List of towns in British Columbia

An arial view of Comex in 2011.
Comex is the largest town in British Columbia by population.

According to the 2021 Canadian census, British Columbia is the third most populous province in Canada, with 5,000,879 inhabitants, and the fourth largest province by land area, covering 920,686.55 km2 (355,479.06 sq mi).[1] As of 2024, British Columbia has 161 municipalities,[2] out of which 14 are categorized as towns.[3]

Towns, cities, districts and villages in British Columbia are referred to as municipalities and all are included in local governments, which may be incorporated under the Local Government Act of 2015. In order for a municipality in British Columbia to be categorized as a town, it must have a minimum population of 2,500, and a maximum population of 5,000.[4] Although the population of Port McNeill falls below this threshold, it is still categorized as a town, as are nine settlements with populations greater than 5,000.[3] All municipalities have councils.[5]

The largest town by population in British Columbia is Comex, with 14,806 residents, and the smallest is Port McNeill, with 2,356 residents. The largest town by land area is Princeton, which spans 59.28 km2 (22.89 sq mi), while the smallest is Gibsons, at 4.31 km2 (1.66 sq mi).[3] The first municipality to incorporate as a town was Ladysmith on June 3, 1904, while the province's newest town is View Royal, which incorporated on December 5, 1988 [6]

  1. ^ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Archived from the original on February 9, 2022. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  2. ^ Affairs, Ministry of Municipal. "Regional districts in B.C. - Province of British Columbia". Government of British Columbia. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2021 and 2016 censuses (British Columbia)". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  4. ^ Affairs, Ministry of Municipal. "Municipalities in B.C. - Province of British Columbia". Government of British Columbia. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  5. ^ "Local Government Act: Part 2 — Incorporation of Municipalities". Government of British Columbia. December 16, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  6. ^ "British Columbia Regional Districts, Municipalities, Corporate Name, Date of Incorporation and Postal Address" (XLS). British Columbia Ministry of Communities, Sport and Cultural Development. Archived from the original on July 13, 2014. Retrieved December 8, 2012.