Vanderhoof

Vanderhoof (Dutch: "of the farm") is a village of 4,400 people (2016) on the Yellowhead Highway in the North Coast-Nechako region of British Columbia.

Understand
Primarily a farming, ranching, forestry and mining community, Vanderhoof was established in 1912-1913 as part of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway's expansion westward; the last spike was driven in Fort Fraser (38 km/24 mi to the west) on April 7, 1914. Herbert Vanderhoof, a publicity agent from Chicago, was retained by the railway to attract settlers to the region. Construction of the line to Prince Rupert bankrupted the Grand Trunk, which was merged into Canadian National Railway in 1923.

One of the few large, flat areas of land in an otherwise mountainous region, Vanderhoof bills itself as the geographic centre of British Columbia.

By car
Vanderhoof is on Highway 16 (Yellowhead Highway). It can be reached by traveling west from Prince George or traveling east from Prince Rupert and Smithers.

Nearby
Fort St. James is a former fur trading post 60 km north of Vanderhoof on Stuart Lake, now a town of 4500 people.