Chilliwack

Chilliwack is a city of 84,000 people (2016) to the east of Vancouver. It lies in the Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD).

Understand
In Halq'eméylem, the language of the Stó:lō First Nations (Aboriginal) communities around Chilliwack and Sardis, Tcil'Qe'uk means "valley of many streams". It also lends its name to the Chilliwack River, and group of Aboriginal people, the Ts’elxweyeqw.

Chilliwack is surrounded by tall mountain peaks, such as Mount Cheam and Slesse Mountain, and large rivers (the Fraser and Vedder).

The city, once a small agricultural town, has become an example of sprawling suburbia and bad city planning. Efforts to revitalize the languishing downtown, and to curb the spread of housing subdivisions into valuable farmland, have proved challenging.

History
The archeological record shows evidence of Stó:lō people in the Fraser Valley, or S'ólh Téméxw, 10,000 years ago. Permanent structures in the Chilliwack area date from around 5,000 years ago. At the time of the first contact with Europeans it is estimated that there were as many as 40,000 people living within Stó:lō territory.

In 1857, gold was discovered in the Fraser Canyon. By 1859, over 40,000 gold miners had trekked to the goldfields, most travelling through the Chilliwack area. By the mid-1860s, several farms had grown up around the steamboat landings on the Fraser River called Miller's Landing, Minto Landing, Sumas Landing and Chilliwack Landing.

The Township of Chilliwack was incorporated in 1873, the third municipality in British Columbia. Settlement took place along the Fraser River at Chilliwack Landing. Steamboats were the main mode of transportation, carrying goods and passengers between Chilliwack and New Westminster. After the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1885, many residents began to cross the Fraser River at Minto Landing to catch the train at Harrison Mills.

With little room for expansion along the river, the commercial area of the town moved south to the junction of the New Westminster-Yale Wagon Road, Wellington Avenue and Young Road, called "Five Corners". A large subdivision called Centreville was built in 1881. to the city's identity.[7]

Neighbourhoods
North side: Also referred to as "Chilliwack Proper Village West", the north side covers the area from the Trans-Canada Highway in the south, to the Fraser River in the north, and includes the communities of Camp River, Chilliwack Mountain, Downtown Chilliwack, East Chilliwack, Fairfield Island, Rosedale and Popkum. Downtown Chilliwack is the historical urban centre of the city. Several cultural attractions, such as the Prospera Centre, Chilliwack Cultural Centre and the Eagle Landing Shopping Centre are located there, as well as key government buildings, such as city hall, FVRD offices, and the Provincial Court of British Columbia.

South side: The south side includes the communities of Atchelitz, Cultus Lake Park, Greendale, Ryder Lake, Sardis, Promontory Heights, Vedder Crossing, and Yarrow. Sardis is the urban core of the south side and is a popular shopping destination.

By car
Drive east on Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway) from Vancouver for about 100 km until you get to the city center. You will see the "London Drugs" and "Cottonwood Mall" sign before Exit 119.

By train

 * For westbound trips from Toronto to Vancouver, the train stops at.
 * For eastbound trips from Vancouver to Toronto, the nearest station where train stops is north of the Fraser River at in Kent.
 * For eastbound trips from Vancouver to Toronto, the nearest station where train stops is north of the Fraser River at in Kent.

By air
Chilliwack has an airport popular with recreational pilots, but no scheduled commercial flights. The closest commercial airports are Abbotsford, Bellingham, WA , and Vancouver. Vancouver's is by far the largest of those airports.

Get around
There is one main road in Chilliwack, which has two names. From the highway at Exit 119, running south it's called Vedder Road all the way to Yarrow, and running north it's called Yale Road.

Go north on Yale Road, you'll find old downtown, with a variety of restaurants, quaint shops, and some nice parks. Go south on Vedder Road, and you'll pass through the commercial centre of the city, but soon enough you'll be through the city and into the suburbs, where you can find Vedder Crossing, the Vedder River, Cultus Lake, Yarrow, and the Chilliwack Lake Provincial Park.

By public transit

 * Operates bus route 66 between Burnaby and downtown Chilliwack with stops in Langley and Abbotsford. Operates multiple times daily.
 * Operates bus route 71 between downtown Chilliwack and Harrison Hot Springs with stops in Agassiz. Operates multiple times per day from Monday to Saturday with Sunday service added during summer. From Agassiz, there is a connection with bus route 72 to Hope.
 * Operates bus route 71 between downtown Chilliwack and Harrison Hot Springs with stops in Agassiz. Operates multiple times per day from Monday to Saturday with Sunday service added during summer. From Agassiz, there is a connection with bus route 72 to Hope.

Do

 * Fishing is popular on the . Make sure you're in season and that if you need a licence you obtain one. Licences can usually be obtained at bait shops, and some other places too.
 * Fishing is popular on the . Make sure you're in season and that if you need a licence you obtain one. Licences can usually be obtained at bait shops, and some other places too.

Annual events and festivals include:
 * Christmas Craft Market
 * Chilliwack Art of Wine Festival
 * Fraser Valley Culture and Craft Beer Festival
 * Fraser Valley Women's Expo

Corn
Chilliwack is well known for its fresh corn on the cob, always sold uncooked with the husk still over the corn. When in season, expect to find stands set up with signs that read "Chilliwack Corn." These stands can be found in much of the Fraser Valley and sometimes can be found in Vancouver. While the corn is delicious and it will be fresh at these stands, expect to pay a significant premium compared to buying corn at a grocery store. Expect to find this corn around August and September.

Pottery
A number of pottery artisans operate in the area. Call the studios to confirm they will be open.