PlaceDossier / BC places / North Okanagan

North Okanagan, Electoral Area E

An electoral area of the North Okanagan Regional District. 1,092 people lived here in 2021, up 8.1% from 2016, on 2,639 km² of land. It takes in Cherryville.

BC place · electoral area

How Area E compares with BC's other rural areas

  1. Evacuations: an order to leave, in July 2024 (fire). The Province's record starts in April 2017. One of 65 of BC's 159 rural electoral areas with one.

Typical for its size No scheduled buses, 2 licensed child care providers, the nearest fire hall 26 km away and a 24-hour emergency department 48 km away.

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.

Area E outlined. Zoom in to see its lots; tap one for its report.

Hazards Typical for its size

Evacuations: an order to leave, in July 2024 (fire). The Province's record starts in April 2017. One of 65 of BC's 159 rural electoral areas with one.

Burned by wildfire since 1996
6.3% typical rural area: 2%
Years with a mapped wildfire since 1917
50, the latest 2024
Evacuation events since April 2017
1 with an order to leave, 1 with alerts only; the latest July 2024, an order
Radon: homes tested at or above the guideline in its health region
17% in Okanagan (BC: 7.9%)
More on hazards

Its land, ranked in BC

HereRank in BC
In the farmland reserve (ALR)2.8%193rd of 267 (tied)
Burned by wildfire since 19966.3%66th of 215 (tied)
Years with a mapped wildfire since 191750most recent 2024
Under mineral, placer or coal titles12%81st of 219 (tied)
Land area2,639 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 E, together 11,099 ha, 4% of its land (ground that burned twice counts once). The most here was the Winnifred Creek wildfire in 2021, 5,081 ha.

2024: 1,262 ha here2021: 7,585 ha here2003: 2,252 ha here19902000201020202026
  1. 2024Sitkum Creek wildfire1,262 ha in all1,262 ha here
  2. 2021Winnifred Creek wildfire5,081 ha in all5,081 ha here
  3. 2021Star Creek wildfire1,354 ha in all1,354 ha here
  4. 2021Hobson Peak wildfire1,150 ha in all1,150 ha here
  5. 2003Unnamed fire K403581,483 ha in all1,483 ha here
  6. 2003Unnamed fire K404691,586 ha in all · 48% of it here769 ha here

Smaller mapped fires since 2016

Since 2016, the BC Wildfire Service mapped 29 smaller fires (under 1,000 ha) that reached Area E, newest first. This season's are as mapped by November 9, 2026.

  1. 2026Unnamed fire K41355283 ha in all283 ha here
  2. 2026Unnamed fire K422634.1 ha in all4.1 ha here
  3. 2026Unnamed fire K408991.8 ha in all1.8 ha here
  4. 2024Unnamed fire K4111121 ha in all21 ha here
  5. 2024Bonneau Creek wildfire2.3 ha in all2.3 ha here
  6. 2023Star Creek wildfire9.9 ha in all9.9 ha here
  7. 2022Gates Creek wildfire286 ha in all286 ha here
  8. 2022Unnamed fire K40937274 ha in all274 ha here
And 21 more
  1. 2022Vigue Creek wildfire70 ha in all70 ha here
  2. 2022Vanwyk Creek wildfire15 ha in all15 ha here
  3. 2022Gates Creek wildfire6 ha in all6 ha here
  4. 2022Heckman wildfire1.2 ha in all1.2 ha here
  5. 2022Unnamed fire K409281.1 ha in all1.1 ha here
  6. 2022Olive FSR wildfire0.3 ha in all0.3 ha here
  7. 2021Spectrum Creek wildfire481 ha in all481 ha here
  8. 2021Vigue Creek wildfire467 ha in all467 ha here
  9. 2021Lower Nelson FSR wildfire383 ha in all383 ha here
  10. 2021Sugar Lake FSR wildfire102 ha in all102 ha here
  11. 2021Keefer Lake wildfire45 ha in all45 ha here
  12. 2021Inonoaklin Creek wildfire28 ha in all28 ha here
  13. 2018Unnamed fire K41791394 ha in all394 ha here
  14. 2018Unnamed fire K42705216 ha in all · 21% of it here46 ha here
  15. 2018Unnamed fire K4214344 ha in all44 ha here
  16. 2018Unnamed fire K4214632 ha in all32 ha here
  17. 2018Unnamed fire K4244822 ha in all22 ha here
  18. 2018Unnamed fire K4273317 ha in all17 ha here
  19. 2018Unnamed fire K4284815 ha in all15 ha here
  20. 2018Unnamed fire K4214814 ha in all14 ha here
  21. 2018Unnamed fire K420402.2 ha in all2.2 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 E's land is 45% NDT2 (burned in large fires about every 200 years), 38% NDT1 (rarely burned, about every 250 to 350 years and in patches), 6% NDT3 (burned in large fires about every 100 to 150 years), 6% NDT5 (alpine tundra and subalpine parkland) and 5% NDT4 (burned often and lightly, every 4 to 50 years). Its main biogeoclimatic zones are Engelmann Spruce–Subalpine Fir (61%) and Interior Cedar–Hemlock (38%). 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 2 wildfire events with an evacuation order or alert over Area E, 1 with an order. The latest order: Sitkum Creek Wildfire, July 2024.

  1. 2024Sitkum Creek WildfireJuly 2024 · evacuation order · Regional District of North Okanagan
  2. 2021Kettle River - WildfireJuly 2021 · evacuation alert · Regional District of North Okanagan2 homes

Listed when an order or alert area covered at least 5% of the land in Area E, or lay mostly in Area E 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 E. 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

None of the flood, landslide or other non-fire evacuation orders or alerts in the Province's record since April 2017 covered 5% or more of the land or homes in Area E.

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.

32 landslides are recorded inside Area E in the Preliminary Canadian Landslide Database (version 14.0), including 10 rock slides, 5 rock falls and 4 debris flows. 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 lists 7 dams in Area E, 1 of them classed High or above for the harm a failure would do downstream: Sugar Lake Dam (Extreme). Of these, 2 are recorded as breached (failed). 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.

One Water Survey of Canada gauge in Area E has 5 or more years of yearly peak flows: Shuswap River at Outlet of Sugar Lake Reservoir peaked highest at 294 m³/s in 2012 (48 years on record). 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 Okanagan health region, 19 of the 109 homes tested (17%) 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

Homes: the typical home costs 9.5 years of a typical household's income, compared with 7.1 years in a typical rural area.

Typical home value against typical household income
9.5 years of income typical rural area: 7.1 years
Median home value (owners' estimate, 2021)
$500,000
Median monthly rent (2021)
$1,080
Speculation and vacancy tax
doesn't apply here
More on cost to own

Property tax

In Area E, the Province collects the property tax. At 2026 rates every home here pays at least $2.74 per $1,000 of assessed value: about $2,742 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 $1.42 per $1,000 each; which ones cover a given lot is on its tax notice.

  • Regional district (the electoral area's share) $0.46
  • Regional hospital district $0.23
  • School (set by the Province) $1.46
  • Provincial rural tax $0.39
  • Police tax $0.16
  • Other $0.04
Where each $1,000 of assessed value goes, 2026, before local service areas. Buildings also pay $1.29 per $1,000 of their value.
$

On $500,000: at least about $1,371 a year; on $1,000,000: at least about $2,742, 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 E 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 9.5 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 Cherryville, nearest first.

ListingAsking priceSizePer acreAway
180 Mitchell RoadCherryville, listed 45 days ago$279,0009.8 acres$28,469 an acre3.1 km
522 North Fork RoadCherryville, listed 173 days ago$1,059,0005 acres$211,800 an acre3.3 km
59 Beaven RoadCherryville, listed 127 days ago$999,99920 acres$50,000 an acre3.8 km
1206 Highway 6 HighwayCherryville, listed 143 days ago$749,0002.3 acres$325,652 an acre4.1 km
40 Acres Shuswap River DriveLumby, listed 614 days ago$225,00040 acres$5,625 an acre7.8 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 E (list in force from June 1, 2026).
In the farmland reserve (ALR)
2.8% typical rural area: 4%
More on what you can build

In Area E, 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 E (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 E can't name the zone: we have no open zoning map for it (see the places covered).

Ask the North Okanagan Regional District for a lot's zone and what it allows.

The Regional District of North Okanagan's building inspection covers all of Area E (Building Bylaw No. 2670, 2015): building, adding on, moving or demolishing a building needs a building permit, and the work is inspected. Our reading of the Regional District of North Okanagan's own page, checked 2026-10-07. Do you need a building permit on rural land?

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 Typical for its size

No scheduled buses, 2 licensed child care providers, the nearest fire hall 26 km away and a 24-hour emergency department 48 km away.

Homes with 50/10 Mbps internet or faster
87% typical rural area: 81%
Homes with LTE mobile coverage
92%
Nearest emergency department open around the clock
Vernon, 48 km in a straight line
Fire halls
none in the place; the nearest 26 km from Cherryville
Buses
no scheduled buses
Licensed child care
2 (2 group facilities, 0 family homes)
Crime, weighted for how serious it is
no police service of its own in Statistics Canada's figures: those of the Lumby RCMP detachment (rural) are under More
More on living here

Internet

87% of homes in Area E have 50/10 Mbps or faster recorded, wired or fixed wireless, against 97.6% across BC. 11% have nothing at 25/5 Mbps or faster.

Share of homes hereBC
50/10 Mbps or faster, wired or fixed wireless87%97.6%
50/10 Mbps or faster over a wired line79%96.2%
50/10 Mbps or faster over fixed wireless68%87%
Nothing at 25/5 Mbps or faster11%1.4%
LTE mobile coverage92.3%99.1%
Homes counted (2021)5082,170,255
Rank in BC, homes without 50/10 Mbps94th 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 Vernon Jubilee Hospital, about 48 km in a straight line from Cherryville. 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 E, 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 North Okanagan Regional District which department responds, if any. The Province's list (updated 2026-09-11) has no fire hall in Area E. The nearest to Cherryville is Lumby And District Volunteer Fire Department, about 26 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).

Child care

The Province lists 2 licensed group child care facilities in Area E. By the ages their operators list, 1 takes preschool children; 1 lists no ages. Both take part in the fee reduction (CCFRI). Family child care homes are counted but not named or mapped, since they are private homes. Many operators list no ages, and the list holds the licensed facilities the Province funds, so a licensed one without that funding isn't on it. A report on a lot names its nearest group facility and counts those within 1 and 2 km; ask each facility about spaces and its wait list.

Source: Child Care Map Data, Child Care Programs and Services (listed 2026-10-11) (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); placed by us in the 2021 census boundary 2026-10-11. Licensed child care in every BC place.

Crime

The Lumby RCMP detachment (rural) reported a crime severity index of 44 in 2025, below BC's 92; down 12% since 2015 (BC unchanged).

Crime severity index, 202544 (BC 92)
Violent / non-violent index47 / 43 (BC 98 / 91)
Crime severity index, 201550 (BC 93)
Change since 2015Down 12% (BC unchanged)
Break and enter, per 100,000 people, 2025257 (BC 281)
Theft of a vehicle, per 100,000 people, 2025135 (BC 138)
Theft from a vehicle, per 100,000 people, 2025135 (BC 441)
Violent crime, per 100,000 people, 20251,136 (BC 1,531)
All Criminal Code offences (not traffic), per 100,000 people, 20253,611 (BC 6,943)

Inferred: the nearest RCMP rural detachment Statistics Canada publishes figures for, about 33 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

208 water-supply wells on record; half are deeper than 48 m, and the median tested yield is 57 L/min.

Water-supply wells on record
208; half deeper than 48 m; median tested yield 57 L/min
Rank in BC for well depth
100th of 245 (tied)
More on water

Mapped aquifers

5 mapped aquifers lie in Area E, most wells first.

  1. 1Aquifer 1159: Lower Cherryvilleunconfined sand and gravel (medium stream system)57 wells · moderate productivity
  2. 2Aquifer 311: Upper Cherryvilleconfined sand and gravel (glacial)23 wells · moderate productivity
  3. 3Aquifer 312: Cherryvillefractured crystalline bedrock12 wells · low productivity
  4. 4Aquifer 1158: Sugar Lakeunconfined sand and gravel (medium stream system)7 wells · moderate productivity
  5. 5Aquifer 313: Cherryvillefractured crystalline bedrock3 wells · low 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 E. 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

3 sampled lakes lie in Area E, largest first.

  1. 1Sugar Lake22 km²clarity 9.3 m (2012–2025)
  2. 2Peters Lake70.8 hatoo few readings to judge
  3. 3Spectrum Lake32.4 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

No climate station with published normals within 30 km of any of its settled places.

Winter sun

About 1 h 50 min of possible direct sun on December 21 at Cherryville, 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.

The point sits at the foot of a slope: the ground within 500 m of it takes about 1 h 40 min of December 21's sun; level ground nearby with an open view south gets about 3 h 30 min. That's why the place isn't ranked for winter sun.

On March 21, 11 h against 12 h; on June 21, 14 h 20 min against 16 h 10 min. Our estimate from the terrain around the point, ground at about 597 m, seen from head height: trees, buildings and cloud aren't counted. How winter sun is read.

20° up40° up60° upDec 21 · 1 h 50 minMar 21 · 11 hJun 21 · 14 h 20 minESESSWW
The skyline from Cherryville, from NRCan's elevation model every 5°, and the sun's path on December 21, March 21 and June 21: solid where the sun clears the hills, dotted where they hide it. Angles are drawn true to scale.
More on climate and sun

No climate station with published normals within 30 km of any of its settled places.

Plant hardiness zone: most homes here are in zone 6a (69%); 25% are in 5b, 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 980 kWh a year for each kW of panels at Cherryville, about 35 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 Cherryville, climate models project about 18 more days over 30 °C a year, a longest frost-free run about 40 days longer and about 12 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 24 days over 30 °C a year in 2041-2070 (range 16 to 41 across the models), against about 6 days in 1971-2000; a longest frost-free run of about 175 days (range 150 to 195), against about 135; and about 74% of winter's precipitation falling as snow (range 62% to 78%), against about 86%. 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 Cherryville: 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 Cherryville, a cloud-to-ground flash within 10 km on about 11 days a year and 0.24 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

No major project in assessment or approved in or near Area E on the Environmental Assessment Office's register; 12% of its land is under mineral, placer or coal titles.

Major projects in assessment or approved, in or within 5 km
none on the register
Under mineral, placer or coal titles
12%
Who holds them
Largest company holders: Eagle Plains Resources Ltd. (40% of the land under title), Geomap Exploration Inc. (8.7%), Seven5seven Holdings Ltd (4.6%); private individuals hold titles over 49% of it, on the Province's record as of October 29, 2026.
More on land use around

Major projects in Area E

No major project in assessment or approved is placed in Area E or within 5 km of it on the Environmental Assessment Office's register.

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 6 active waste discharge authorizations in Area E; the commonest kinds: soil amendment (biosolids or other wastes spread on land) (2), hazardous waste storage or treatment (1) and landfill, transfer station or other solid waste site (1). Of these, 1 may discharge effluent to water or 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 no open gravel pit or quarry in Area E, but 3 open mine permits: 2 placer mines and 1 mineral exploration 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 E is 3% private, 4% Crown land with a parcel drawn (3% with no title); no parcel is mapped over 93%, 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 21 active Crown range tenures (21 grazing) reaching into Area E, over 60% of its area, licensed for about 9,036 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 24 registered traplines over 98% of the area and 4 guide outfitter territories over 84% in Area E. 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 E lies in wildlife management units 8-23 (70%), 8-13 (16%): the Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis sets seasons and closed areas by unit. Hunting and shooting on your own property.

BC Parks maps 4 parks and protected areas (Granby Park, a provincial park; Greenbush Lake Protected Area; Monashee Park, a provincial park; and Upper Shuswap River Ecological Reserve) reaching into Area E, over 14% of its land. Recreation Sites and Trails BC lists 22 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

1,092 people in 2021, up 8.1% from 2016; the median age is 48.

HereBC
Population, 20211,0925,000,879
Change since 2016+8.1%+7.6%
Median age4842.8
Under 1517.4%14.3%
65 and over22.5%20.3%
Median household income (2020)$52,800$85,000
Homes owned by the people living in them82.2%66.8%
Single-detached houses77.8%42.4%
Movable dwellings (mobile homes and the like)20.0%2.5%
Built before 19613.3%12.5%
Needing major repairs13.3%5.8%
Median home value (owners' estimate)$500,000$785,000
Median monthly rent$1,080$1,370
Worked from home13.3%22.6%
Unemployment rate14.6%8.4%

Bars: the dark bar is this place, the red mark is BC.

Who lives here

HereBC
Indigenous identity6.0%5.9%
Immigrants6.0%29.0%
Visible minority2.3%34.4%
No religion or a secular outlook73.1%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).