Spallumcheen is a
district municipality
A district municipality is a designation for a class of municipalities found in several locations, including Canada, Lithuania, and South Africa.
Canada British Columbia
Under provincial law, municipalities in British Columbia are to be desig ...
in the
Canadian province
Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British Nort ...
of
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...
. Located in the
Okanagan
The Okanagan ( ), also known as the Okanagan Valley and sometimes as the Okanagan Country, is a region in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. It is pa ...
region between
Vernon and
Enderby, the township had a population of 5,055 and land area of in the
Canada 2011 Census. The district, whose official name is the Township of Spallumcheen and which is the oldest rural municipality in the
British Columbia Interior
, settlement_type = Region of British Columbia
, image_skyline =
, nickname = "The Interior"
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name =
, subdivision_type1 = Province
, subd ...
(incorporated in 1892), consists primarily of agricultural land surrounding the separately incorporated City of
Armstrong. Both Spallumcheen and Armstrong are member municipalities of the
Regional District of North Okanagan
The Regional District of North Okanagan (RDNO) is a regional district in the Canadian province of British Columbia, Canada. The Canada 2011 Census population was 81,237. The land area is 7,512.58 km² (2,900.62 sq mi). The regional distri ...
.
Etymology
The name is derived from a
Shuswap language
The Shuswap language (; shs, Secwepemctsín ) is the traditional language of the Shuswap people ( shs, Secwépemc ) of British Columbia. An endangered language, Shuswap is spoken mainly in the Central and Southern Interior of British Columbia ...
word, either "spil-a-mi-shine" meaning "flat mouth", or "spal-lum-shin" meaning "meadow flat". Another word, ''spalmtsin'', which has an
Okanagan language
Okanagan, or Colville-Okanagan, or Nsyilxcən (n̓səl̓xcin̓, n̓syilxčn̓), is a Salish language which arose among the indigenous peoples of the southern Interior Plateau region based primarily in the Okanagan River Basin and the Columbia R ...
cognate ''spelemtsin'', means "flat area along edge". Other variations include ''Spellmacheen'' and ''Spallamcheen'', which were the original names used for the
Shuswap River The basin of the Shuswap River (pronounced /ˈʃuːʃwɑːp/) lies northeast of the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, originating in the central Monashee Mountains. It is the upper part of the drainage better known to British Columbians as belo ...
, which exits the
Shuswap Highland
The Shuswap Highland is a plateau-like hilly area of in British Columbia, Canada. It spans the upland area between the Bonaparte and Thompson Plateaus from the area of Mahood Lake, at the southeast corner of the Cariboo Plateau, southeast towar ...
in this area and heads north to
Mara
Mara or MARA may refer to:
Animals
* Mara (mammal), a species of the cavy family
*Mara the Lioness, in the movie ''Born Free''
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters
* Mara (''Doctor Who''), an evil being in two ''Doctor Who'' serials
*Mara, ...
and
Shuswap Lake
Shuswap Lake (pronounced /ˈʃuːʃwɑːp/) is a lake located in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada that drains via the Little Shuswap River into Little Shuswap Lake. Little Shuswap Lake is the source of the South Thompson River ...
s. The same word is the source of the name of the
Spillimacheen River
The Spillimacheen River is a tributary of the Columbia River in the Canadian province of British Columbia.
Course
The Spillimacheen River originates just east of Glacier National Park. Flowing southeast, it collects the waters of several tribut ...
and the
settlement of the same name in the
Columbia Valley
The Columbia Valley is the name used for a region in the Rocky Mountain Trench near the headwaters of the Columbia River between the town of Golden and the Canal Flats. The main hub of the valley is the town of Invermere. Other towns include ...
.
[Akrigg, Helen B. and Akrigg, G.P.V; British Columbia Place Names; Sono Nis Press, Victoria 1986 /or University of British Columbia Press 1997]
Demographics
In the
2021 Census of Population conducted by
Statistics Canada, Spallumcheen had a population of 5,307 living in 2,036 of its 2,099 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 5,106. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.
Religion
According to the
2021 census, religious groups in Spallumcheen included:
*
Irreligion
Irreligion or nonreligion is the absence or rejection of religion, or indifference to it. Irreligion takes many forms, ranging from the casual and unaware to full-fledged philosophies such as atheism and agnosticism, secular humanism and an ...
(2,925 persons or 55.1%)
*
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesu ...
(2,315 persons or 43.6%)
**Catholic (345 persons or 6.5%)
**United Church (215 persons or 4.1%)
**Baptist (135 persons or 2.5%)
**Reformed (110 persons or 2.1%)
**Anabaptist (65 persons or 1.2%)
**Lutheran (65 persons or 1.2%)
**Other Christian (1,380 persons or 26.0%)
*Other (50 persons or 0.9%)
See also
*
Spallumcheen Indian Band
References
*
External links
*
District municipalities in British Columbia
Populated places in the Okanagan Country
Populated places in the Regional District of North Okanagan
{{BritishColumbiaInterior-geo-stub