is a city in the
Cariboo District of
British Columbia ,
Canada . Located nearly evenly between the two larger cities of
Prince George and
Williams Lake , it is on the main route to Northern British Columbia and the
Yukon . It is claimed to be home to one of the world's largest gold pans (disputed by
Nome, Alaska and others).
Quesnel is
Sister City to
Shiraoi, Japan and
Val D'Or, Quebec . Quesnel hosted the 2000 British Columbia Winter Games, an annual provincial amateur sports competition. To the east of Quesnel lies
Wells ,
Barkerville , and
Bowron Lake Provincial Park , a popular
Canoe ing destination in the
Cariboo Mountains .
- Location:
- Elevation: 474 m (1,555 feet)
- Average Annual Snowfall: 166 cm/year
- Average Annual Rainfall: 36 cm/year
- Frost Free Days: 179
- Average Winter Temperature: - 5 C
- Extreme Minimum Temperature: - 46.7 C
- Average Summer Temperature: 16 C
- Extreme Maximum Temperature: 40.6 C
- Time Zone: Pacific Standard Time
City Council :
Quesnel was originally called 'Quesnellemouth' to distinguish it from 'Quesnel Forks', 60 miles up river. In 1870 it had been shortened to Quesnelle and by 1900 it was spelled the way it is now. Quesnel is located along the gold mining trail known as the
Cariboo Wagon Road and was the commercial centre of the
Cariboo Gold Rush .
The local historical city of
Barkerville gave Quesnel its yearly 'Billy Barker Days'
Festival .
Quesnel runs on its forestry industry. Home to 8 different factories, including a medium density fiber plant, plywood plant and two pulp mills, it produces enough income to support more than 27000 citizens. Because of
Northern British Columbia 's small population, it is surrounded by lakes and virtually untouched wilderness for hundreds of kilometers in any direction. Quesnel's economy is also reliant on the tourism industry, the minerals, and many locally produced goods.
