Sechelt
Sechelt (/ˈsiːʃɛlt/, shíshálh Language: ch'atlich) is a district municipality located on the lower Sunshine Coast of British Columbia. Approximately 50 km (30 miles) northwest of Vancouver, it is accessible from mainland British Columbia by a 40-minute ferry trip between Horseshoe Bay and Langdale, and a 25-minute drive from Langdale along Highway 101, also known as the Sunshine Coast Highway. The name Sechelt is derived from the she shashishalhem word shíshálh, the name of the First Nations people who first settled the area thousands of years ago.
Sechelt | |
|---|---|
| District of Sechelt | |
Downtown Sechelt in 2011 | |
| Motto(s): Blessed by Sun and Seas | |
Sechelt Location of Sechelt in British Columbia | |
| Coordinates: 49°28′27″N 123°45′15″W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | British Columbia |
| Region | Sunshine Coast |
| Regional District | Sunshine Coast RD |
| Founded | 1862 (Roman Catholic mission) |
| Incorporated (Village) | Feb. 15, 1956 |
| District Municipality | June 30, 1986 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | John Henderson |
| • Governing body | Sechelt Municipal Council |
| • MLAs | Nicholas Simons, NDP |
| Area | |
| • Total | 39.71 km2 (15.33 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 8 m (26 ft) |
| Population (2021) | |
| • Total | 10,847 |
| • Density | 212.9/km2 (551/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (PST) |
| Postal code span | V7Z and V0N 3A0 |
| Area code | +1-604 |
| Website | www |
The original Village of Sechelt was incorporated on February 15, 1956. Sechelt later expanded its boundaries in 1986 with the inclusion of a number of adjacent unincorporated areas. The District of Sechelt, as it is known today, encompasses some 39.71 km² (15.33 sq mi) at the isthmus of the Sechelt Peninsula, between the southern tip of Sechelt Inlet (Porpoise Bay) and the Strait of Georgia that separates the provincial mainland from Vancouver Island.
Sechelt is a seaside community with approx. 35 kilometers (20 miles) of Pacific Ocean shoreline that extends primarily along the coastline of the Sunshine Coast, and is bounded to the west and east by the unincorporated communities of Halfmoon Bay and Roberts Creek, respectively. The 2016 Canadian census placed its population at 10,200. The regional offices of the Sunshine Coast Regional District of British Columbia are located in Sechelt.
Although its population is relatively small for its geographical area, Sechelt has several distinct neighbourhoods. From east to west, they are ts'uḵw'um (Wilson Creek), Davis Bay, Selma Park, the original Village of Sechelt, and West Sechelt. Several neighbourhoods around Sechelt Inlet were also included in Sechelt's 1986 incorporation as a district; these include West Porpoise Bay, East Porpoise Bay, Sandy Hook, Tillicum Bay and Tuwanek. The shíshálh Nation Government District, which contains a substantial commercial district, is immediately east of Sechelt's "downtown" village.