{"id":14566,"date":"2019-05-01T16:13:25","date_gmt":"2019-05-01T16:13:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web3.ezmedia.ca\/wilbri\/?page_id=14566"},"modified":"2019-05-01T16:18:02","modified_gmt":"2019-05-01T16:18:02","slug":"about-the-valley","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/web3.ezmedia.ca\/wilbri\/about-the-valley\/","title":{"rendered":"About The Valley"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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About The Comox Valley<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Welcome to the Comox Valley – 660- square miles of Vancouver Island beauty comprising the communities of Courtenay, Comox, CFB Comox and Peninsula, Cumberland, Royston, Union Bay, Fanny Bay, Merville, Black Creek and Saratoga Beach with 65,000 people calling this paradise home.<\/h4>

During the 1990s,<\/strong>\u00a0the region was one of the fastest growing in British Columbia. Its growth is due mostly to a building boom in Courtenay, but other parts of the area are being suggested for development, including Cumberland and Union Bay. The growth industries are tourism and construction, with the\u00a0Canadian Forces<\/a>\u00a0base,\u00a0CFB Comox<\/a> having long provided significant economic stability since the decline of logging and mining in the region after the 1960s and fishing in the 1990s. The service sector accounts for over 50% of employment.<\/p>

Originally developed as an agricultural settlement in the 1860s in the wake of the Fraser Gold Rush, the area became the centre of one of the\u00a0British Empire’s<\/a>\u00a0largest private railway concerns, the Comox Logging & Railway Company. Comox Logging owned Block 29, one of the world’s best stands of\u00a0Douglas Fir<\/a>\u00a0timber, stretching from south of\u00a0Courtenay<\/a>\u00a0well to the north of\u00a0Campbell River<\/a>. This stand is now owned by\u00a0Timber West<\/a>\u00a0and is being cut for the second time. For many years,\u00a0logging<\/a> provided the largest single paycheque in the community, but since most workers in the industry commuted to camps and logging operations further north on the Island or the mainland Coast, the Field lumber mill in Courtenay was disassembled in the fall of 2006. The legacy of the Comox Valley’s once proud forests is scattered amongst small woodlots on individual farms, or in isolated parks that give a sense of the timber wealth once drawn from the region.<\/p>

The wealth of today lies in its combination of natural beauty and rich cultural scene.\u00a0Besides the many music and arts festivals the region has a legacy of dramatic and musical instruction in its high schools and through the\u00a0Comox Valley Youth Music Centre<\/a>,\u00a0which draws students from around the world. The community is also rich in its numerous volunteer and non-profit organizations devoted to cultural pursuits. The many small communities in the region also boast a wealth of education and skills, and a devotion to ‘place’ that gives each neighbourhood and hamlet an inviting texture and atmosphere. For these reasons, as well as relatively mild (for Canada) climate, the Comox Valley is very attractive to people looking for small town and rural alternatives to suburban homogenization and urban congestion. With air service direct to\u00a0Calgary<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and points south and east, as well as\u00a0Edmonton<\/a>,\u00a0Albertans<\/a> have in recent years become a major driver of the real estate and population boom. The Comox Valley Regional District provides services to rural areas, and to urban areas in cooperation with municipalities. The Comox Valley Regional District manages over 100 kms of forested trails. There are 9.2 parkland hectares per 1000 people in Comox and 7 in Courtenay compared to the national standard of 4. The village of Cumberland enjoys 66.3 where the average age is 38.2. Recreational facilities and spaces most accessed include local beaches, CVRD trails (Goose Spit, Seal Bay, Nymph Falls & \u00a0Grassy Point), municipal parks and playgrounds and provincial parks such as Strathcona & Kitty Coleman. The Comox Valley Transit System is cost-shared between BC Transit and the regional district. The Comox Valley is served by School District 71 which provides elementary, middle, secondary and district wide schools and services. Our local hospital is St. Josephs General Hospital located in Comox soon to be replaced by a new one under construction in East Courtenay. The Comox Valley offers diverse accommodations, dining, recreation, cultural, and leisure activities surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery in all of Canada. The area was designated one of Canada’s “Cultural Capitals” by Canadian Heritage.<\/p>

The Valley is also known as The Valley of Festivals. Events include (amongst others) the Art & Bloom Festival, North Island Hot Jazz Festival,\u00a0Comox Valley Shellfish Festival<\/a>, About Town!, Marina Park Main Event, CYMC Summer School & Festival, Vancouver Island Music Fest, Hornby Island Festival, Filberg Festival, Comox Nautical Days, Showcase Festival, Comox Valley Exhibition Fall Fair and the Big Time Out.<\/p>

CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION<\/h4>