Parksville

Parksville is a city in Central Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Informally considered a twin city with neighbouring Qualicum Beach, it's a popular vacation area in summer with a number of provincial parks, sandy beaches, and family fun parks.

Understand
Service sector and resource processing jobs make up the largest part of the Parksville economy. The three largest types of occupations in Parksville are the service industry; the construction industry; and the business, financial, and administration industries. These are the largest sectors of the city's economy largely due to the summer tourism industry, and a large influx of retirees moving into the area. There is also a fair amount of fishing and forestry in the surrounding areas of Parksville. There is an industrial park in the south-east section of the city, which includes many small tradesman shops.



History
The Spanish were the first Europeans to explore the area in 1791. In Spanish maps, the Englishman River is called "Rio de Grullas," (River of Cranes, i.e. herons) while French Creek is named "Punta de Leonardo."

The first European settler in the Parksville area was John Hirst, who pre-empted 120 hectares (300 acres) of land on both sides of the Englishman River in 1873. The River, as it was known, remained an outpost until the turn of the century when a road was built from Nanaimo.

A post office followed in 1877, with mail distributed from the cabin of Nelson Parks (to which Parksville owes its namesake). At that time, logging was a major industry and the extension of the Esquimalt and Nanaimo (E & N) Railway in 1901, to McBride Junction spurred Parksville’s growth and the beginning of a tourism boom, mainly Vancouver Islanders who travelled to Parksville to enjoy the beaches. Motels, stores, resorts and campgrounds soon followed.

By car
Parksville is located just off of the Island Highway (Highway 19), about 30 minutes north of Nanaimo, take Exits 46 and 51. The nearest ferry terminal with connections to Vancouver and the Lower Mainland is in Nanaimo.

By plane

 * Nanaimo Airport is about from Parksville and has daily scheduled flights by larger Canadian airlines.
 * Qualicum Beach Airport is about from Parksville.  It has scheduled flights by small airlines.

By public transit

 * Routes in Parksville include:
 * Route 88 provides service around Parksville.
 * Route 91 Intercity provides bus service multiple times daily between Nanaimo's Woodgrove Centre and Qualicum Beach with stops in Nanoose Bay and Parksville.

Cope

 * The nearest hospital is in Nanaimo.