COMMUNITY OVERVIEW.
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The Slocan Valley Chamber of Commerce service area falls within British Columbia’s Regional District of Central Kootenay Electoral Area H and encompasses three incorporated municipalities.
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In our service area, you’ll find artisans in abundance, small organic farms, tourist operators, small manufacturers, independent cafes and interesting little shops.
GEOGRAPHY: The SVCC service area extends approximately 70 km from north to south, along Slocan Valley’s Hwy 6 corridor from Summit Lake roughly paralleling the east side of Slocan Lake in the North Valley, the meandering Slocan River in the South Valley, and east along the 31A mountain pass from New Denver to Sandon.
Slocan Lake is deep, with 80 km of largely undeveloped shorelines and pristine waters coming from a densely forested mountain watershed. Valhalla Provincial Park comprises most of the western shore. From the southern end of Slocan Lake, the crystal clear Slocan River flows for 50 km through a broadening valley that comprises the southern half of the SVCC service area. About 5600 people live in the Slocan Valley.
HISTORY: An independent-minded, resourceful and entrepreneurial spirit has shaped the history and culture of this area since the late 1890’s when silver was discovered here. The city of Sandon (now a ghost-town tourist attraction), and New Denver, Silverton and Slocan sprang out of the wilderness, grew and flourished. By the 1950’s mining had all but run its course. Forestry then became the area’s primary industry for decades. More recently, tourism has become an important economic driver.
In the late 1960‘s and through the 1970’s, Vietnam War draft dodgers, back-to-the-landers and others arrived, bringing alternative values and lifestyles and creative energy to the evolving cultural mosaic of this valley. That trend continues to this day, as newcomers find a warm welcome here and fertile ground for their own skills, talents and aspirations.
CLIMATE: Temperate summers of 20C to 25C are the norm, with occasional high 20’s to low 30’s. It is more likely to be consistently sunny from July to September (300+ hours/month). Winter temperatures typically hover around -5C to 5C, sometimes briefly dipping as low as -20C. Annual precipitation is around, 950mm (38”), the majority in late autumn and winter. Snowfall depends on geography and elevation and can vary greatly from year to year.