is a city on the east coast of
Vancouver Island , in the province of
British Columbia ,
Canada . It is the largest city in the area commonly known as the
Comox Valley , and it is the seat of the
Regional District Of Comox-Strathcona . 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 .
Courtenay was officially incorporated 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 is located at (49.683333, -125.000000).
According to
Statistics Canada , the city has a total area of 17.02
Km&2 . The major highway that runs through the city is
British Columbia Provincial Highway 19A . Courtenay is located at the northern terminus of the
Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway .
As of the
Canada 2001 Census , there are 18,305 people, 7,995 private households, and 5,160 families residing in the city. The
Population Density is 1,075.3/km&
2. 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, 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.
- 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 only 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, 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, usually in July.
