Queen Charlotte, British Columbia

The Village of Queen Charlotte, more commonly known by its residents as Charlotte (Haida: Daajing Giids),[4] is a village municipality on Haida Gwaii (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands) in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is located on the southern end of Graham Island at Skidegate Inlet and is a member municipality of the North Coast Regional District.

Queen Charlotte
Village
Village of Queen Charlotte[1]
City Harbour
Location within British Columbia
Coordinates: 53°15′17″N 132°06′49″W
Country Canada
Province British Columbia
RegionHaida Gwaii
Regional districtNorth Coast
Founded1908
Incorporated2005
Government
 • Governing bodyQueen Charlotte Village Council
 • MayorKris Olsen
Area
 • Total37.28 km2 (14.39 sq mi)
Elevation
20 m (70 ft)
Population
 (2016)[3]
 • Total852
 • Density23.9/km2 (62/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-8 (PST)
Highways Hwy 16 (TCH)
WaterwaysSkidegate Inlet
WebsiteOfficial website

The Queen Charlotte Islands date from 1787 when Captain George Dixon was on a trading cruise along the coast. It was named for his two hundred-ton vessel, the Queen Charlotte.[5]

The village was founded in 1891 and in 1908 was the first townsite registered in the islands although it wasn't incorporated as a municipality until 2005.[6] It was previously represented as part of Electoral Area F of that regional district, which was coterminous with the Queen Charlotte Islands (which now comprises Electoral Areas D and E).

The town site was established when the first sawmill in the archipelago began operating in 1908. In the wake of World War I, additional work force was needed to supply allied warplanes with lumber. The town infrastructure quickly developed, offering public education, a hospital, general stores and other amenities, even a newspaper.

Logging and fishing were the main source of jobs in Queen Charlotte when the demand for lumber again increased by the second half of the 20th century. Today, few inhabitants are working in these resource-based jobs and a recent shift towards tourism-oriented employment has been observed, although the main economic driver is government jobs, including: hospital workers, school district, BC Ferries, local Forestry and Parks offices etc.[7]

Queen Charlotte was incorporated in 2005 and offers several motels, shops, restaurants, a gas station and auto repair, a credit union, RCMP station and a hospital. It is also the location of the Queen Charlotte Visitor Centre, which is open year-round. With its small harbour. Queen Charlotte is often the starting-point for chartered tours into Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site on southern Moresby Island.

Queen Charlotte is just 9 km (5.6 mi) to Skidegate with its BC Ferries landing and connections to Prince Rupert.

References
  1. "British Columbia Regional Districts, Municipalities, Corporate Name, Date of Incorporation and Postal Address" (XLS). British Columbia Ministry of Communities, Sport and Cultural Development. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  2. Village of Queen Charlotte
  3. Statistics Canada. 2016 Census
  4. "FirstVoices: Hlg̱aagilda X̱aayda Kil: words". Retrieved 2020-06-24.
  5. Hamilton, William (1978). The Macmillan Book of Canadian Place Names. Toronto: Macmillan. p. 48. ISBN 0-7715-9754-1.
  6. "Queen Charlotte". Haida Gwaii. Haida Gwaii Observer. 2018. p. 36.
  7. Queen Charlotte City - History Archived June 27, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
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