Castlegar, British Columbia

Castlegar is the second largest community in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia, Canada.

Castlegar is located within the Selkirk Mountains at the confluence of the Kootenay and Columbia Rivers. Castlegar is a regional trade and transportation centre, with a local economy fuelled by forestry, mining and tourism.

Castlegar was recently cited as one of the Top 8 Places in British Columbia for most promising growth.[2] It is home to Selkirk College, a regional airport, a pulp mill, and several sawmills. The population of 7,259 people includes many Doukhobors, who were largely responsible for much of Castlegar’s early development and growth.

The area which was to become Castlegar was an important centre for the Sinixt (Lakes) Peoples. Outside the city limits are the small surrounding communities of Ootischenia, Brilliant, Robson, Robson West, Raspberry, Tarrys, Thrums, Glade,[3] Shoreacres, Fairview, Genelle, Pass Creek and Krestova. There are also the much smaller communities of Deer Park, Renata, and Syringa on Lower Arrow Lake.

Taken together, these outlying areas comprise an approximate population of a further 8,000 people.