8.2
(17.2)		 −0.8
(30.6)
Record low °C (°F) −40.0
(−40.0)		 −31.0
(−23.8)		 −31.0
(−23.8)		 −15.5
(4.1)		 −5.5
(22.1)		 −1.5
(29.3)		 0.0
(32.0)		 −0.5
(31.1)		 −6.0
(21.2)		 −13.0
(8.6)		 −31.5
(−24.7)		 −38.0
(−36.4)		 −40.0
(−40.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 53.4
(2.10)		 27.1
(1.07)		 44.2
(1.74)		 39.9
(1.57)		 52.1
(2.05)		 73.7
(2.90)		 101.8
(4.01)		 68.7
(2.70)		 73.9
(2.91)		 72.8
(2.87)		 53.5
(2.11)		 42.1
(1.66)		 703
(27.7)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 10.4
(0.41)		 6.3
(0.25)		 21.8
(0.86)		 30.9
(1.22)		 50.3
(1.98)		 73.7
(2.90)		 101.8
(4.01)		 68.7
(2.70)		 73.9
(2.91)		 67.1
(2.64)		 21.7
(0.85)		 6.2
(0.24)		 532.6
(20.97)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 43.0
(16.9)		 20.8
(8.2)		 22.4
(8.8)		 9.0
(3.5)		 1.8
(0.7)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 5.7
(2.2)		 31.8
(12.5)		 35.9
(14.1)		 170.4
(67.1)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 10.9 7.8 12.1 12.7 16.9 19.2 21.1 16.1 17.3 18.6 13.8 10.4 176.8
Mean monthly sunshine hours 51.2 85.5 136.7 179.5 222.7 203.9 215.5 208.3 175.8 89.9 45.7 39.5 1,654.3
Percent possible sunshine 20.4 30.9 37.2 42.8 45.3 40.2 42.3 45.4 46.0 27.3 17.6 16.8 34.3
Source: Environment Canada [16]

Notable people
  • Rod Monroe, member of the Oregon Senate
  • Dr. Charles Keim PHd, tenured professor at Grant MacEwan University

References
Specific
  1. "British Columbia Regional Districts, Municipalities, Corporate Name, Date of Incorporation and Postal Address" (XLS). British Columbia Ministry of Communities, Sport and Cultural Development. Archived from the original on 13 July 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  2. "Population and Dwelling Count Highlight Tables, 2016 Census". 12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  3. "McBride - The Robson Valley, B.C." Visitmcbride.ca. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  4. Akrigg, G.P.V.; Akrigg, Helen B. (1986), British Columbia Place Names (3rd, 1997 ed.), Vancouver: UBC Press, ISBN 0-7748-0636-2
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. "Soils of the Upper Part of Fraser Valley" (PDF). Sis.agr.gc.ca. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  8. "McBride Community Forest". Mcbridecommunityforest.com. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  9. "About Us". Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  11. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 31 March 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2017.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 17 March 2017. Retrieved 18 July 2018.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  16. Environment Canada—Canadian Climate Normals 1981-2010 Station Data, accessed 30 July 2014
General
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