PlaceDossier / BC places / Nanaimo

Qualicum Beach

A town in the Nanaimo Regional District. 9,303 people lived here in 2021, up 4% from 2016.

Land and hazards

HereRank in BC
In the farmland reserve (ALR)29%43rd of 267
Burned by wildfire since 19960.0%
Years with a mapped wildfire since 19197most recent 1938
Under mineral, placer or coal titles0.0%
Land area18 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

101 water-supply wells on record; half are deeper than 40 m, and the median tested yield is 38 L/min. Wells here rank 161st of 296 for depth.

Source: Groundwater wells (GWELLS), Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia).

Climate

HereRank in BC
January mean temperature2.8 °C
July mean temperature17.2 °C145th of 237
Yearly precipitation1,138 mm
Yearly snowfall45 cm190th of 237

Normals for 1981-2010 at the Coombs station, about 5 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

HereBC
Population, 20219,3035,000,879
Change since 2016+4%+7.6%
Median age67.542.8
Under 156.8%14.3%
65 and over56.3%20.3%
Median household income (2020)$76,500$85,000
Homes owned by the people living in them86.9%66.8%
Single-detached houses79.3%42.4%
Movable dwellings (mobile homes and the like)1.0%2.5%
Built before 19616.3%12.5%
Needing major repairs2.3%5.8%
Median home value (owners' estimate)$725,000$785,000
Median monthly rent$1,360$1,370
Worked from home25.4%22.6%
Unemployment rate7.7%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

HereBC
Indigenous identity3.2%5.9%
Immigrants20.4%29.0%
Visible minority3.3%34.4%
No religion or a secular outlook52.6%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.