Metchosin | |
|---|---|
| District of Metchosin[1] | |
 Metchosin town and fire hall | |
  Metchosin Location of Metchosin within the Capital Regional District | |
  Metchosin Location of Metchosin in British Columbia Show map of Vancouver Island Metchosin Metchosin (British Columbia) Show map of British Columbia | |
| Coordinates:48°22′55″N123°32′16″W / 48.38194°N 123.53778°W /48.38194; -123.53778 | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | British Columbia |
| Regional district | Capital |
| Founded | 1840 |
| Incorporated | 1984 |
| Government | |
| • Governing body | Metchosin Council |
| • Mayor | Marie-Térèse Little |
| Area | |
| • Land | 69.57 km2 (26.86 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 40 m (130 ft) |
| Population | |
• Total | 5,067 |
| • Density | 72.8/km2 (189/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Metchosinite |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (PST) |
| Highways |  Highway 14 |
| Website | www |
TheDistrict of Metchosin (/məˈtʃoʊzɪn/) is a municipality and community inGreater Victoria on the southern tip ofVancouver Island inBritish Columbia, Canada. It is a coastal community adjacent to theStrait of Juan de Fuca. Metchosin is part of theWestern Communities and one of the13 regional municipalities.
The origin of its name is aStraits Salish word,smets-shosin, meaning "place of stinking fish" or "place smelling of fish oil."[3]
Following the establishment of farms by thePuget Sound Agricultural Company in the Victoria area, independent settlers entered the Metchosin area. In 1851, Captain Cooper bought land on the shores of Witty’s Lagoon, that became the first farm in Metchosin, called Bilston Farm and farmed by Thomas Blinkhorn. Other settlers followed and cleared the arable land.[4]
In 1861,Race Rocks Lighthouse was built. In the early 1880s, twoquarantine stations were built by the federal government, first onAlbert Head in 1883 and then William Head, which inspected and controlled all people entering Canada for infectious diseases. Starting in 1924, Bentinck Island was used as aleper colony. As medical procedures progressed, the leper colony was closed in 1956, and in 1958, the quarantine station at William Head was converted intoa minimum-security prison. The station at Albert Head became part ofCFB Esquimalt.[4][5]
In 1984, the Municipality of the District of Metchosin was incorporated, mainly to protect its rural character from the encroaching suburban sprawl.[4]
Metchosin has awarm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen:Csb) in parts caused by the rain shadow and to the east of the strait of theStrait of Juan de Fuca, but keeping someoceanic characteristics (Cfb).[6]Sligo, Ireland has very close temperatures with only a slightly warmer summer. The biggest difference is in the summer drying, common of thePacific Northwest.[7]
| Climate data for Metchosin. elevation: 164 m or 538 ft, extremes 1911-1938 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 12.2 (54.0) | 15 (59) | 18.3 (64.9) | 23.9 (75.0) | 29.4 (84.9) | 32.2 (90.0) | 32.2 (90.0) | 31.1 (88.0) | 30 (86) | 24.4 (75.9) | 15.6 (60.1) | 14.4 (57.9) | 32.2 (90.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −13.9 (7.0) | −12.2 (10.0) | −4.4 (24.1) | −2.8 (27.0) | −0.6 (30.9) | 1.7 (35.1) | 3.9 (39.0) | 5.6 (42.1) | −0.6 (30.9) | −5 (23) | −6.1 (21.0) | −12.2 (10.0) | −13.9 (7.0) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 168.1 (6.62) | 107.5 (4.23) | 89.2 (3.51) | 59.8 (2.35) | 39.9 (1.57) | 28.0 (1.10) | 16.5 (0.65) | 24.8 (0.98) | 32.6 (1.28) | 112.8 (4.44) | 213.0 (8.39) | 146.8 (5.78) | 1,039 (40.9) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 159.5 (6.28) | 100.5 (3.96) | 85.8 (3.38) | 59.8 (2.35) | 39.9 (1.57) | 28.0 (1.10) | 16.5 (0.65) | 24.8 (0.98) | 32.6 (1.28) | 112.5 (4.43) | 207.8 (8.18) | 140.6 (5.54) | 1,008.3 (39.7) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 8.6 (3.4) | 7.0 (2.8) | 3.4 (1.3) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.3 (0.1) | 5.2 (2.0) | 6.2 (2.4) | 30.7 (12) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 19.5 | 15.2 | 17.7 | 14.6 | 11.7 | 8.8 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 7.2 | 15.0 | 21.0 | 18.3 | 158.7 |
| Average rainy days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 18.7 | 14.4 | 17.5 | 14.6 | 11.7 | 8.8 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 7.2 | 14.9 | 20.6 | 17.6 | 155.7 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.2 cm) | 1.7 | 1.7 | 0.92 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.08 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 6.6 |
| Source:Environment Canada[8] | |||||||||||||
In the2021 Census of Population conducted byStatistics Canada, Metchosin had a population of 5,067 living in 1,856 of its 1,938 total private dwellings, a change of7.6% from its 2016 population of 4,708. With a land area of 69.57 km2 (26.86 sq mi), it had a population density of72.8/km2 (188.6/sq mi) in 2021.[2]
Historical census populations – Metchosin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Source: Statistics Canada | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Panethnic group | 2021[2] | 2016[9] | 2011[10] | 2006[11] | 2001[12] | 1996[13] | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |||
| European[a] | 4,300 | 91.3% | 4,245 | 93.92% | 4,155 | 92.54% | 4,360 | 92.96% | 4,255 | 92% | 4,155 | 93.27% | ||
| Indigenous | 225 | 4.78% | 135 | 2.99% | 210 | 4.68% | 115 | 2.45% | 180 | 3.89% | 40 | 0.9% | ||
| East Asian[b] | 85 | 1.8% | 95 | 2.1% | 70 | 1.56% | 45 | 0.96% | 25 | 0.54% | 75 | 1.68% | ||
| South Asian | 35 | 0.74% | 10 | 0.22% | 30 | 0.67% | 45 | 0.96% | 50 | 1.08% | 20 | 0.45% | ||
| African | 25 | 0.53% | 10 | 0.22% | 0 | 0% | 35 | 0.75% | 60 | 1.3% | 75 | 1.68% | ||
| Southeast Asian[c] | 20 | 0.42% | 20 | 0.44% | 0 | 0% | 20 | 0.43% | 20 | 0.43% | 60 | 1.35% | ||
| Middle Eastern[d] | 0 | 0% | 10 | 0.22% | 0 | 0% | 20 | 0.43% | 25 | 0.54% | 10 | 0.22% | ||
| Latin American | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 35 | 0.75% | 20 | 0.43% | 30 | 0.67% | ||
| Other/Multiracial[e] | 0 | 0% | 10 | 0.22% | 0 | 0% | 15 | 0.32% | 10 | 0.22% | 0 | 0% | ||
| Total responses | 4,710 | 92.95% | 4,520 | 96.01% | 4,490 | 93.48% | 4,690 | 97.81% | 4,625 | 95.22% | 4,455 | 94.61% | ||
| Total population | 5,067 | 100% | 4,708 | 100% | 4,803 | 100% | 4,795 | 100% | 4,857 | 100% | 4,709 | 100% | ||
| Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses | ||||||||||||||
According to the2021 census, religious groups in Metchosin included:[2]
Places adjacent to Metchosin | |
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| Geographic | |
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| Other | |
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