PlaceDossier / BC places / Central Kootenay
Central Kootenay, Electoral Area K
An electoral area of the Central Kootenay Regional District. 1,784 people lived here in 2021, up 6.1% from 2016, on 4,647 km² of land. It takes in Brouse, Edgewood, Burton, Fauquier and 5 more.
BC place · electoral area
How Area K compares with BC's other rural areas
Typical for its size 1 bus route on Fridays only, no licensed child care on the Province's list, 1 fire hall and a 24-hour emergency department.
How we compare
Each figure is set against BC's places of the same kind: cities of 50,000 or more, towns of 10,000 to 50,000, towns of 2,000 to 10,000, villages and towns under 2,000, or rural electoral areas. A figure stands out when it's among the top tenth of its kind at the end that matters to a buyer and clearly off the typical one, the middle place of that kind. Where fewer than 15 places of its kind have the figure, it's set against all BC places with it. A figure only counts when its source speaks for the place: a climate or air station within 15 km and 300 m of its ground, the place's own police service, at least 1,000 people for census figures and 25 homes for internet. A point that stands out has an ochre bar on its left, its section's stamp is filled ochre, and a dot in the bar at the top of the page marks that section; "Typical for its size" is a plain outline and "Nothing on record" a dotted one. In each strip a tick is one place, the tall tick the typical one, the dot this place, and the end that matters on the right. Facts that matter at any size (an evacuation order, emergency care far away, little mobile coverage) are said whatever the size, and mark a section as standing out only when they too are in the top tenth of its kind. A section is marked typical only where a figure in it is set against the typical one and none sits far from it (outside the middle half of its kind, or clearly off the typical one), and "nothing on record" only where it shows nothing.
Hazards Typical for its size
Evacuations: 2 orders to leave since April 2017 (fire). The latest order in July 2021. One of 65 of BC's 159 rural electoral areas with one.
- Burned by wildfire since 1996
- 6.2% typical rural area: 2%
- Years with a mapped wildfire since 1917
- 55, the latest 2025
- Evacuation events since April 2017
- 2 with an order to leave, 2 with alerts only; the latest July 2021, an order
- Radon: homes tested at or above the guideline in its health region
- 29% in Kootenay Boundary (BC: 7.9%)
More on hazards
Its land, ranked in BC
| Here | Rank in BC | |
|---|---|---|
| In the farmland reserve (ALR) | 4.9% | 169th of 267 (tied) |
| Burned by wildfire since 1996 | 6.2% | 69th of 215 |
| Years with a mapped wildfire since 1917 | 55 | most recent 2025 |
| Under mineral, placer or coal titles | 5.5% | 144th of 219 (tied) |
| Land area | 4,647 km² |
Shares of the land area, worked out from the Province's maps. Fire perimeters before the 1950s are less complete. A title or a past fire somewhere in the area says nothing about a given lot: a property report checks the parcel itself.
Large fires (1,000 ha or more) since 1990
Since 1990, 6 wildfires of 1,000 ha or more burned in Area K, together 21,886 ha, 5% of its land (ground that burned twice counts once). The most here was the Octopus Creek wildfire in 2021, 11,448 ha.
- 2026Inonoaklin Creek wildfire1,539 ha in all1,539 ha here
- 2021Octopus Creek wildfire22,042 ha in all · 52% of it here11,448 ha here
- 2018Mt. O wildfire1,195 ha in all · 4% of it here46 ha here
- 2009Galena Bay wildfire2,085 ha in all · 19% of it here398 ha here
- 2003Unnamed fire N506176,575 ha in all6,575 ha here
- 2003Unnamed fire N503951,879 ha in all1,879 ha here
Smaller mapped fires since 2016
Since 2016, the BC Wildfire Service mapped 73 smaller fires (under 1,000 ha) that reached Area K, newest first. This season's are as mapped by November 9, 2026.
- 2026Unnamed fire N51257236 ha in all236 ha here
- 2026Unnamed fire N41081187 ha in all187 ha here
- 2026Unnamed fire N5159331 ha in all31 ha here
- 2026Unnamed fire N5031321 ha in all21 ha here
- 2026Unnamed fire N520799.9 ha in all9.9 ha here
- 2026Unnamed fire N508731.2 ha in all1.2 ha here
- 2026Unnamed fire N520461 ha in all1 ha here
- 2025Unnamed fire N51141103 ha in all103 ha here
And 65 more
- 2025Unnamed fire N5138024 ha in all24 ha here
- 2025Unnamed fire N505831.7 ha in all1.7 ha here
- 2024Unnamed fire N51134246 ha in all246 ha here
- 2024Unnamed fire N41086147 ha in all147 ha here
- 2024Unnamed fire N51090138 ha in all138 ha here
- 2024Unnamed fire N51120136 ha in all · 76% of it here103 ha here
- 2024Unnamed fire N41288122 ha in all122 ha here
- 2024Unnamed fire N51223107 ha in all107 ha here
- 2024Unnamed fire N5112683 ha in all · 62% of it here52 ha here
- 2024Unnamed fire N4125665 ha in all65 ha here
- 2024Unnamed fire N5115260 ha in all60 ha here
- 2024Unnamed fire N5157952 ha in all · 71% of it here37 ha here
- 2024Unnamed fire N5122246 ha in all46 ha here
- 2024Unnamed fire N5189340 ha in all40 ha here
- 2024Unnamed fire N5114636 ha in all36 ha here
- 2024Unnamed fire N5132517 ha in all17 ha here
- 2024Unnamed fire N5112213 ha in all13 ha here
- 2024Unnamed fire N510942.9 ha in all2.9 ha here
- 2024Unnamed fire N511141.6 ha in all1.6 ha here
- 2024Unnamed fire N511511.4 ha in all1.4 ha here
- 2023Halfway River wildfire876 ha in all876 ha here
- 2023Unnamed fire N52393868 ha in all868 ha here
- 2023St Leon Creek wildfire201 ha in all201 ha here
- 2023Unnamed fire N523687.7 ha in all7.7 ha here
- 2023Rugged Peak wildfire3.6 ha in all3.6 ha here
- 2023Cusson Creek wildfire1.1 ha in all1.1 ha here
- 2022Unnamed fire N51956334 ha in all334 ha here
- 2022Unnamed fire N515386.8 ha in all6.8 ha here
- 2022Unnamed fire N513615.3 ha in all5.3 ha here
- 2022Unnamed fire N513733.3 ha in all3.3 ha here
- 2022Eagle Creek wildfire2 ha in all2 ha here
- 2022Watchan Peak wildfire1.4 ha in all1.4 ha here
- 2022Unnamed fire N408510.3 ha in all0.3 ha here
- 2021Kimbol wildfire77 ha in all77 ha here
- 2021Cameron Lake wildfire17 ha in all17 ha here
- 2021Halfway River wildfire16 ha in all16 ha here
- 2021Cariboo Creek wildfire4.5 ha in all4.5 ha here
- 2021Barnes Creek wildfire1.5 ha in all1.5 ha here
- 2021Barnes Creek wildfire0.1 ha in all0.1 ha here
- 2020Unnamed fire N513012.5 ha in all2.5 ha here
- 2018Unnamed fire N51624796 ha in all796 ha here
- 2018Unnamed fire N52792677 ha in all677 ha here
- 2018Unnamed fire N52721346 ha in all346 ha here
- 2018Unnamed fire N51880234 ha in all234 ha here
- 2018Unnamed fire N52849121 ha in all121 ha here
- 2018Unnamed fire N52546103 ha in all · 90% of it here92 ha here
- 2018Unnamed fire N52739102 ha in all102 ha here
- 2018MacLeod wildfire102 ha in all102 ha here
- 2018Scalping Knife wildfire61 ha in all61 ha here
- 2018Unnamed fire N5180434 ha in all34 ha here
- 2018Unnamed fire N4185031 ha in all31 ha here
- 2018Unnamed fire N5272215 ha in all15 ha here
- 2018Unnamed fire N531149.3 ha in all9.3 ha here
- 2018Unnamed fire N518623 ha in all3 ha here
- 2018Unnamed fire N418512.7 ha in all2.7 ha here
- 2018Unnamed fire N528312.4 ha in all2.4 ha here
- 2018Unnamed fire N513362.1 ha in all2.1 ha here
- 2018Unnamed fire N529431.9 ha in all1.9 ha here
- 2018Unnamed fire N528671.6 ha in all1.6 ha here
- 2018Unnamed fire N513671.3 ha in all1.3 ha here
- 2017Unnamed fire N5170871 ha in all71 ha here
- 2017Unnamed fire N5168340 ha in all40 ha here
- 2017Woden Creek wildfire28 ha in all28 ha here
- 2017Unnamed fire N5104224 ha in all24 ha here
- 2016Box Lake wildfire1.2 ha in all1.2 ha here
Small fires that were never mapped as a perimeter aren't listed: the BC Wildfire Service maps an outline for only some of the fires it records. Past fire is history, not a forecast. The chance of fire on a lot today depends on what the record doesn't show: the forest and grass around it, the slope, what has been thinned or burned since, and how far it is from a fire hall. Every BC season and large fire since 1990.
Sources: BC Wildfire Fire Perimeters – Historical, BC Wildfire Service; BC Wildfire Fire Perimeters – Current, BC Wildfire Service; BC Wildfire Fire Incident Locations – Historical, BC Wildfire Service; BC Wildfire Fire Locations – Current, BC Wildfire Service (Open Government Licence – British Columbia), as published on November 10, 2026; 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence). Outlines simplified and places measured by PlaceDossier.
How the land burned
On the Province's ecosystem map, Area K's land is 47% NDT2 (burned in large fires about every 200 years), 42% NDT1 (rarely burned, about every 250 to 350 years and in patches), 6% NDT5 (alpine tundra and subalpine parkland) and 5% NDT3 (burned in large fires about every 100 to 150 years). Its main biogeoclimatic zones are Interior Cedar–Hemlock (53%) and Engelmann Spruce–Subalpine Fir (46%). This is how the land burned before fires were put out, not its fire risk today. A report names the type over a lot. Every place's natural fire regime.
Source: BEC Map (biogeoclimatic zones and natural disturbance types), Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia), read 2026-10-12; areas worked out on the census boundaries.
Evacuations since April 2017
Since April 2017, the Province's record holds 3 wildfire events with an evacuation order or alert over Area K, 2 with an order. The latest order: Michaud Creek Wildfire, July 2021.
- 2021Michaud Creek WildfireJuly 2021 · evacuation order · Regional District of Central Kootenay336 homes
- 2021Octopus Creek WildfireJuly 2021 · evacuation order · Regional District of Central Kootenay152 homes
- 2018CorbinAugust 2018 · evacuation alert · Regional District Central Kootenay187 homes
Listed when an order or alert area covered at least 5% of the land in Area K, or lay mostly in Area K and held at least 5% as many homes as the 2021 census counted there. An order means people were told to leave; an alert, to be ready to leave. Homes are the record's own counts, area by area, shown where the areas lie mostly in Area K. The Province's record starts in April 2017: earlier evacuations aren't in it. A lot's report checks every order and alert over the lot itself, and any in effect now.
Sources: Historical Orders and Alerts, Emergency Management and Climate Readiness (Open Government Licence – British Columbia), as published on November 2, 2026; 2021 census subdivision boundaries and dwelling counts, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence). Each order and alert area placed in the municipalities and electoral areas it covers by us.
Evacuations for floods, landslides and other hazards since April 2017
Since April 2017, the Province's record holds 1 flood event with an evacuation order or alert over Area K, alerts only. The latest: an unnamed flood, May 2020.
- 2020Unnamed floodMay 2020 · evacuation alert (flood) · Regional District of Central Kootenay
Listed when an order or alert area covered at least 5% of the land in Area K, or lay mostly in Area K and held at least 5% as many homes as the 2021 census counted there. An order means people were told to leave; an alert, to be ready to leave. Homes are the record's own counts, area by area, shown where the areas lie mostly in Area K. The Province's record starts in April 2017: earlier evacuations aren't in it. A lot's report checks every order and alert over the lot itself, and any in effect now.
Sources: Historical Orders and Alerts, Emergency Management and Climate Readiness (Open Government Licence – British Columbia), as published on November 2, 2026; 2021 census subdivision boundaries and dwelling counts, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence). Each order and alert area placed in the municipalities and electoral areas it covers by us.
78 landslides are recorded inside Area K in the Preliminary Canadian Landslide Database (version 14.0), including 38 debris flows, 6 rock slides and 6 debris floods. The latest with a date of its own: a debris flow, 7 May 2018 (listed under “Mt Ingersoll Fire”). The database lists slides known to have happened, mapped from inventories, satellite images and lidar. It isn't a hazard map, and some parts of BC are mapped in far more detail than others. Landslides near a given lot.
The Province maps under a kilometre of dikes in Area K, along Eagle Creek and Heart Creek; the longest are the Eagle Creek dike and the Heart Creek dike. All of it is orphaned, with no local authority responsible. A dike lowers the chance of a flood behind it, not to nothing; a report names the dikes within 1 km of a lot and who maintains them. Dikes in BC, by place.
The Province lists 3 dams in Area K, none classed High or above for the harm a failure would do downstream. The class rates what a failure would do, not how likely one is; a report names the dams within 1 km of a lot. Dams in BC, by place.
4 Water Survey of Canada gauges in Area K have 5 or more years of yearly peak flows: Barnes Creek near Needles peaked highest at 66.2 m³/s in 2013, equalling 2006 (65 years on record), Kuskanax Creek near Nakusp peaked highest at 787 m³/s in 1968 (38 years on record) and Inonoaklin Creek above Valley Creek peaked highest at 79.1 m³/s in 1997 (35 years on record), among others. A gauge's record is the river where it stands, not a flood line; a report gives the nearest gauge on a river by the lot. River gauges in BC, by place.
Radon
In the Kootenay Boundary health region, 32 of the 109 homes tested (29%) in Health Canada's 2009–2011 survey were at or above the 200 Bq/m³ guideline; across BC, 143 of 1,817 (7.9%).
The survey tested about a hundred volunteer homes per health region, with one long-term test each. That gives a rough regional picture: it isn't a map, and a region where few or none tested high can still have homes above the guideline. The only way to know is to test the home: radon and buying a home in BC.
Source: Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Concentrations in Homes (2009–2011), Health Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Health Service Delivery Area Boundaries, Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia).
Check one lot: has it burned? · is it on a floodplain map? · is it behind a dike? · is there a dam nearby? · landslides nearby? · contaminated sites nearby? · radon? · how much is too steep?
Source: Agricultural Land Reserve polygons, Agricultural Land Commission (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Fire perimeters – historical, BC Wildfire Service (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Mineral, placer and coal tenures, Mineral Titles Branch (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Preliminary Canadian Landslide Database, version 14.0 (May 2026), Brideau et al. (CC BY 4.0); 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
Cost to own Typical for its size
Homes: the typical home costs 6.4 years of a typical household's income, compared with 7.1 years in a typical rural area.
- Typical home value against typical household income
- 6.4 years of income typical rural area: 7.1 years
- Median home value (owners' estimate, 2021)
- $400,000
- Median monthly rent (2021)
- $665
- Speculation and vacancy tax
- doesn't apply here
More on cost to own
Property tax
In Area K, the Province collects the property tax. At 2026 rates every home here pays at least $3.23 per $1,000 of assessed value: about $3,233 a year on a $1,000,000 home, before the home owner grant. Local service areas (fire protection, recreation, street lighting, water and others) cover parts of the area and add to that, up to $0.55 per $1,000 each; which ones cover a given lot is on its tax notice.
- Regional district (the electoral area's share) $0.71
- Regional hospital district $0.16
- School (set by the Province) $1.83
- Provincial rural tax $0.39
- Police tax $0.11
- Other $0.04
On $500,000: at least about $1,616 a year; on $1,000,000: at least about $3,233, at 2026 rates, before the home owner grant.
Your bill uses BC Assessment's value for the property, which can differ from its price, and may also include parcel taxes and utility fees (water, sewer, garbage) that aren't rates on value. The home owner grant takes up to $570 off the bill of a home its owner lives in ($770 in the Province's northern and rural area in 2026, and up to $845, or $1,045 there, for seniors, veterans and people with a disability), for homes assessed at $2,075,000 or less in 2026; above that it shrinks by $5 for each $1,000. From 2027 the northern and rural extra ends and the regular grant is $570 everywhere. The owner applies each year, and must pay at least $350 in tax ($100 for the higher grant) after it. Our summary of the Province's page, read 2026-10-04. Rural rates aren't ranked: what a home pays depends on the service areas it's in. Confirm with the Province's Surveyor of Taxes. How property tax works in BC.
Source: The Surveyor of Taxes' rural tax rates, 2026, Province of BC (the rates only: facts set in public bylaws, not open data); Home owner grant, Province of BC (summarised in our words, read 2026-10-04).
Area K is outside the Province's speculation and vacancy tax area, so the tax doesn't apply to a home here. Our summary of the Province's pages, read 2026-10-04. Where the tax applies, and who pays.
The typical home here is the median value owners gave the 2021 census, and the typical household's income is the median for 2020: a home that costs 6.4 years of income took that many years of a typical household's whole income. "Typical" for places its size is the middle of BC's rural electoral areas.
Land for sale nearby
The 5 nearest listings on AcreScout within 25 km of the middle of the area's addresses at Nakusp, nearest first.
| Listing | Asking price | Size | Per acre | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 944 Guidon RoadNakusp, listed 175 days ago | $1,299,000 | 149 acres | $8,718 an acre | 500 m |
| 707 Billings RoadNakusp, listed 254 days ago | $275,000 | 4.9 acres | $56,122 an acre | 600 m |
| 736 Bartley RoadNakusp, listed 582 days ago | $449,900 | 5 acres | $89,980 an acre | 900 m |
| Bartley RoadNakusp, listed 46 days ago | $249,000 | Not given | – | 1 km |
| 864 Bartley RoadNakusp, listed 49 days ago | $585,000 | 4.9 acres | $119,388 an acre | 1.3 km |
Distances are straight lines to the listing's pin. Where AcreScout places a listing only roughly, no distance is given, only the place it's near. Per acre is left out under about an acre. Asking prices are what sellers ask, not what land sells for.
Listings: AcreScout, a Buretto site; active listings as of 2026-11-15. Asking prices set by the sellers; not a valuation.
Source: Census of Population 2021, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
What you can build Typical for its size
On a lot zoned for a house, the zoning must allow at least a secondary suite or a garden suite (the provincial minimum).
- Homes allowed on a house lot (provincial minimum)
- a house and a secondary suite or garden suite
- Short-term rentals
- The Province's principal residence requirement doesn't apply in Area K (list in force from June 1, 2026).
- In the farmland reserve (ALR)
- 4.9% typical rural area: 4%
More on what you can build
In Area K, a zone limited to detached houses must allow at least one secondary suite or detached accessory home (a garden suite or carriage house) next to a house. A floor of 3 or 4 homes applies on rural land only inside an urban containment boundary drawn in a regional growth strategy, and most rural land is outside one. None of it applies on land in an Islands Trust local trust area or under a rural land use bylaw, and in the Agricultural Land Reserve the Commission's limits come first. How many homes you can build on a lot.
The Province's principal residence requirement doesn't apply in Area K (list in force from June 1, 2026), so the provincial rule doesn't limit short-term rentals to the host's home. Local bylaws, including the zone's own rules, can be stricter. Hosts anywhere in BC register each unit with the provincial registry. Short-term rental rules in BC.
Reports for lots in Area K can't name the zone: we have no open zoning map for it (see the places covered).
Ask the Central Kootenay Regional District for a lot's zone and what it allows.
The Regional District of Central Kootenay's building inspection covers all of Area K (Building Bylaw No. 2200, 2010): building, adding on, moving or demolishing a building needs a building permit, and the work is inspected. Our reading of the Regional District of Central Kootenay's own page, checked 2026-10-07. Do you need a building permit on rural land?
The Province maps 7 designated community watersheds, Kuskanax Community Watershed, Caribou Community Watershed and Heart Community Watershed among them, over 14% of Area K: land draining to a licensed drinking-water intake, where logging and roads on Crown land must protect the supply. A report says whether a lot lies in one and whose water it is. Community watersheds in BC, by place.
Check one lot: is it in the ALR? · is the soil good for farming? · is it in a community watershed?
Source: Agricultural Land Reserve polygons, Agricultural Land Commission (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
Living here
1 bus route on Fridays only, no licensed child care on the Province's list, 1 fire hall and a 24-hour emergency department.
- Homes with 50/10 Mbps internet or faster
- 60% typical rural area: 81%
- Homes with LTE mobile coverage
- 74%
- Nearest emergency department open around the clock
- Nakusp, 2.3 km in a straight line
- Fire halls
- 1 on the Province's list; the nearest 3.3 km from the middle of the area's addresses at Nakusp
- Buses
- 1 route, on Fridays only
- Licensed child care
- none on the Province's list
- Crime, weighted for how serious it is
- no police service of its own in Statistics Canada's figures: those of the Nakusp RCMP detachment (rural) are under More
More on living here
Internet
60% of homes in Area K have 50/10 Mbps or faster recorded, wired or fixed wireless, against 97.6% across BC. 20% have nothing at 25/5 Mbps or faster.
| Share of homes here | BC | |
|---|---|---|
| 50/10 Mbps or faster, wired or fixed wireless | 60% | 97.6% |
| 50/10 Mbps or faster over a wired line | 32% | 96.2% |
| 50/10 Mbps or faster over fixed wireless | 48% | 87% |
| Nothing at 25/5 Mbps or faster | 20% | 1.4% |
| LTE mobile coverage | 74% | 99.1% |
| Homes counted (2021) | 1,100 | 2,170,255 |
| Rank in BC, homes without 50/10 Mbps | 45th of 248 | |
This is the service providers report to the federal government (ISED), counted over each area's homes in the 2021 census. It isn't a promise for any address: ask providers whether they serve it and what it costs to connect. Satellite service, which needs only a clear view of the sky, isn't counted. Data released May 2026. What internet can a given lot get?
Source: National Broadband Data (May 2026) and Pseudo-Household Demographic Distribution (2021), Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
Nearest hospital
The nearest hospital on the Province's list (updated 2026-10-01) is Arrow Lakes Hospital, Nakusp, about 2.3 km in a straight line from the middle of the area's addresses at Nakusp. Its emergency department's hours on HealthLink BC's list: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Roads are longer than these straight lines, and a small town's emergency department can close for a shift when it's short of staff: the health authority posts these as service changes. In an emergency, call 9-1-1. How far is the nearest hospital from a property?
Source: Hospitals in BC, HealthLinkBC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Emergency Rooms in BC, HealthLinkBC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia).
Fire protection
In Area K, a fire department answers calls only inside the fire protection area its service bylaw sets, so a hall nearby doesn't by itself mean a lot is covered: ask the Central Kootenay Regional District which department responds, if any. The Province's list (updated 2026-09-11) has one fire hall in Area K: Fauquier Volunteer Fire Brigade. The nearest to the middle of the area's addresses at Nakusp is Nakusp Volunteer Fire Department, about 3.3 km away in a straight line. Home insurers ask the road distance to the hall that responds, which can be far longer than the straight line. How far is the nearest fire hall, and what insurers ask
Source: First Responders (fire halls and ambulance stations), GeoBC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia).
Transit
BC Transit runs route (53) in Area K, on Fridays only, from 9 stops. Read from the published schedules for one week (the week of October 19, 2026); service changes with the seasons. A report on a lot names its nearest stop and how often buses leave it.
Source: BC Transit schedules (GTFS), read 2026-10-12 (BC Transit Open Data Terms of Use); placed by us in the 2021 census boundary 2026-10-12. Bus and train service in every BC place.
Crime
The Nakusp RCMP detachment (rural) reported a crime severity index of 80 in 2025, below BC's 92; up 8% since 2015 (BC unchanged).
| Crime severity index, 2025 | 80 (BC 92) |
|---|---|
| Violent / non-violent index | 110 / 69 (BC 98 / 91) |
| Crime severity index, 2015 | 75 (BC 93) |
| Change since 2015 | Up 8% (BC unchanged) |
| Break and enter, per 100,000 people, 2025 | 511 (BC 281) |
| Theft of a vehicle, per 100,000 people, 2025 | 230 (BC 138) |
| Theft from a vehicle, per 100,000 people, 2025 | 204 (BC 441) |
| Violent crime, per 100,000 people, 2025 | 1,889 (BC 1,531) |
| All Criminal Code offences (not traffic), per 100,000 people, 2025 | 6,612 (BC 6,943) |
Inferred: the nearest RCMP rural detachment Statistics Canada publishes figures for, about 18 km away. BC's police boundaries aren't open data, so the detachment that actually polices this place may be another.
The crime severity index weighs each offence by how serious it is (one assault counts for more than several thefts), with Canada in 2006 set at 100. Rates are per 100,000 people living in the police service's area, so places with many visitors, commuters or seasonal homes read high, and in small places a few incidents swing the figures a lot. These are crimes reported to police, not all crime.
Source: Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0063-01, Crime severity index and weighted clearance rates, police services in British Columbia (Statistics Canada Open Licence); Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0184-01, Incident-based crime statistics, by detailed violations, police services in British Columbia (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
Water
217 water-supply wells on record; half are deeper than 51 m, and the median tested yield is 36 L/min.
- Water-supply wells on record
- 217; half deeper than 51 m; median tested yield 36 L/min
- Rank in BC for well depth
- 88th of 245 (tied)
More on water
The Province's monitoring records hold groundwater samples from 1 well in Area K, 2002. The median passed Health Canada's limit for uranium (1 well). A report names the nearest sampled wells within 10 km of a lot. A neighbouring well isn't your water: test your own. What BC's well water tests for, by place.
Mapped aquifers
4 mapped aquifers lie in Area K, most wells first.
- 1Aquifer 1127: Greater Nakusp Areafractured sedimentary rock52 wells · low productivity
- 2Aquifer 1128: Village of Nakuspunconfined sand and gravel (deltaic)30 wells · moderate productivity
- 3Aquifer 873: Edgewoodunconfined sand and gravel (late glacial outwash)10 wells · moderate productivity
- 4Aquifer 874: Edgewoodconfined sand and gravel (glacial)4 wells · high productivity
An aquifer is listed for each place that holds at least a twentieth of it, so a sliver of one at the edge can be left out. Wells and productivity are for the whole aquifer, which can reach well beyond Area K. The province maps aquifers mostly in settled valleys, so a lot outside every outline can still have groundwater. Every mapped aquifer in BC · sampled lakes.
Sampled lakes
4 sampled lakes lie in Area K (2 only partly), largest first.
- 1Upper Arrow Lake319 km² · 47% of it hereoligotrophic (inferred)
- 2Lower Arrow Lake193 km² · 43% of it hereoligotrophic (inferred)
- 3Mosquito Lake (Upper Arrow Lake watershed)2 km²too few readings to judge
- 4Little Mosquito Lake12.5 hatoo few readings to judge
A lake is listed for each place that holds at least a twentieth of it or 100 ha of it. Clarity is the median summer Secchi depth; the nutrient class is our reading of Carlson's index from phosphorus or chlorophyll, not a provincial rating. Either is given only for a lake with at least 10 summer readings from open water, spread over at least 3 different years, since 2012. Most lakes have never been sampled, so a lake missing here may simply have no record. Every sampled lake in BC.
Source: Groundwater wells (GWELLS), Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Ground Water Aquifers, Water Protection and Sustainability Branch, Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); BC Environmental Monitoring Data System (EnMoDS) results, Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
Climate and sun
January averages −1.7 °C and July 20 °C, at the Nakusp station, 6 km from Nakusp (1991-2020 normals).
- January mean temperature
- -1.7 °C typical rural area: −1.2 °C
- July mean temperature
- 20 °C
- Days a year over 30 °C
- 21 days* typical rural area: 7
Winter sun
About 4 h 40 min of possible direct sun on December 21 at the middle of the area's addresses at Nakusp, against 7 h 50 min on open ground; a lot on a slope or bench can differ by hours: open any lot's report for its own.
On March 21, 10 h 20 min against 12 h; on June 21, 15 h 10 min against 16 h 10 min. Our estimate from the terrain around the point, ground at about 566 m, seen from head height: trees, buildings and cloud aren't counted. On BC's least winter sun ranking (December sun as a share of open ground) it is 37th of 310 (tied). How winter sun is read.
More on climate and sun
| 1991-2020 normals | Rank in BC | |
|---|---|---|
| January mean temperature | -1.7 °C | 61st of 116 (tied) |
| July mean temperature | 20 °C | 24th of 116 (tied) |
| Lowest temperature recorded, 1991-2020 | -20.3 °C (1996) | 28th of 64 (tied) |
| Days a year over 30 °C | 21 days; 2.4 days over 35 °C* | Not ranked* |
| Highest temperature recorded, 1991-2020 | 40.4 °C (1998) | |
| Wettest day recorded, 1991-2020 | 55.4 mm of rain and melted snow, January 23, 2012 | |
| Strongest gust recorded, 1991-2020 | 98 km/h, September 26, 1997; gusts of 90 km/h or more on under half a day a year* | |
| Heating degree days, below 18 °C | 3,642 a year* | |
| Growing degree days, above 5 °C | 2,000 a year; 1,054 above 10 °C* |
Normals for 1991-2020 at the Nakusp station, about 6 km from the middle of the area's addresses at Nakusp (of the communities here with a station within 30 km, the one with the most addresses). Its normals don't include yearly precipitation, yearly snowfall, the frost-free period or days with snow on the ground, so those are left out. * Based on at least 20 or 15 of the 30 years, short of the World Meteorological Organization's standard: treat as a rougher guide. The records are single days measured at the station: the most rain, snow and wind it saw in 1991-2020. Each is one event, not what to expect in a year, and the lot can get more or less than the station. Elevation matters a lot in BC: a hillside lot can be much colder and snowier than the station.
Plant hardiness zone: most homes here are in zone 7a (41%); 29% are in 7b, 16% are in 6a, 11% are in 6b, on Natural Resources Canada's 2025 map. Higher numbers are milder winters. What the zones mean.
Solar panels: a south-facing panel tilted at the latitude would make about 990 kWh a year for each kW of panels at the middle of the area's addresses at Nakusp, about 33 of it in December (estimated from Natural Resources Canada's 1998-2022 sunshine map). An open sky is assumed: the hills, trees and buildings around a lot cut it, and a report sets the lot's own skyline beside it. What solar panels would make in BC.
By the 2050s (2041-2070) at Nakusp, climate models project about 21 more days over 30 °C a year, a longest frost-free run about 55 days longer and about 16 percentage points less of winter's precipitation falling as snow, each against the same models' 1971-2000 (model projections under SSP2-4.5, a middle path for emissions). The models work on a grid of about 9 by 6 km, which averages valley floors with the slopes around them, so their own figures can sit well off a station's normals and aren't comparable with them. Their own figures there: about 32 days over 30 °C a year in 2041-2070 (range 24 to 52 across the models), against about 11 days in 1971-2000; a longest frost-free run of about 205 days (range 175 to 230), against about 150; and about 54% of winter's precipitation falling as snow (range 40% to 58%), against about 70%. The ranges run from the 10th to the 90th percentile of the models' 2041-2070 figures. The 2050s across BC.
Light at night within 1 km of the middle of the area's addresses at Nakusp: none recorded from space, and darker than about 94% of BC's homes (2024 satellite record). A lot away from the centre can be much darker. How dark are BC's nights?
Lightning: around the middle of the area's addresses at Nakusp, a cloud-to-ground flash within 10 km on about 10 days a year and 0.20 flashes per km² a year, more than at 3 in 4 BC homes (the Canadian Lightning Detection Network, 1998-2025 average, on a grid of about 11 by 7 km).
Source: Canadian Climate Normals 1991-2020 and 1981-2010, Environment and Climate Change Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Plant hardiness zones of Canada (2025 map), Natural Resources Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Medium Resolution Digital Elevation Model (MRDEM-30), Natural Resources Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Solar position: General Solar Position Calculations (NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory; Spencer, 1971) (Public domain); Daily average solar irradiance on tilted surfaces for all of Canada (1998-2022), Natural Resources Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Photovoltaic Potential and Solar Resource Maps of Canada (performance ratio), Natural Resources Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Statistically downscaled climate indices from CMIP6 global climate models (CanDCS-M6), Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium, via the Canadian Centre for Climate Services (Open Government Licence – Canada); VIIRS Nighttime Lights, 2024 annual composite, Earth Observation Group, Payne Institute for Public Policy, Colorado School of Mines (Elvidge et al. 2021, Remote Sensing 13(5):922), via Hengl, OpenGeoHub, Zenodo doi 10.5281/zenodo.7750174 (CC BY 4.0); Canadian Lightning Detection Network cloud-to-ground flashes (CanCPLDv1), Environment and Climate Change Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada).
Land use around
2 major projects in assessment or approved in or near Area K on the Environmental Assessment Office's register; 5.5% of its land is under mineral, placer or coal titles.
- Major projects in assessment or approved, in or within 5 km
- 2: Pingston Creek Hydroelectric; Coursier Dam Decommissioning
- Under mineral, placer or coal titles
- 5.5%
- Who holds them
- Largest company holders: Stuhini Exploration Ltd. (20% of the land under title), Columbia Carbon Inc (12%), Gustafson Holdings Ltd (9.8%); private individuals hold titles over 43% of it, on the Province's record as of October 29, 2026.
More on land use around
Major projects in Area K
The Environmental Assessment Office's register places 2 major projects in assessment or approved in Area K or within 5 km of it: Pingston Creek Hydroelectric (power plant, certificate issued May 18, 1999, operating); Coursier Dam Decommissioning (power plant, certificate issued May 8, 2003, being decommissioned).
| Project | Decision | Phase | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pingston Creek HydroelectricPower Plants | Certificate Issued, May 18, 1999 | Post Decision – Operation | In Area K |
| Coursier Dam DecommissioningPower Plants | Certificate Issued, May 8, 2003 | Post Decision – Decommission | About 2.8 km outside |
Major projects are those large enough to need a provincial environmental assessment: mines, power plants, pipelines, transmission lines, highways, ports and resorts. The register places each at one point; a mine, pipeline or line can reach well past it, so check the project's own page for its maps. A property report lists those within 10 km of a lot; every project in BC by place.
Source: Environmental Assessment Office project points (EPIC), Province of BC, as of 2026-11-02 (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
The Province lists 8 active waste discharge authorizations in Area K; the commonest kinds: sawmill or other primary wood processing (3), sewage treatment or discharge site (2) and fuel storage or distribution site (1). Of these, 3 may discharge to air, 2 effluent to water or land and 3 refuse to land. A report lists any within 2 km of a lot, and flags one whose point is on it. Permitted discharges in BC, by place.
The Province maps 3 open gravel pits and quarries in Area K: Arrow Quarry, CBC East Mosquito Pit and Y2K Dunn Road pit; and 3 other open mine permits: 2 placer mines and 1 mineral exploration or mine permit area. A report lists the permits within 2 km of a lot, names an open pit or quarry within 500 m and flags one whose permit area takes in the lot. Gravel pits and mine permits in BC, by place.
On ParcelMap BC, the land in Area K is 3% private, 8% Crown land with a parcel drawn (3% with no title); no parcel is mapped over 89%, likely most of it untitled Crown land, with lakes and road allowances. A report says who owns the land along a lot's line. Crown land next to a property, and every place's land by owner.
The Ministry of Forests maps 11 active Crown range tenures (11 grazing) reaching into Area K, over 10% of its area, licensed for about 4,199 animal unit months of grazing a year in all. Outside a pound district, keeping livestock off a lot is the owner's fence to build. A report lists any tenure within 1 km of a lot. Open range and grazing in BC, by place.
The Province maps 32 registered traplines over nearly all of the area and 4 guide outfitter territories over 49% in Area K. The maps are drawn over titled land too, but traplines are registered on Crown land: on titled land, anyone but the owner or occupier needs their written permission to trap. A report says whether either takes in a lot. Traplines and guiding territories in BC, by place.
Area K lies in wildlife management units 4-32 (45%), 4-15 (23%), 4-31 (22%), 4-14 (9%): the Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis sets seasons and closed areas by unit. Hunting and shooting on your own property.
BC Parks maps 9 parks and protected areas (Arrow Lakes Park - Burton Site, a provincial park; Arrow Lakes Park - Eagle Site, a provincial park; Arrow Lakes Park - Fauquier Site, a provincial park; Goat Range Park, a provincial park; and 5 more) reaching into Area K, over less than 1% of its land. Recreation Sites and Trails BC lists 18 sites there. A report names the nearest park and recreation site within 25 km of a lot. Parks and recreation sites in BC, by place.
Check one lot: is there a mineral claim? · power lines nearby? · pipelines nearby? · a gravel pit nearby? · a landfill or plant nearby? · logging planned nearby? · cattle on open range? · is there a trapline? · can I hunt on it? · a park nearby? · Crown land next door?
Source: Mineral, placer and coal tenures, Mineral Titles Branch (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
People
1,784 people in 2021, up 6.1% from 2016; the median age is 59.6.
| Here | BC | |
|---|---|---|
| Population, 2021 | 1,784 | 5,000,879 |
| Change since 2016 | +6.1% | +7.6% |
| Median age | 59.6 | 42.8 |
| Under 15 | 9.0% | 14.3% |
| 65 and over | 36.0% | 20.3% |
| Median household income (2020) | $62,400 | $85,000 |
| Homes owned by the people living in them | 89.7% | 66.8% |
| Single-detached houses | 89.0% | 42.4% |
| Movable dwellings (mobile homes and the like) | 10.4% | 2.5% |
| Built before 1961 | 9.8% | 12.5% |
| Needing major repairs | 10.3% | 5.8% |
| Median home value (owners' estimate) | $400,000 | $785,000 |
| Median monthly rent | $665 | $1,370 |
| Worked from home | 25.0% | 22.6% |
| Unemployment rate | 17.9% | 8.4% |
Bars: the dark bar is this place, the red mark is BC.
Who lives here
| Here | BC | |
|---|---|---|
| Indigenous identity | 6.2% | 5.9% |
| Immigrants | 14.2% | 29.0% |
| Visible minority | 3.1% | 34.4% |
| No religion or a secular outlook | 61.9% | 52.1% |
Census figures, shown for context like the others. We don't rank or score places on these.
More on people
Census figures are from 2021; the next census results start in 2027. Area boundaries are Statistics Canada's census subdivisions, which follow municipal and electoral area lines. The places named at the top are the official place names in the area (BC Geographical Names) with the most 2021 homes nearer them than any other name, on ISED's home points: our reading.
Source: Census of Population 2021, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence); BC Geographical Names, Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Pseudo-Household Demographic Distribution (2021), Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada).