User:Rhonda/Regional Districts in BC

Since Robyn's map of BC graticules is absurdly large for a regional geohash achievement, I thought I would define the graticules of the various Regional Districts. The more populated Regional Districts are disappointingly small in area; the GVRD (Greater Vancouver Regional District) for example spans only two graticules: Vancouver and Surrey.

I have sorted them more or less in "reading order" - top left to bottom right on a map of BC. That means the smallest and most populated regional districts are at the bottom of the page.

The table of graticules format was shamelessly stolen from Robyn's page.

I built these up by cross-referencing the minimal features on the linked Regional District maps from the BC Stats website with google maps and reading the "ll" parameter after centering the map on the point I wanted co-ordinates for. I contacted the nice people at BC Stats (the source of all the linked maps) and they kindly provided a PDF that had Regional District boundaries and co-ordinate information for where you hover your mouse. I will be double-checking the co-ordinates that I got from google maps where they fall very close to a graticule boundary. If you would like a copy of the file, email me: it's a 4MB, one-page PDF.

In all descriptions, "...and the rest of it is mountains" can safely be appended, except for the Regional District of Mount Waddington, which is all mountains, where it isn't water.

Stikine Region

The Stikine Region is the least densely populated part of BC, with one person per 100 square kilometers and no municipalities. It isn't actually a Regional District, and is administered directly by the province. (Map)

59,-139	59,-138	59,-137	59,-136	59,-135	59,-134	59,-133	59,-132	59,-131	59,-130	59, -129	59, -128	59. -127
		58,-137			58, -134	58,-133	58,-132	58,-131	58,-130	58,-129	58,-128	58, -127	58, -126	58, -125	58, -124
										57,-129	57,-128	57, -127	57, -126
											56,-128	56, -127	56, -126	56,-125	56, -124

Northern Rockies Regional District

The Northern Rockies Regional District is far more densely populated than Stikine, with an average of 14 people per square kilometer and one municipality. (Map)

59. -127	59, -126	59, -125	59, -124	59, -123	59, -122	59, -121	59, -120
			58, -124	58, -123	58, -122	58, -121	58, -120

Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine

Kitimat-Stikine is located just south of Stikine and stretches down the coast to the southern end of the Queen Charlotte Islands, inland of Skeena-Queen Charlotte. (Map)

57,-133	57,-132	57,-131	57,-130	57,-129
	56,-132	56,-131	56,-130	56, -129	56,-128
			55, -130	55, -129	55, -128	55, -127	55, -126
				54, -129	54, -128	54, -127
				53, -129	53, -128	53, -127
				52, -129	52, -128	52, -127

Peace River Regional District

Peace River Regional District is south of the Northern Rockies Regional District. Dawson Creek is here. (Map)

57, -127	57, -126	57, -125	57, -124	57, -123	57, -122	57, -121	57, -120
56, -127	56, -126	56,-125	56, -124	56, -123	56, -122	56, -121	56, -120
			55, -124	55, -123	55, -122	55, -121	55, -120
					54, -122	54, -121	54, -120

Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako

Bulkley-Nechako used to be called New Caledonia, by the North West Company. The municipality of Vanderhoof is the geographic centre of the province. (Map)

55, -128	55, -127	55, -126	55, -125	55, -124	55, -123
	54, -127	54, -126	54, -125	54, -124	54, -123
	53, -127	53, -126	53, -125	53, -124	53, -123

Regional District of Fraser-Fort George

Fraser-Fort George has the City of Prince George (formerly Fort George) and three highways crossing it. (Map)

55, -123	55, -122	55, -121	55, -120
54, -123	54, -122	54, -121	54, -120
53, -123	53, -122	53, -121	53, -120	53, -119	53, -118
			52, -120	52, -119	52, -118	52, -117

Skeena-Queen Charlotte Regional District

Skeena-Queen Charlotte covers the Queen Charlotte Islands and part of the mainland. The highway is a ferry. (Map)

54,-133	54, -132	54,-131	54, -130	54, -129
53, -133	53, -132	53, -131	53, -130	53, -129
	52, -132	52, -131
		51, -131

Central Coast Regional District

The central coast is that bit of the mainland coast north of Vancouver Island and south of the Queen Charlotte Islands. It used to be Ocean Falls Regional District, named for the company town of Ocean Falls - now a ghost town. (Map)

	53, -127	53, -126
52, -128	52, -127	52, -126	52, -125
51, -128	51, -127	51, -126	51, -125

Cariboo Regional District

The Cariboo Regional District has four municipalities and Barkerville, one of the most populated ghost towns in BC - during tourist season. (Map)

53, -126	53, -125	53, -124	53, -123	53, -122	53, -121	53, -120
52, -126	52, -125	52, -124	52, -123	52, -122	52, -121	52, -120
	51, -125	51, -124	51, -123	51, -122	51, -121	51, -120
		50, -124	50, -123

Thompson-Nicola Regional District

The Thompson-Nicola Regional District has two cities and numerous municipalities. It also encompasses Wells Gray Provincial Park, which proudly advertises that it is "larger than one in three countries" and which has a ban on motorized vehicles in substantial portions of the park. (Map)

		52, -120	52, -119	52, -118
		51, -120	51, -119	51, -118
50, -122	50, -121	50, -120	50, -119
	49, -121	49, -120	49, -119

Columbia-Shuswap Regional District

The Columbia-Shuswap Regional District is home to the infamous Rogers Pass, the last section to be completed and generally considered the most inherently dangerous stretch of the trans-canada highway's 7,821 km. The slopes around the highway are closed to public access when there is snow, due to the artillery fire used to trigger controlled avalanches to clear the average 10m/year of snowfall. (Map)

	52, -118	52, -117
51, -119	51, -118	51, -117	51, -116
50, -119	50, -118	50, -117	50, -116

Regional District of Mount Waddington

Regional District of Mount Waddington covers the northern end of Vancouver Island and a section of mainland adjacent to it. It's named for Mount Waddington, the highest mountain in BC, and also contains Mount Silverthrone, the highest volcano in Canada. The rest of the region consists of more mountains. (Island map, Mainland map)

	51, -127	51, -126	51, -125
50, -128	50, -127	50, -126	50, -125
		49, -126

Strathcona Regional District

Strathcona Regional District was recently separated from Comox Regional District. It's named for Strathcona Park on the island, possibly because they didn't want to name it for Campbell River. It is partly on Vancouver Island and partly on the mainland. (Island map, Mainland map)

		51, -125	51, -124
50, -127	50, -126	50, -125	50, -124	50, -123
49, -127	49, -126	49, -125

Squamish-Lillooet Regional District

The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District contains four municipalities, including the Whistler resort town, but really only one road: highway 99 "sea to sky". For those who think the "sky" portion of that highway is at Whistler, you don't know what you're missing. (Switchbacks, extreme grade warning signs, and one-lane wooden bridges - and absolutely amazing views.) (Map)

	51, -123	51, -122
50, -124	50, -123	50, -122	50, -121
	49, -123	49, -122

Powell River Regional District

Powell River Regional District has a city and a highway, but the highway starts at a ferry terminal coming from a highway that also requires a ferry to access (sunshine coast) and ends at a ferry terminal to an island. (Map)

50, -124	50, -123
49, -124

Regional District of North Okanagan

The Regional District of North Okanagan has three cities and two main highways. Most of the population is in the City of Vernon and of the remainder, it is mostly in cities and smaller municipalities near Vernon. (Map)

50, -119	50, -118
49, -119	49, -118

Regional District of Central Kootenay

The Regional District of Central Kootenay has two cities (Nelson and Castlegar), quite a lot of smaller municipalities, and a lot more highways than most of the other Regional Districts. (Map)

	51, -117
50, -118	50, -117	50, -116
49, -118	49, -117	49, -116

Regional District of East Kootenay

The Regional District of East Kootenay has its population mostly arranged around one north-south highway which is located in one north-south river valley. (Map)

51, -116	51, -115
50, -116	50, -115	50, -114
49, -116	49, -115	49, -114

Comox Valley Regional District

The Comox Valley Regional District was created in 2008, splitting the former Comox-Strathcona regional district in two parts, roughly equal in population but vastly different in land area. Comox Valley got the city. (Old Map)

49, -125

49, -124

Sunshine Coast Regional District

The Sunshine Coast Regional District has a few municipalities, all on the one highway which starts at one ferry terminal and ends at another. One of the ferry terminals connects directly to the rest of the province, and the other one connects this Regional District to the highway to Powell River. (Map)

50, -124	50, -123
49, -124	49, -123

Fraser Valley Regional District

The Fraser Valley Regional District consists of two cities and a lot of land in the Agricultural Land Reserve in the valley. It also has the town of Spuzzum, which once had a sign on the highway that said "you are now leaving Spuzzum" on both sides. (Map)

50, -122	50, -121
49, -122	49, -121	49, -120

Regional District of Central Okanagan

The Regional District of Central Okanagan has Kelowna and wine, all around Lake Okanagan, home to Ogopogo. (Map)

	50, -119	50, -118
49, -120	49, -119	49, -118

Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District

The Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District has one city, one highway, a few popular tourist destinations, and way more wild coastline than seems possible. The city of Port Alberni is also BC's only city that has been severely damaged by a tsunami, despite being apparently more on the sheltered eastern half of Vancouver Island than on the exposed west coast - the Alberni Inlet, some 40km long, channeled the wave straight into the city. (Map)

49, -126	49, -125	49, -124
	48, -125	48, -124

Regional District of Nanaimo

The Regional District of Nanaimo was the smallest (in land area) Regional District in BC, until the Comox Valley Regional District was created. (Map)

49, -124	49, -123
48, -124

Greater Vancouver Regional District

The Greater Vancouver Regional District (or Metro Vancouver) is the most populated Regional District in BC, with 12 cities and several municipalities, and the watersheds supplying them. The GVRD has by far the lowest proportion of mountains inside Regional District boundaries, at slightly less than 1/3. (Map)

49, -123

49, -122

Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen

The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen has one city and a few smaller municipalities along a couple of highways, in the Similkameen river valley and the southern end of the Okanagan valley. (Map)

49, -121

49, -120

49, -119

Regional District of Kootenay Boundary

The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary has three cities, two of which are in the southeastern corner where there is more than one highway. The rest of the Regional District has one north/south highway and one east/west highway. (Map)

49, -119

49, -118

49, -117

Cowichan Valley Regional District

The Cowichan Valley Regional District spans the full width of Vancouver island, from the West Coast Trail to some of the Gulf Islands. It includes Cowichan Lake and a few municipalities. (Map)

49, -124
48, -124	48, -123

Capital Regional District

The Capital Regional District encompasses the City of Victoria, BC's capital city, as well as several other municipalities in the Greater Victoria area, the entire southern tip of Vancouver Island and the southern Gulf Islands. (Map)

	49, -123
48, -124	48, -123