Parksville, British Columbia
Parksville is a city on
Vancouver Island, in
British Columbia,
Canada. Often called
The Jewel of Vancouver Island, it is located along
provincial highway 19A, 37 kilometres north of
Nanaimo, and 7 kilometres south of Qualicum Beach, lying between Englishman River and French Creek. During the 2001 Census, Parksville's population was established at 10,323.
The first person to settle in the Parksville area was John Hirst, who pre-empted 300 acres of land on both sides of the Englishman River in 1873.
Encyclopedia
Parksville is a city on
Vancouver Island, in
British Columbia,
Canada. Often called
The Jewel of Vancouver Island, it is located along
provincial highway 19A, 37 kilometres north of
Nanaimo, and 7 kilometres south of Qualicum Beach, lying between Englishman River and French Creek. During the 2001 Census, Parksville's population was established at 10,323.
The first person to settle in the Parksville area was John Hirst, who pre-empted 300 acres of land on both sides of the Englishman River in 1873. Parksville was named after the area's first postmaster, Nelson Park, in 1877. The
Village of Parksville was incorporated June 19, 1945. Parksville became a
Town on April 1, 1978 and a
City on June 1, 1981.
Much of the city's present-day economy is centered on the tourism industry. Two sandy beaches, Parksville Beach and Rathtrevor Beach , have historically been the town's main attractions
Parksville is the current home of the SS Minnow, the boat famous for setting aground on the shore of an uncharted desert isle that was 1960s television classic Gilligan's Island.
Other areas of economic importance are
fishing,
forestry, and the service industries.
