Kent, British Columbia - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The District of Kent is a district municipality located 116 kilometres (72.1 mi) east of Vancouver

Vancouver

Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

, British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

. Part of the Fraser Valley Regional District

Fraser Valley Regional District

The Fraser Valley Regional District is a regional district in British Columbia, Canada. The FVRD covers an area of 13,361.74 km²...

, Kent consists of several communities, the largest and most well-known being Agassiz

Agassiz, British Columbia

Agassiz is a small community located in British Columbia's Fraser Valley. The only town within the jurisdiction of the District Municipality of Kent, it contains the majority of Kent's population.-References:...

, the only town in the municipality, Harrison Mills, Kilby, Mount Woodside, Kent Prairie, Sea Bird Island

Sea Bird Island (British Columbia)

Sea Bird Island is an island in the Fraser River just east of Agassiz, British Columbia, Canada, in the Upper Fraser Valley region of that province, about 75 miles east of Vancouver...

and Ruby Creek

Ruby Creek, British Columbia

Ruby Creek is a locality on the Fraser River in the District of Kent, British Columbia, Canada, in the Upper Fraser Valley region, located on BC Highway 7 and the mainline of the Canadian Pacific Railway, near the confluence of Ruby Creek with the Fraser, northeast of Sea Bird Island. Ruby Creek...

. Included within the municipality's boundaries are several separately-governed Indian reserve

Indian reserve

In Canada, an Indian reserve is specified by the Indian Act as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." The Act also specifies that land reserved for the use and benefit of a band which is not...

s, including the Seabird Island First Nation

Seabird Island First Nation

The or Seabird Indian Band is a band government of the Sto:lo people located on Sea Bird Island in the Upper Fraser Valley region, 3kms east of Agassiz, British Columbia, Canada...

's reserves on and around the island of the same name.

Kent's only incorporated municipal neighbours are Chilliwack

Chilliwack, British Columbia

Chilliwack is a Canadian city in the Province of British Columbia. It is a predominantly agricultural community with an estimated population of 80,000 people. Chilliwack is the second largest city in the Fraser Valley Regional District after Abbotsford. The city is surrounded by mountains and...

, to the south across the Fraser, and Harrison Hot Springs

Harrison Hot Springs, British Columbia

The Village of Harrison Hot Springs is a small community at the southern end of Harrison Lake in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia. It is a member of the Fraser Valley Regional District; its immediate neighbour is the District of Kent and included in it, the town of Agassiz. It is a resort...

which is an enclave on the north side of the municipality at the south end of Harrison Lake. Chehalis

Chehalis, British Columbia

Chehalis, British Columbia is a small forestry, agricultural and First Nations community in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia located on Highway 7 on the west bank of the Harrison River between the town of Mission and the resort community of Harrison Hot Springs.Chehalis is the site of...

, to the west across the Harrison River

Harrison River

The Harrison River is a short but large tributary of the Fraser River, entering it near the community of Chehalis, British Columbia. The Harrison drains Harrison Lake and is the de facto continuation of the Lillooet River, which feeds the lake....

from Harrison Mills, is unincorporated and largely an Indian reserve community of the Chehalis First Nation

Chehalis First Nation

The Chehalis First Nation or Chehalis Indian Band is the band government of the Sts'Ailes people, whose territories lie between Deroche and Agassiz, British Columbia...

Neighbourhoods

Located north of Chilliwack and south of Harrison Hot Springs, Kent is made up of several communities. Agassiz is the district's commercial and industrial centre, and also the largest community. Harrison Mills

Harrison Mills

Harrison Mills, formerly Carnarvon and also Harrison River, is an agricultural farming and tourism-based community in the District of Kent west of Agassiz, British Columbia. The community is a part of the Fraser Valley Regional District...

in western Kent consists of mainly agricultural land and is home to the British Columbia Heritage Kilby Museum and Campground. Harrison Highlands (formerly known as Mount Woodside, which is still the name of the mountain Harrison Highlands is located on) is a residential resort development located in central-west Kent targeted towards residents from Vancouver. Ruby Creek

Ruby Creek, British Columbia

to the northeast is a mixed rural-residential community. Rockwell Drive, at the eastern shore of Harrison Lake

Harrison Lake

Harrison Lake is the largest lake in the southern Coast Mountains of Canada, being about 250 square kilometres in area. It is about 60 km in length and at its widest almost 9 km across. Its southern end, at the resort community of Harrison Hot Springs, is c. 95 km east of...

, serves as a residential and commercial resort-like community.

Climate

Like the rest of southwest British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

, Kent enjoys a wet but moderate to mild climate in the wintertime with dry summers, with very few major temperature fluctuations. The warmest months are usually July and August, with an average of 23 degrees Celsius (74 degrees Fahrenheit); its coldest month is normally January, averaging 2.5 °C (35 °F).

History

Kent's growth was initiated by the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush

Fraser Canyon Gold Rush

The Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, began in 1858 after gold was discovered on the Thompson River in British Columbia at its confluence with the Nicoamen River. This was a few miles upstream from the Thompson's confluence with the Fraser River at present-day Lytton...

about fifty years later in 1858. Among the first European settlers to settle in Kent in the 1860s include T.B. Hicks and the Agassiz family. Shortly after, the first commercial activity in the area took place between the local First Nations

First Nations

First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...

people and the Hudson's Bay Company

Hudson's Bay Company

The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...

fur traders. Rapid commercial growth followed as boats started to routinely stop in the area en route to the Fraser Canyon

Fraser Canyon

The Fraser Canyon is an 84 km landform of the Fraser River where it descends rapidly through narrow rock gorges in the Coast Mountains en route from the Interior Plateau of British Columbia to the Fraser Valley...

.

The construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway

Canadian Pacific Railway

The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...

around 1881 introduced more development along areas in Kent near the Fraser River

Fraser River

The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...

and Harrison River

Harrison River

. In 1895, the District of Kent was incorporated, taking the name of the English county

Kent

Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...

where hops were also an important crop. Shortly after the incorporation, the Canadian Pacific Railway opened, bringing along more commercial activity to the area.

While the traditional economic merchandise in the area are agriculture-related, there has been a diversification since the 1900s. Roads started to be built between 1901 and 1940, becoming one of the major sources of employment. A bridge crossing at the Harrison River opened in 1926, creating the first-ever road connection to the west of Kent. This connection is often credited for making Agassiz a market-friendly agricultural centre.

In 1948, the Fraser River Flood struck and wiped out Kent's hop

Hop (plant)

Humulus, Hop, is a small genus of flowering plants native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The female flowers of H. lupulus are known as hops, and are used as a culinary flavoring and stabilizer, especially in the brewing of beer...

industry. However, this disaster unexpectedly benefited Kent as corn

Maize

Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...

became the new primary agricultural product of the region, leading to Agassiz's claim as the "Corn Capital of BC"; this claim is still used today.

Mountain Institution

Mountain Institution

Mountain Institution is a medium security federal penitentiary operated by the Correctional Service of Canada . It is located in the town of Agassiz, British Columbia, approximately 115 kilometres east of Vancouver.-History:...

, also known as Agassiz Mountain Prison, is a federal maximum-security prison at the western end of Kent Prairie, just north of the foot of what is known as Agassiz Mountain, the mountainside grade of BC Highway 7

British Columbia provincial highway 7

Highway 7, known for most of its length as the Lougheed Highway, is an alternative route to Highway 1 through the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia...

which rises over the south side of Mount Woodside and descends into Harrison Mills to the Harrison River Bridge. It was constructed in the 1960s to house Freedomite

Freedomites

Freedomites, also called Svobodniki or Sons of Freedom, first appeared in 1902 in Saskatchewan, Canada, and later in the Kootenay and Boundary districts of British Columbia, as a Doukhobor extremist group...

Doukhobours in the wake of their arrest for various bombings in the Kootenay

Kootenays

The Kootenay Region comprises the southeastern portion of British Columbia. It takes its name from the Kootenay River, which in turn was named for the Ktunaxa First Nation first encountered by explorer David Thompson.-Boundaries:The Kootenays are more or less defined by the Kootenay Land...

region and became the site of a large temporary tenement camp of their followers and supporters.

A research farm run by the federal government Department of Agriculture is located to the northwest of the town of Agassiz, and was formerly a private estate.

Demographics

Kent's estimated population in 2005 was 6,077 people. The majority of residents reside in Agassiz. It is the fifth most populated municipality in the Fraser Valley Regional District, after Abbotsford

Abbotsford, British Columbia

Abbotsford is a Canadian city located in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, adjacent to Greater Vancouver. It is the fifth largest municipality in British Columbia, home to 123,864 people . Its Census Metropolitan Area, which includes the District of Mission, is the 23rd largest in Canada,...

(115,711), Chilliwack (64,898), Mission

Mission, British Columbia

Mission, the core of which was formerly known as Mission City, is a district municipality in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is situated on the north bank of the Fraser River overlooking the City of Abbotsford and with that city is part of the Central Fraser Valley. Mission is the...

(31,272) and Hope

Hope, British Columbia

Hope is a district municipality located at the confluence of the Fraser and Coquihalla rivers in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Hope is at the eastern end of both the Fraser Valley and the Lower Mainland region, and is at the southern end of the Fraser Canyon...

(6,313). Only one incorporated municipality, Harrison Hot Springs, has fewer residents (1,343).

Government and politics

In federal elections, Kent is part of the Chilliwack—Fraser Canyon

Chilliwack—Fraser Canyon

Chilliwack—Fraser Canyon is a federal electoral district in the province of British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004.-Geography:...

riding, which has existed since 2004. The riding's current Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

is Chuck Strahl

Chuck Strahl

Charles Strahl, PC, MP was a politician in British Columbia, Canada. He was a Member of Parliament in the governing Conservative Party of Canada.-Before politics:...

, a member of the ruling Conservative Party of Canada

Conservative Party of Canada

The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...

.

In provincial elections, Kent lies within the Chilliwack-Kent

Chilliwack-Kent

Chilliwack-Kent was a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada from 2001 to 2009.- Demographics :- Member of Legislative Assembly :...

riding. The current Member of the Legislative Assembly

Member of the Legislative Assembly

A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....

is Barry Penner

Barry Penner

Barry Penner, QC is a former Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for Chilliwack-Hope. He previously served as Attorney General of British Columbia, Deputy House Leader , and Minister of Environment and Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation.Born in Kitimat in 1966,...

of the British Columbia Liberal Party

British Columbia Liberal Party

The British Columbia Liberal Party is the governing political party in British Columbia, Canada. First elected for government in 1916, the party went into decline after 1952, with its rump caucus merging with the Social Credit Party for the 1975 election...

.

The current mayor of Kent is John Van Laerhoven.

Transportation

Several highways run through Kent. Highway 7 (also known as the Lougheed Highway) runs the entire length of the district, connecting Kent to much of the Fraser Valley and Greater Vancouver. Highway 9 connects Highway 7 to the Trans Canada Highway.

Agassiz-Harrison Transit operates a single bus route (No.11) from the Chilliwack

Chilliwack, British Columbia

downtown exchange to Rosedale

Rosedale, British Columbia

Rosedale is a farming-based community located in Chilliwack, British Columbia. It serves as a base for many tourists, both in summer and winter. The hills and valleys of British Columbia are popular skiing, snowboarding and dogsledding locations...

, Popkum

Popkum, British Columbia

Popkum is a rural farming and tourism based community east of Chilliwack, British Columbia. The community is named after the Indian Reserve of the Popkum First Nation, which is located on the Fraser River nearby...

, Agassiz

Agassiz, British Columbia

and Harrison Hot Springs

Harrison Hot Springs, British Columbia

Economy

Kent's economy has traditionally relied on agriculture. However, it has diversified in recent years by ways of tourism and recreation. Nearby Harrison Hot Springs is a big tourist draw for the area, and many adventurers take advantage of the lakes and rivers in and around Kent. Other nearby tourist attractions include Minter Gardens in Popkum, and the Trans-Canada Waterslides in Bridal Falls

Bridal Falls, British Columbia

Bridal Falls is a community in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia, located east of Rosedale and immediately adjacent to the on-ramps for the Agassiz-Rosedale Bridge, which connects the Trans-Canada Highway at Bridal Falls to Agassiz, on BC Highway 7. Bridal Falls is mostly a highway services...

. A dinosaur-themed amusement park, Dinotown, was in Bridal Falls, but has decided to relocate elsewhere in the province.

A major employer of the region is the Correctional Service of Canada

Correctional Service of Canada

The Correctional Service of Canada , or CSC, is the Canadian federal government agency responsible for the incarceration and rehabilitation of convicted criminal offenders sentenced to two years or more...

. Both Mountain Institution

Mountain Institution

(medium security) and Kent Institution

Kent Institution

Kent Institution is a Correctional Service of Canada facility located in Kent, British Columbia. Opened in 1979, Kent is the only maximum security federal penitentiary in the CSC's Pacific region, which includes the province of British Columbia and the Yukon territory. The majority of prisoners...

(maximum security) are located within the district.

Agassiz bills itself as the 'Corn Capital of BC'.

Education

Kent is served by School District 78 Fraser-Cascade

School District 78 Fraser-Cascade

School District 78 Fraser-Cascade is a school district in the eastern Fraser Valley of British Columbia. It includes Harrison Hot Springs, the District of Kent, including Agassiz, and extends up the Fraser River from there to the town of Hope and up the southern section of the Fraser Canyon along...

. Its schools within Kent include Agassiz Elementary Secondary School, Kent Elementary School, McCaffrey Alternative School, and the Agassiz Continuing Education Centre provides education for adults.

There is also a private K-7 school, Agassiz Christian School.

Sports and recreation

While Kent has no big sports teams, it is a hub for recreational activity due to its proximity to major rivers and lakes; Harrison Lake and Harrison River is often used for water sports. Sasquatch Provincial Park

Sasquatch Provincial Park

Sasquatch Provincial Park is a provincial park in Kent, British Columbia, Canada.-History:The park was established 1968, in its present condition. It actually began in 1959 as a 20 hectare inland fjord called Green Point Park, which was expanded into a picnicking area in 1960. Eight years later the...

in northern Kent, next to Harrison Lake, provides camping areas and offers hiking and fishing opportunities.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.