Sechelt: Life on an Isthmus
The town of Sechelt is located on a very narrow isthmus that forms a bridge between the waters of Georgia Strait and the Sechelt Inlet, also called the Inland Sea. Famous as the home of the progressive Sechelt Indian Band and the Annual Festival of the Written Arts, Sechelt is the geographical centre of the Lower Sunshine Coast.
How to Get to Sechelt
To get to Sechelt, take the Sunshine Coast ferry from Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver to the Langdale terminal. (For ferry details, see the website: www.bcferries.com, or call 1-888-BCFERRY.) Head straight up the hill on the bypass road to get to Highway 101, turn right and keep going through Gibsons. Head north - you'll pass Roberts Creek (14 km from Langdale) and come to the official beginning of the Sechelt political area at Wilson Creek (23 km from Langdale).
Or, if you're coming from Powell River, take the ferry from Saltery Bay to Earls Cove at the north end of the Sunshine Coast. Drive south along Highway 101 through Garden Bay and Madeira Park and, farther south, Secret Cove and Halfmoon Bay. About 15 km south of the turn off to Halfmoon Bay, you'll come to the north end of Sechelt. The Malaspina Coach Lines charter bus service runs from both the Langdale and Earls Cove terminals, and public transit from Langdale.
Tel: 604-885-2217
Toll Free: 1-877-227-8287
Or you can even fly if that strikes your fancy.
Sechelt Facts
POPULATION of Sechelt (29.5% of the total Sunshine Coast)
2011
9291 people
Approximate 9.9% increase (national average is 5.9)
Percentage of people over 65: 28.4% (ntl av 11.6)
Percentage of working age adults: 60%
Percentage of children: 11.6% (0-14)
Number of families: 2830 (up 12% from 2006)
Housing: 80.6% single detached house, .8% semi-detached house, 5.6% row house, 8.8% apartment, 2.3 moveable dwelling, remainder 'other'.
District of Sechelt
5797 Cowrie Street Sechelt
604-885-1986
info@sechelt.ca
Sechelt Indian Government District
604-885-2273
School District #46
494 S. Fletcher, Gibsons
604-886-8811
NINE NEIGHBOURHOODS: Village, Selma Park, Davis Bay, Wilson Creek, West Sechelt, East Porpoise Bay, West Porpoise Bay, Sandy Hook, and Tuwanek.
Important Sechelt Numbers
EMERGENCY: 911
Police (non-emergency):
604-885-2266
Fire Department (non-emergency):
604-885-7017
Sechelt & District Chamber of Commerce
PO Box 360
#102 - 5700 Cowrie Street
Sechelt BC V0N 3A0
Email: secheltchamber@dccnet.com
Phone 604.885.0662
Fax 604.885.0691
Toll Free 1.877.633.2963
Community Services:
5638 Inlet Avenue
604-885-5881
Sechelt Medical Clinic:
Inlet Avenue Sechelt
604-885-2257
St. Mary's Hospital
Sunshine Coast Highway
604-885-2224
Climate and Geography
Sechelt is part of the temperate rainforest climate territory. Summers are warm, usually in the mid-to-high 20s (celsius), very occasionally heading into the 30s, and in 2009 actually reached 40 celsius. Sechelt, being on the isthmus and around Selma Park/Davis Bay, is not in any rainshadows and often has clearer weather (2400 hours of sunshine/year) than both Gibsons and Pender Harbour - except in Sandy Hook/Tuwanek, which lie at the foot of Mt. Richardson and the Tetrahedron Plateau. Winter temperatures in the most populous parts of Sechelt get to around 0 celsius; -2 to +4 is great snow weather for Dakota Ridge. Sechelt gets approximately 114cm/45" of precipitation each year.
The growing season is quite long, often with early and late crops, and winter crops. There are a number of farms and ranches up on the West Sechelt plateau overlooking Sechelt Inlet. In storm season, Davis Bay and Trail Bay (Sechelt Village) experience tidal surges during high wind periods. Fall and spring bring mostly southeasterly gales, and late spring and in the summer there can be strong northwesterly blows.
The Sunshine Coast gets all kinds of sunshine, both radiant and wet. Grey skies are common in the late fall and through the winter, along with steady rain, pouring rain during storms, and light drizzles that last for days - mainly at sea level and part way up the slopes from the waterfront. Sea level rarely sees snow, and what does come down does not stay for long. However, Sechelt is hilly away from the water and the weather can be markedly different during winter months, and roads that are bare at highway level can see 6-10cm 1/2 km up side roads.
Locals (Bigpacific Publisher included) who struggle with low light and seasonal affective disorder (SAD) use full-spectrum lighting, and spend 30-60 minutes outdoors daily, regardless of weather, in activities like walking, hiking, mountain biking, mushrooming, snowshoeing and skiing. The Dakota Ridge Winter Recreation area is less than 30 minutes drive from Sechelt and is often in full sunshine.
Sechelt in Photos