is a town located on the eastern side of
Vancouver Island ,
British Columbia in the
Comox Valley . Comox has a population of approximately 12,200 people and is home to the Canadian air force base
CFB Comox and
HMCS Quadra .
The town shares the Comox Valley with the City of
Courtenay , the Village of
Cumberland , and the unincorporated settlements of
Royston ,
Union Bay ,
Fanny Bay ,
Black Creek and
Merville . The valley's population is currently well past the 30,000 mark, and has experienced a recent period of sustained growth.
Comox is known for being home of the
Lorne Hotel , the oldest licensed establishment in British Columbia, and for the
Filberg Festival , an annual summertime arts and crafts extravaganza named for the residential park where it's held. Coinciding with the Filberg Festival in early August are the 'Nautical Days' celebrations in Comox Marina Park (a landfill waterfront park), boasting a parade, a classic car show, an amateur boatbuilding competition and live music performances.
Comox is one of the past hometowns of actress
Pamela Anderson-Lee , previously of Baywatch fame. The town is also the hometown of many
National Hockey League stars, including
Cam Neely and
Brett MacLean , and of locally-known radio host
Red Robinson , as well as the birthplace of
Squash legend
Jonathon Power .
The native culture of the
Comox People is still very active. Descendants of the original native people still live on the local Reservation, and hold many events that are reflective of their culture. For the most part, non-native locals are welcome to come and reflect on the culture of the peoples who originally inhabited Comox many years ago.
Outside of the native population, Comox is a center of culture and multi cultural celebrations. Perhaps the most famous festival is the
Filberg Festival , held annually within the first week of August. This attraction is one of the largest tourist events within the Valley (next to the skiing attraction of the nearby
Mount Washington Alpine Resort ).
Other than events based on history, nationality, etc, the
Comox Valley is alive with events in the theatre. The
Sid Williams Theatre located in downtown Courtenay always has something to offer from the local talent, from the
Courtenay Little Theatre to
Rainbow Youth Theatre , as well as travelling acts.
The area's language is primarily English, though many local schools offer
French Immersion programs. All other languages comprise less than 1% of the spoken language.
Comox is home to multiple elementary and secondary schools offering both English and French immersion programs.
The following is a list of Comox's public schools (School District 71
{Link without Title} )
- Village Park Elementary
- Brooklyn Elementary
- Comox Elementary
- Airport Elementary
- Ecole Robb Road Elementary (English+French)
- Ecole Aspen Park Middle School (English+French)
- Cape Lazo Middle School
- Highland Senior Secondary (English+French)
- The Comox Valley is also home to the North Island College, which offers a variety of courses to those wishing to further their education, but stay close to home.
- Shaw Communications Cable 10
- Official Town Website: http://comox.ca
