Oliver, British Columbia

Oliver
Town
Town of Oliver[1]
Motto: "Borne of the Waters, Blest by the Sun"
Oliver

Location of Oliver in British Columbia

Coordinates: 49°10′58″N 119°33′5″W / 49.18278°N 119.55139°W / 49.18278; -119.55139
Country  Canada
Province  British Columbia
Region South Okanagan
Regional district Okanagan-Similkameen
Village Incorporated 1945
Village Founded 1918
Town Incorporated 1990
Government
  Governing body Band Council, Town Council, RDOS Board
  Chief/Mayor/Director C. Louie, R. Hovanes, A.Patton
Area
  Town 4.88 km2 (1.88 sq mi)
Elevation 310 m (1,020 ft)
Population (2011)[2][3]
  Town 4,824
  Density 990/km2 (2,600/sq mi)
  Urban 5,175
Time zone PST (UTC-8)
Postal code V0H 1T0
Area code(s) 250 / 778 / 236
Highways BC 97
Waterways Okanagan River
Website www.oliver.ca

Oliver is a town near the south end of the Okanagan Valley in the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, with a population of over 4,000 people. It is located between Osoyoos and Okanagan Falls, and is labeled as the Wine Capital of Canada by Tourism British Columbia.[4]

The community of Oliver is made up of land governed by three different bodies: the Town of Oliver, the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen and the Osoyoos Indian Band.

Local industries include grape and fruit production, agri-tourism, wine production, ranching, golfing and recreation, retail and service trades. Some of the largest employers include Osoyoos Indian Band, School District #53, Interior Health and Okanagan Tree Fruit Cooperative.

Origin of name

Named after John Oliver (1856–1927), Premier of British Columbia. "Honest John" and his government brought irrigation water and settlement lots to the area with the South Okanagan Lands Project.

Early history

The First Nations of the South Okanagan settled near the river, creeks and valley lakes. The first encroachment from the outside world came circa 1811, when fur traders came to the area with the establishment of Fort Okanagan (now in the US) and first penetrated the area for trade.

In the 1880s, free gold-bearing quartz was found at Camp McKinney (east of Oliver) which became a busy gold mine, attracting miners, con men, and outlaws. Fairview (just west of and above Oliver) miners found gold and fueled the growth of a boomtown but it lasted just a few years and no remnants of the town survive today, other than a heritage marker.

Administration of water

Airport

A helicopter lands at Transwest

Coordinates:

Demographics

Languages

According to the 2011 Census, 79.57% of Abbotsford's population have English as mother tongue; Punjabi is the mother tongue of 5.21% of the population, followed by German (2.87%), Portuguese (2.55%), French (2.45%), Spanish (0.96%), Dutch (0.74%), Hungarian (0.74%), Russian (0.53%), and Ukrainian (0.53%).[6]

Mother tongue Population Percentage
English 3,740 79.57%
Punjabi 245 5.21%
German 135 2.87%
Portuguese 120 2.55%
French 115 2.45%
Spanish 45 0.96%
Dutch 35 0.74%
Hungarian 35 0.74%
Russian 25 0.53%
Ukrainian 25 0.53%

Population

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1951 1,000    
1956 1,147+14.7%
1961 1,774+54.7%
1966 1,563−11.9%
1971 1,615+3.3%
1976 1,641+1.6%
1981 1,893+15.4%
1986 1,963+3.7%
1991 3,743+90.7%
1996 4,285+14.5%
2001 4,224−1.4%
2006 4,370+3.5%
2011 4,824+10.4%
[7]
Osoyoos Indian Band iconic sign at Senkulmen

Notable people

Climate

Oliver has a semi-arid climate (BSk) with hot, dry summers and cool winters.

Climate data for Oliver
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 16.0
(60.8)
17.8
(64)
23.0
(73.4)
32.2
(90)
37.8
(100)
40.0
(104)
43.9
(111)
40.0
(104)
38.3
(100.9)
29.0
(84.2)
20.0
(68)
16.1
(61)
43.9
(111)
Average high °C (°F) 1.9
(35.4)
5.5
(41.9)
12.0
(53.6)
17.4
(63.3)
22.0
(71.6)
25.8
(78.4)
29.8
(85.6)
29.6
(85.3)
23.9
(75)
15.6
(60.1)
6.8
(44.2)
1.5
(34.7)
16.0
(60.8)
Daily mean °C (°F) −0.8
(30.6)
1.4
(34.5)
6.2
(43.2)
10.7
(51.3)
15.1
(59.2)
18.9
(66)
22.2
(72)
21.8
(71.2)
16.4
(61.5)
9.7
(49.5)
3.3
(37.9)
−1.1
(30)
10.3
(50.5)
Average low °C (°F) −3.4
(25.9)
−2.7
(27.1)
0.4
(32.7)
3.9
(39)
8.1
(46.6)
11.9
(53.4)
14.6
(58.3)
13.8
(56.8)
8.9
(48)
3.7
(38.7)
−0.2
(31.6)
−3.8
(25.2)
4.6
(40.3)
Record low °C (°F) −26.7
(−16.1)
−28.9
(−20)
−17.8
(0)
−9.4
(15.1)
−2.2
(28)
0.6
(33.1)
3.9
(39)
3.3
(37.9)
−5.6
(21.9)
−12.0
(10.4)
−21.0
(−5.8)
−26.1
(−15)
−28.9
(−20)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 28.7
(1.13)
21.4
(0.843)
24.9
(0.98)
26.5
(1.043)
34.7
(1.366)
41.5
(1.634)
25.5
(1.004)
20.7
(0.815)
18.7
(0.736)
21.6
(0.85)
31.2
(1.228)
34.2
(1.346)
329.7
(12.98)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 13.7
(0.539)
16.3
(0.642)
23.2
(0.913)
26.5
(1.043)
34.7
(1.366)
41.5
(1.634)
25.5
(1.004)
20.7
(0.815)
18.7
(0.736)
21.5
(0.846)
25.9
(1.02)
16.2
(0.638)
284.5
(11.201)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 15.0
(5.91)
5.1
(2.01)
1.7
(0.67)
0.0
(0)
0.0
(0)
0.0
(0)
0.0
(0)
0.0
(0)
0.0
(0)
0.1
(0.04)
5.3
(2.09)
18.0
(7.09)
45.2
(17.8)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 9.9 8.0 9.0 9.0 9.9 9.9 6.2 5.7 6.2 7.9 11.9 11.7 105.1
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) 5.5 6.6 8.5 9.0 9.9 9.9 6.2 5.7 6.2 7.8 10.4 5.3 90.9
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) 4.9 1.5 0.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.9 6.9 15.9
Mean monthly sunshine hours 42.7 83.4 141.3 191.6 239.7 238.6 282.7 274.5 211.9 147.5 64.4 41.4 1,959.6
Percent possible sunshine 15.8 29.2 38.4 46.6 50.6 49.2 57.8 61.5 55.9 44.0 23.3 16.1 40.7
Source: [8]

References

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