PlaceDossier / BC places / Cowichan Valley
Cowichan Valley, Electoral Area E
An electoral area of the Cowichan Valley Regional District. 4,253 people lived here in 2021, up 3.2% from 2016.
Land and hazards
| Here | Rank in BC | |
|---|---|---|
| In the farmland reserve (ALR) | 22% | 65th of 267 |
| Burned by wildfire since 1996 | 0.5% | 140th of 215 |
| Years with a mapped wildfire since 1919 | 21 | most recent 2022 |
| Under mineral, placer or coal titles | 10% | 98th of 219 |
| Land area | 136 km² |
Shares of the land area, measured by us from the provincial 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.
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); 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
Water wells
995 water-supply wells on record; half are deeper than 28 m, and the median tested yield is 23 L/min. Wells here rank 214th of 296 for depth.
Source: Groundwater wells (GWELLS), Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia).
Climate
| Here | Rank in BC | |
|---|---|---|
| January mean temperature | 3.4 °C | |
| July mean temperature | 17.7 °C | 122nd of 237 |
| Yearly precipitation | 1,250 mm | |
| Yearly snowfall | 68 cm | 145th of 237 |
Normals for 1981-2010 at the Shawnigan Lake station, about 20 km from the centre of the area. Elevation matters a lot in BC: a hillside lot can be much colder and snowier than the station.
Source: Climate normals 1981-2010, Environment and Climate Change Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada).
People and homes
| Here | BC | |
|---|---|---|
| Population, 2021 | 4,253 | 5,000,879 |
| Change since 2016 | +3.2% | +7.6% |
| Median age | 46 | 42.8 |
| Under 15 | 16.7% | 14.3% |
| 65 and over | 21.3% | 20.3% |
| Median household income (2020) | $83,000 | $85,000 |
| Homes owned by the people living in them | 80.2% | 66.8% |
| Single-detached houses | 92.4% | 42.4% |
| Movable dwellings (mobile homes and the like) | 3.0% | 2.5% |
| Built before 1961 | 22.5% | 12.5% |
| Needing major repairs | 5.5% | 5.8% |
| Median home value (owners' estimate) | $650,000 | $785,000 |
| Median monthly rent | $1,330 | $1,370 |
| Worked from home | 19.5% | 22.6% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.9% | 8.4% |
Bars: the dark bar is this place, the gold mark is BC.
Source: Census of Population 2021, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
Who lives here
| Here | BC | |
|---|---|---|
| Indigenous identity | 7.4% | 5.9% |
| Immigrants | 7.7% | 29.0% |
| Visible minority | 3.4% | 34.4% |
| No religion or a secular outlook | 71.1% | 52.1% |
Bars: the dark bar is this place, the gold mark is BC.
Shown for context, like the other census figures. We don't rank or score places on these.
Source: Census of Population 2021, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
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.