Vanderhoof is a district municipality near the geographical centre of British Columbia, Canada. Covering 2.92 square kilometers, it has a population of about 4,500 within town limits, and offers services to nearly 10,000 people in nearby rural communities. Its main industries are forestry, agriculture, and related businesses. Tourism is also growing, and mining operations are being developed in the area. It has many elementary schools, and one major secondary school, Nechako Valley Secondary School (NVSS), comprising School District 91 Nechako Lakes. The College of New Caledonia has a regional campus there. Via Rail's Jasper–Prince Rupert train serves the Vanderhoof railway station.

History

The municipality is named after Herbert Vanderhoof of Chicago, one of its founders. He was an employee of the Grand Trunk Pacific Development Company, a subsidiary of Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. The municipality's population rapidly expanded until World War II, when many of the town's men left to fight overseas. After the war, an increase in lumber prices and the construction of the Kenney Dam lead to increases in population again. Today Vanderhoof is a service centre in the eastern Bulkley-Nechako for surrounding communities, and the second-largest municipality in the regional district.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Vanderhoof had a population of 4,346 living in 1,786 of its 1,885 total private dwellings, a change of NaN% from its 2016 population of 4,434. With a land area of 53.93 km2, it had a population density of in 2021.

Ethnicity

Religion

According to the 2021 census, religious groups in Vanderhoof included:

Wildlife

Vanderhoof is known for its bird sanctuary along the Nechako River. Many Canada geese, swans, and other migratory birds pass through Vanderhoof during their annual migrations. The Nechako is home to a number of fish species, including salmon and the endangered Nechako white sturgeon. Many hunters come to Vanderhoof in search of bear, moose, deer, cougar and elk.

Schools

Elementary: Evelyn Dickson W.L. McLeod Sinkutview Mapes Secondary: Nechako Valley Secondary School (NVSS Northside Christian School Valhalla High Virtual School: EBUS Academy

Culture and recreation

Telegraph Trail

A telegraph line, set up in the 1890s for communication with the Klondike Gold Rush gold fields, was abandoned in the 1930s and later converted into a series of walking trails. A 10 km trail connects Hogsback Lake (near Vanderhoof) to Blackwater Road.

Community events

Climate

Vanderhoof has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) with mild summers and cold winters.