Golden, British Columbia
| Town of Golden | |
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| — Town — | |
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 Town of Golden
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| Coordinates: 51°18′7″N 116°58′0″W / 51.30194°N 116.966667°WCoordinates: 51°18′7″N 116°58′0″W / 51.30194°N 116.966667°W | |
| Country |  Canada |
| Province |  British Columbia |
| Region | Columbia Valley |
| Regional District | Columbia-Shuswap |
| Incorporated | 1957 |
| Government | |
| • Governing Body | Golden Town Council |
| • MP | Jim Abbott (Cons-Kootenay/Columbia) |
| • MLA | Norm Macdonald (NDP-Columbia/Revelstoke) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 11.02 km2 (4.3 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 800 m (2,625 ft) |
| Population (2006)[1] | |
| • Total | 3,811 |
| • Density | 345.7/km2 (895.4/sq mi) |
| Time zone | Mountain Time Zone (UTC-7) |
| • Summer (DST) | Mountain Daylight Time (UTC-6) |
| Postal code span | V0A |
| Area code(s) | +1-250 |
| Website | Town of Golden Home Page |
Golden 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 |
[edit] 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.[2] Planned as a community project by the Timber Framers Guild,[3] 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.[4]
[edit] 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 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 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 old highway.
[edit] Climate
| Climate data for Golden | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 8.3 (46.9) |
12.2 (54.0) |
19.5 (67.1) |
28.9 (84.0) |
35.6 (96.1) |
37.2 (99.0) |
40 (104) |
37.8 (100.0) |
33.9 (93.0) |
25.6 (78.1) |
17.2 (63.0) |
10 (50) |
40 (104) |
| Average high °C (°F) | −5.6 (21.9) |
−0.3 (31.5) |
6.3 (43.3) |
13.1 (55.6) |
18.3 (64.9) |
21.6 (70.9) |
24.4 (75.9) |
24 (75) |
18.1 (64.6) |
10.1 (50.2) |
0.8 (33.4) |
−5.1 (22.8) |
10.5 (50.9) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −13.7 (7.3) |
−10.2 (13.6) |
−5.6 (21.9) |
−0.8 (30.6) |
3.8 (38.8) |
7.8 (46.0) |
9.7 (49.5) |
9 (48) |
4.4 (39.9) |
−0.4 (31.3) |
−5.7 (21.7) |
−11.7 (10.9) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −46.1 (−51.0) |
−39.4 (−38.9) |
−31.7 (−25.1) |
−19.4 (−2.9) |
−9.4 (15.1) |
−6.7 (19.9) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
−2.8 (27.0) |
−9.4 (15.1) |
−18.3 (−0.9) |
−32.8 (−27.0) |
−43.9 (−47.0) |
−46.1 (−51.0) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 51.7 (2.035) |
29 (1.14) |
21.1 (0.831) |
22 (0.87) |
36.2 (1.425) |
45.7 (1.799) |
47.7 (1.878) |
46.7 (1.839) |
38.7 (1.524) |
32.5 (1.28) |
50.9 (2.004) |
53.1 (2.091) |
475.2 (18.709) |
| Source: Environment Canada[5] | |||||||||||||
[edit] 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.
[edit] Sports
| Club | League | Sport | Venue | Established | Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Rockets | KIJHL | Ice Hockey | Golden Arena | 1991 | 0 |
[edit] Notable residents
[edit] References
- ^ 2006 Community Profiles
- ^ "Kicking Horse Pedestrian Bridge". Tourism Golden. http://www.tourismgolden.com/activities/other/142. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
- ^ Timber Framers Guild website
- ^ "Golden Mayor dies at 39". Black Press. http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/41940652.html. Retrieved 2009-03-26.[dead link]
- ^ Environment Canada—Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000, accessed 09 July 2009
[edit] External links
- 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
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