Merritt | |
|---|---|
| City of Merritt | |
 Merritt seen from Norgaard Lookout in 2019 | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
| Motto: "Flourish Under The Sun" | |
  Merritt Merritt (Canada) Show map of Canada | |
| Coordinates:50°06′45″N120°47′18″W / 50.11250°N 120.78833°W /50.11250; -120.78833 | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | British Columbia |
| Regional district | Thompson-Nicola |
| Settled | 1893 (townsite) |
| Incorporated[1] | |
| - city - village - town - city | April 1, 1911 January 1, 1958 January 1, 1965 December 15, 1981 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Michael G. Goetz |
| • City Council | List of Councilors
|
| • MP | Frank Caputo |
| • MLA (Prov.) | Tony Luck |
| Area | |
• Total | 26.04 km2 (10.05 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 605 m (1,985 ft) |
| Population (2021)[3] | |
• Total | 7,051 |
| • Density | 270.8/km2 (701.3/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Merrittonian |
| Time zone | UTC−08:00 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−07:00 (PDT) |
| Forward sortation area | |
| Area codes | 250,778,236,672 |
| Highways |  Highway 5 Highway 5A Highway 8 Highway 97C |
| NTS Map | 092I02 |
| GNBC Code | JCBSO |
| Website | merritt |
Merritt is a city in theNicola Valley of the south-centralInterior of British Columbia, Canada. It is 270 km (170 mi) northeast ofVancouver. Situated at the confluence of theNicola andColdwater rivers, it is the first major community encountered after travelling alongPhase One of the Coquihalla Highway and acts as the gateway to all other major highways to the B.C. Interior. The city developed in 1893 when part of the ranches owned by William Voght, Jesus Garcia, and John Charters were surveyed for a town site.[4]
Once known as Forksdale, the community adopted its current name in 1906 in honour of mining engineer and railway promoterWilliam Hamilton Merritt III.[5] The 24-square-kilometre (9.3 sq mi) city limits consist of the community, a number of civic parks, historical sites, an aquatic centre, a local arena, a public library (which is a branch of the Thompson-Nicola Regional District Library System) and a civic centre. Merritt has dozens of bronzed hand prints of country music stars who have been in the city for the former annual Merritt Mountain Music Festival displayed throughout town. Merritt is also home to a local radio station, a weekly newspaper and theNicola Valley Institute of Technology campus. Nearby, there are fourprovincial parks, numerous lakes, and several recreational trails. As the gateway between BC's Lower Mainland and Okanagan regions, Merritt is known as a key destination for festivals, events, and bountiful outdoor recreation.
Highway 5, andHighway 97C intersect at Merritt with Highway 97C East connecting the city toKelowna andPenticton, Highway 97C Northwest toLogan Lake,Highway 8 toSpences Bridge andLillooet,Highway 5A South toPrinceton, Highway 5A North toKamloops, Highway 5 South toHope, and Highway 5 North toKamloops. Merritt's economy is dominated by the primary industries of forestry, tourism, and service.
For years, the Merritt area was a gathering place for local European colonists andFirst Nations, as the area was a focus of transportation routes used by earlypioneers. The grasslands eventually drew the attention of settlers interested inranching, and the first ranches were staked in the mid-19th century.
In the 1880s three ranches located at the confluence of theNicola andColdwater Rivers, owned by William Voght, Jesus Garcia, and the John Charters Estate, became the focus of a farming community known as "The Forks". With the completion of theCanadian Pacific Railway throughBritish Columbia in 1885, interest increased in thecoal deposits south of The Forks.
Parts of the ranches owned by Voght, Garcia and Charters were surveyed in 1893 for the townsite of Forksdale, but the name did not catch on with locals. Instead, the name was changed in 1906 to honourWilliam Hamilton Merritt III, a mining engineer and railway promoter. By 1907, thecoal mines were in operation and with the completion of theNicola, Kamloops and Similkameen railway fromSpences Bridge, government and other offices starting moving fromLower andUpper Nicola to establish Merritt as the major settlement in theNicola Valley.
Armstrong's Store moved from Lower Nicola to Nicola Avenue in Merritt in the spring of 1907. G.B. Armstrong became Merritt's firstpostmaster at this location in 1908. In 1910, Armstrong's Department Store moved to 2025 Quilchena Avenue. In 1909, theBank of Montreal moved from the settlement ofNicola to Merritt. A.E. Howse moved his department store to the west end of Nicola Avenue. TheNicola Herald, founded at Nicola Lake in 1905, moved from Nicola to Merritt in 1909 and the name was changed to theMerritt Herald and Nicola Valley Advocate. Other industries developed in theValley, includingranching, copper, nickel, gold and silver mining, andforestry, and as a result, new business buildings were constructed.
The move toward incorporation began in 1910 and culminated on April 1, 1911, when Merritt was granted its city charter. The first MerrittCity Hall was built in 1912. The top floor was police headquarters, the second for administration offices, and the bottom for the jail. The building included the fire hall and tower that housed a whistle to summon thevolunteer fire fighters.
Merritt dedicated the names of its streets and avenues to early settlers. Among the names honoured were Charters, Chapman, Cleasby, Garcia, Voght, Coutlee, Nicola, Granite, and Quilchena.
As the town grew, it featured a drug store, a general store, a brewery and a jewellery store. The first electrical power service by the city was provided in February 1913.
Merritt and the Nicola Valley experienced prosperity until the passage of restrictive trade legislation in the United States in 1930. Because the city had financially backed one of the major sawmills, the loss of lumber markets caused the city to go into receivership from 1933 to 1952.[4]
The next wave of immigrants, primarilySikh, from thePunjab region of India, arrived in Merritt in the 1950s, followed by a large influx in the late 1960s and early 1970s to work in the booming forestry sector of the time and adding to the cultural mosaic of Merritt. Known asIndo-Canadians, they continue to play a crucial part in the economy—Aspen Planers Ltd., a major employer in the city, and many other businesses, restaurants and hotels in Merritt are owned by members of this group.[6]
In advance polls during the 2015 Canadian elections, an unexpectedly high turnout in Merritt resulted in there being an insufficient quantity of ballots.[7]
On November 15, 2021, the entire city was ordered to evacuate afterheavy rainfall and flooding caused the municipality's wastewater treatment plant to fail.[8] Residents were asked to shelter with family or friends outside of the community, or in emergency evacuation shelters inKamloops andKelowna.[9] The city has since substantially recovered from the event, with the reconstruction of roadways, a bridge replacement, and some dike construction. The city is continuing to improve its infrastructure and is attracting a number of major developments.
Merritt is composed of four distinct residential areas: Bench, Collettville, Central and Diamondvale. The Bench is a residential mountain bench, hence the name, sited on the northwest side of the valley. Collettville, on the southwest edge of the community south of the Coldwater River, was the newest addition to Merritt. Central is situated at the south of the city centre. Diamond Vale is in the heart of the valley, and is the most populated. Each area is served by an elementary school: Bench Elementary, Collettville Elementary and French Immersion, Central Elementary, and Diamond Vale Elementary. A high school,Merritt Secondary School (grade 8-12), serves the area. The main office forSchool District 58 Nicola-Similkameen, which operates the schools in the area and in nearbyPrinceton, is also located in Merritt. The town is also served by theNicola Valley Museum and Archives.
Today,ranching,farming,forestry,transportation andtourism are the primaryindustries. Merritt is the nearest large community to theDouglas Lake Cattle Company, Canada's largest working cattle ranch.
Merritt was once host to an annualMerritt Mountain Music Festival that is estimated to have drawn as many as 148,000 people at its peak in the summer of 2005. The Mountain Music Festival led to the development of the Merritt Walk of Stars - a display of bronzed handprints of Mountainfest artists placed around the community - the Merritt Walk of Stars Mural Project, painted by artistMichelle Loughery,[10] the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame, and Music in the Park.
Merritt's prime location has provided the opportunity to host many events, the West Coast Rally Association's Pacific Forest Rally, an off-road rally conducted as part of the Canadian Rally Championship series every October, also the annual winter Thunderbird Rally often begins and ends in Merritt. TheBass Coast Festival held annually mid-July supports electronic music and creative arts draws attendees from all over North America. The annual Labour Day Rodeo and Fall Fair are long standing traditions in this ranching valley, drawing participants from all over Canada and the US.
Merritt provided the backdrop for theAcademy Award-nominated movieThe Sweet Hereafter.[11] The debut episode ofSmallville was partly filmed on location in Merritt.Jack Nicholson'sThe Pledge and the 2006 remake ofThe Wicker Man were also filmed partly in the area. In 2013Shana: The Wolf's Music directed by Nino Jacusso was released, it is a drama about a First Nations girl coming of age set in a First Nations location. Scheduled to be released theatrically on June 11, 2021Jurassic World Dominion began filming on February 25, 2020[12][13][14] in Merritt and concluded in early March 2020,[15] with the shoot including the city's downtown area.[16]
The Nicola Valley is also host to the shooting of numerous commercials. Merritt is a member of the Thompson-Nicola Film Commission, which is a full-time, full service film commission representing the Thompson Nicola Regional District.
The Merritt Mountain Music Festival was an outdoor music festival in Merritt. In 2005 the festival hosted a record-breaking attendance of approximately 148,000 people throughout the six-day event. Over the years it has hosted country stars such asKenny Chesney,Reba McEntire, andWynonna Judd. Since cancelling the festival in the summer of 2012, The Merritt Mountain Music Festival is no longer in operation.[17]
Starting on the BC Day weekend in 2013 (Friday, August 2 to Monday, August 5, 2013),[18] Bass Coast Music Festival made Merritt, BC its new home (after taking place in Squamish, BC its first four years).[19] Bass Coast features a wide variety of music "from daytime soul and reggae jams, to live experimental electronic music, house and techno".[20] Their annual event in Merritt is in mid-July.
2015 was the first year for theRockin' River Music Fest, formerly held in Mission B.C.,[citation needed] taking place July 30 to August 2. The return of a country music festival to Merritt was the first since the cancellation of theMerritt Mountain Music Festival in 2012. The 2015 headliners included Lady Antebellum. The Rockin' River Music Fest discontinued events in Merritt following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Merritt is home to BC's longest continuously run Junior A Hockey franchise, theMerritt Centennials. Formerly part of theBritish Columbia Hockey League, the team joined the Kootenay International Junior A Hockey League. TheCents moved to the Nicola Valley fromWhite Rock midway through the 1973–74 season. The Centennials play all home games at the city-run Nicola Valley Memorial Arena and their season runs from early September through early March.
Merritt also hosts the Nicola Valley ProRodeo on the Saturday and Sunday ofLabour Day weekend every year.
Merritt is also home to the Nicola Valley Thunder minor lacrosse club.
A round of the Canadian Rally Championship,[21] the Pacific Forest Rally,[22] is held each year in and around Merritt. The international motorsport event is televised on TSN and RDS in Canada, and MotorsTV in Europe.
Merritt and the Nicola Valley features two golf courses, the Merritt Golf and Country Club in downtown Merritt and Sagebrush Golf Club, currently rated BC's #1 public course (as of this edit in 2025) and sits just north of town on Nicola Lake.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1921 | 1,389 | — |
| 1931 | 1,296 | −6.7% |
| 1941 | 940 | −27.5% |
| 1951 | 1,251 | +33.1% |
| 1956 | 1,790 | +43.1% |
| 1961 | 3,039 | +69.8% |
| 1966 | 4,500 | +48.1% |
| 1971 | 5,289 | +17.5% |
| 1976 | 5,680 | +7.4% |
| 1981 | 6,110 | +7.6% |
| 1986 | 6,180 | +1.1% |
| 1991 | 6,253 | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 7,631 | +22.0% |
| 2001 | 7,088 | −7.1% |
| 2006 | 6,998 | −1.3% |
| 2011 | 7,113 | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 7,139 | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 7,051 | −1.2% |
| Source:Statistics Canada [23] | ||
Merritt features a skateboard park, bike park, and numerous walking trails. Monck Provincial Park is located on the western shore of Nicola Lake, 22 km (14 mi) north of Merritt. It offers an abundance of camping, picnicking, swimming, fishing, boating, water-skiing, wind-surfing and hiking.
The Merritt Panthers high school teams compete in boys and girlsvolleyball,basketball, andrugby.
There is also a local slo-pitch softball league and the Merritt Otters swim club, which makes its home at the Nicola Valley Aquatic Centre.
Merritt is home toQ101 Merritt's Music Mix, the Nicola Valley's only local radio station. 101.1 FM,CKMQ-FM is locally owned and an independent radio station. Q101 also reports news and broadcasts theBCHL'sMerritt Centennials hockey games.The station was originally launched in 1970 on AM 1230 asCJNL. In 2009, Merritt Broadcasting Ltd. received CRTC approval to convert to the FM band,[24] and the station was relaunched on 101.1 FM on August 31 of that year. Simultaneously, the company's former sister division, NL Broadcasting, received approval to launch a separate rebroadcaster ofCHNL, the company's talk radio station inKamloops, on CJNL's former AM frequency.
Merritt has a weekly newspaper, theMerritt Herald, that publishes on Thursdays. Merritt is also served by Shaw TV and by TELUS PureFibre Internet and Optik TV.
In the2021 Census of Population conducted byStatistics Canada, Merritt had a population of 7,051 living in 2,975 of its 3,149 total private dwellings, a change of-1.2% from its 2016 population of 7,139. With a land area of 26.04 km2 (10.05 sq mi), it had a population density of270.8/km2 (701.3/sq mi) in 2021.[25] The overall population of the Nicola Valley, in which Merritt is situated, is approximately 14,000. One-third of this population self-identifies as Indigenous, and is made up of the Nlakapamux (Thompson) Bands of Lower Nicola, Coldwater, Nooaitch, Shackan, Cook's Ferry, and Syilx of Upper Nicola.[26]
| Panethnic group | 2021[27] | 2016[28] | 2011[29] | 2006[30] | 2001[31] | 1996[32] | 1991[33][34] | 1986[35][36][37]: 102 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | ||||
| European[a] | 4,640 | 68.84% | 4,600 | 66.86% | 5,655 | 82.02% | 5,025 | 72.3% | 5,355 | 76.17% | 5,515 | 72.57% | 4,425 | 71.14% | 4,575 | 74.03% | |||
| Indigenous | 1,480 | 21.96% | 1,575 | 22.89% | 750 | 10.88% | 1,125 | 16.19% | 980 | 13.94% | 1,170 | 15.39% | 1,030 | 16.56% | 715 | 11.57% | |||
| South Asian | 375 | 5.56% | 400 | 5.81% | 290 | 4.21% | 610 | 8.78% | 575 | 8.18% | 715 | 9.41% | 655 | 10.53% | 815 | 13.19% | |||
| East Asian[b] | 135 | 2% | 150 | 2.18% | 115 | 1.67% | 150 | 2.16% | 85 | 1.21% | 140 | 1.84% | 85 | 1.37% | 60 | 0.97% | |||
| Southeast Asian[c] | 40 | 0.59% | 65 | 0.94% | 0 | 0% | 20 | 0.29% | 30 | 0.43% | 25 | 0.33% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | |||
| African | 30 | 0.45% | 65 | 0.94% | 30 | 0.44% | 0 | 0% | 10 | 0.14% | 15 | 0.2% | 25 | 0.4% | 5 | 0.08% | |||
| Latin American | 30 | 0.45% | 10 | 0.15% | 0 | 0% | 10 | 0.14% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 5 | 0.08% | |||
| Middle Eastern[d] | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 5 | 0.08% | |||
| Other/Multiracial[e] | 0 | 0% | 10 | 0.15% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | |||
| Total responses | 6,740 | 95.59% | 6,880 | 96.37% | 6,895 | 96.94% | 6,950 | 99.31% | 7,030 | 99.18% | 7,600 | 99.59% | 6,220 | 99.47% | 6,180 | 99.85% | |||
| Total population | 7,051 | 100% | 7,139 | 100% | 7,113 | 100% | 6,998 | 100% | 7,088 | 100% | 7,631 | 100% | 6,253 | 100% | 6,189 | 100% | |||
| Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses | |||||||||||||||||||
According to the2021 census, religious groups in Merritt included:[27]
| Religious group | 2021[27] | 2011[29] | 2001[31] | 1991[33] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
| Christian | 2,225 | 32.99% | 3,635 | 52.72% | 3,995 | 56.79% | 3,945 | 63.42% |
| Sikh | 185 | 2.74% | 265 | 3.84% | 565 | 8.03% | 600 | 9.65% |
| Hindu | 40 | 0.59% | 0 | 0% | 35 | 0.5% | 45 | 0.72% |
| Indigenous spirituality | 40 | 0.59% | 0 | 0% | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Buddhist | 20 | 0.3% | 25 | 0.36% | 0 | 0% | 40 | 0.64% |
| Muslim | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
| Jewish | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
| Other religion | 50 | 0.74% | 0 | 0% | 45 | 0.64% | 35 | 0.56% |
| Irreligious | 4,165 | 61.75% | 2,935 | 42.57% | 2,390 | 33.97% | 1,550 | 24.92% |
| Total responses | 6,745 | 95.66% | 6,895 | 96.94% | 7,035 | 99.25% | 6,220 | 99.47% |
Merritt has ahumid continental climate (Dfb).
| Climate data for Merritt, 1981–2010 normals, extremes 1918–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 17.5 (63.5) | 16.0 (60.8) | 23.5 (74.3) | 30.6 (87.1) | 36.0 (96.8) | 44.5 (112.1) | 39.5 (103.1) | 39.0 (102.2) | 38.7 (101.7) | 30.5 (86.9) | 21.7 (71.1) | 18.5 (65.3) | 44.5 (112.1) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 1.1 (34.0) | 4.2 (39.6) | 10.2 (50.4) | 15.1 (59.2) | 19.4 (66.9) | 23.0 (73.4) | 26.7 (80.1) | 27.0 (80.6) | 21.9 (71.4) | 13.7 (56.7) | 5.2 (41.4) | 0.0 (32.0) | 14.0 (57.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −3.0 (26.6) | −0.5 (31.1) | 4.1 (39.4) | 8.1 (46.6) | 12.3 (54.1) | 15.9 (60.6) | 18.8 (65.8) | 18.6 (65.5) | 13.9 (57.0) | 7.6 (45.7) | 1.2 (34.2) | −3.7 (25.3) | 7.8 (46.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −7.0 (19.4) | −5.2 (22.6) | −2.1 (28.2) | 1.1 (34.0) | 5.1 (41.2) | 8.7 (47.7) | 10.8 (51.4) | 10.1 (50.2) | 5.9 (42.6) | 1.5 (34.7) | −2.9 (26.8) | −7.3 (18.9) | 1.6 (34.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −43.3 (−45.9) | −35.0 (−31.0) | −28.3 (−18.9) | −12.2 (10.0) | −5.6 (21.9) | −1.7 (28.9) | 1.1 (34.0) | 0.0 (32.0) | −7.2 (19.0) | −23.0 (−9.4) | −32.0 (−25.6) | −42.8 (−45.0) | −43.3 (−45.9) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 30.5 (1.20) | 19.4 (0.76) | 16.2 (0.64) | 15.1 (0.59) | 30.1 (1.19) | 36.6 (1.44) | 29.1 (1.15) | 20.6 (0.81) | 24.6 (0.97) | 27.6 (1.09) | 35.4 (1.39) | 36.0 (1.42) | 321.1 (12.64) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 13.7 (0.54) | 11.0 (0.43) | 11.8 (0.46) | 14.2 (0.56) | 29.8 (1.17) | 36.6 (1.44) | 29.1 (1.15) | 20.6 (0.81) | 24.6 (0.97) | 26.2 (1.03) | 23.4 (0.92) | 13.3 (0.52) | 254.5 (10.02) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 16.8 (6.6) | 8.3 (3.3) | 4.4 (1.7) | 0.9 (0.4) | 0.3 (0.1) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 1.3 (0.5) | 12.0 (4.7) | 22.7 (8.9) | 66.7 (26.3) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 9.7 | 7.9 | 8.0 | 7.8 | 9.5 | 9.6 | 7.0 | 6.2 | 7.3 | 9.5 | 11.5 | 10.0 | 104.1 |
| Average rainy days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 4.6 | 4.7 | 6.6 | 7.4 | 9.4 | 9.6 | 7.0 | 6.2 | 7.3 | 9.2 | 8.4 | 3.9 | 84.2 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.2 cm) | 5.6 | 3.8 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 4.0 | 6.6 | 22.8 |
| Source:Environment Canada[38][39][40] | |||||||||||||
Places adjacent to Merritt, British Columbia | |
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Merritt travel guide from Wikivoyage| International | |
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