Courtenay is a city on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is the largest city (and only "city") in the area commonly known as the Comox Valley, and it is the location of the head offices of the Comox Valley Regional District. Courtenay is just 4 km west of the town of Comox, 7 km northeast of the Village of Cumberland, 5 km northwest of the unincorporated settlement of Royston, and 108 km northwest of Nanaimo.

History

Courtenay was officially incorporated as a town on January 1, 1915. The city was named after the Courtenay River, which in turn, was named after George William Courtenay, captain of the British ship HMS Constance, which was stationed in the area between 1846 and 1849. Courtenay became a city in 1953.

Geography

Courtenay is located at (49.683333, -125.000000).

According to Statistics Canada, the city has a total area of 17.02 km². The major highway that runs through the city is Highway 19A. Courtenay is located at the northern terminus of the Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway.

Demographics

As of the Canada 2006 Census, there are 21,940 people, 7,995 private households, and 5,160 families residing in the city. The population density is 822.3/km². The city has a total of 8,549 housing units. The racial makeup of the city is 93.9% White, 4.9% of Asian descent, 4.0% Aboriginal, 0.5% Black, and 0.2% from two or more races. 0.4% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 7,995 households out of which 21.6% have couples with children under the age of 25 living with them, 50.0% are married couples living together, 31.4% with just one person, and 18.5% of other household types. The average household size is 2.7.

In the city the population is spread out with 26.6% under the age of 20, 5.5% from 20 to 24 due to lack of employment opportunities for that age group, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38.6 years. For every 100 females there are 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 20 and over, there are 87.7 males.

There are 13,880 people in the city with an income, with a median total income of $19,716. Of this income, earnings are 65.4%, government transfers are 19.5%, and other income is 15.1%. Average overall earnings are $26,065, with an average among full-year full-time earnings of $37,721.

Notable Persons

• Brendan Fletcher, actor
• Sarah Neufeld, musician
• Kim Cattrall, actress
• Ross Birchall, actor/director
• Pamela Anderson, actress
• Barry Pepper, actor

Tourist attractions

• The Museum of Courtenay and Regional District offers fossil tours of local rivers and historical exhibits. It is open year-round.
• Mount Washington Alpine Resort is the largest commercial ski area on Vancouver Island. Each winter season many flock there to enjoy the seasonal sports such as skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, snow tubing, snow shoeing, sledding and more, as well summer attractions such as mountain bike riding and hiking. The resort has a lot of on-mountain accommodation in the Alpine Village.
• Every summer, usually in July, the largest music festival (Island Music Fest) on Vancouver Island takes place in the Comox Valley. Performers and audience members from near and far gather for three days of camping and an eclectic mix of music.

External links

• City of Courtenay
• 2006 Census
• Downtown Courtenay (Business Improvement Association website)
• Comox Valley Visitor Center