Sunshine Valley is an unincorporated community consisting of cabins, tiny homes, and RV parks on the Crowsnest Highway between the town of Hope (NW) and the entrance to Manning Park in the Cascade Mountains of British Columbia.[1][2][3] The community has its own volunteer fire department (SVVFD), recreation centre, heated outdoor pool, and playground.[4][5] As of 2021, the population of Sunshine Valley is 208.[6]
Sunshine Valley | |
|---|---|
Unincorporated | |
 | |
  Sunshine Valley Location of Sunshine Valley in British Columbia | |
| Coordinates: 49°16′00″N 121°14′00″W / 49.26667°N 121.23333°W | |
| Country |  Canada |
| Province |  British Columbia |
| Region | Fraser Valley |
| Regional District | Fraser Valley Regional District |
| Established | 1942 |
| Population (2021) | |
• Total | 208 |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific Standard Time) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (Pacific Daylight Time) |
| Area code(s) | 250, 778 |
| Highways |  Highway 3 (Crowsnest Highway) |
| Website | https://sunshinevalleyliving.com |
History
editDuring World War II, Sunshine Valley was named Tashme. The area was used as a Japanese Canadian internment camp. Opened September 8, 1942, it was designed to house 500 families, making it one of the largest and last camps in B.C., and was located just outside the 100-mile "quarantine" zone from which all Japanese Canadians were removed.[7] Men housed in the camp were employed in the construction of the highway during the war.
After the war, the site was sold off and has continued in existence as a proposed Boy's Town, the Allison Lumber Company (a combined lumber and mine venture) and then a small campground and recreational community. It served as the basetown for the small Silvertip Ski Area which was located at the head of Tearse Creek, a tributary of the Upper Sumallo River which flows north into the town from the south and upon entering the town, turns southeast and enters Manning Park. In Hope, there is a Tashme Friendship Garden in memory of the camp and its residents.
In popular culture
editThe Tashme internment camp is one of the settings in the 2018 novel Floating City by author Kerri Sakamoto.
Climate
edit| Climate data for Sunshine Valley (Hope Slide), elevation 685 m (2,247 ft), (1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 12.0 (53.6) |
16.0 (60.8) |
23.5 (74.3) |
28.5 (83.3) |
32.2 (90.0) |
33.0 (91.4) |
35.0 (95.0) |
34.5 (94.1) |
34.5 (94.1) |
26.2 (79.2) |
17.2 (63.0) |
12.2 (54.0) |
35.0 (95.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 1.4 (34.5) |
3.6 (38.5) |
6.9 (44.4) |
11.1 (52.0) |
14.8 (58.6) |
17.7 (63.9) |
20.9 (69.6) |
21.5 (70.7) |
17.7 (63.9) |
11.0 (51.8) |
4.2 (39.6) |
1.0 (33.8) |
11.0 (51.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −1.8 (28.8) |
−0.3 (31.5) |
2.5 (36.5) |
5.8 (42.4) |
9.4 (48.9) |
12.5 (54.5) |
15.1 (59.2) |
15.3 (59.5) |
11.8 (53.2) |
6.5 (43.7) |
1.2 (34.2) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
6.4 (43.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −4.9 (23.2) |
−4.3 (24.3) |
−1.9 (28.6) |
0.5 (32.9) |
3.9 (39.0) |
7.2 (45.0) |
9.1 (48.4) |
8.9 (48.0) |
5.8 (42.4) |
2.0 (35.6) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
−4.5 (23.9) |
1.7 (35.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −27.8 (−18.0) |
−25.1 (−13.2) |
−22.2 (−8.0) |
−7.8 (18.0) |
−4.0 (24.8) |
−1.7 (28.9) |
1.4 (34.5) |
0.0 (32.0) |
−3.3 (26.1) |
−18.6 (−1.5) |
−28.2 (−18.8) |
−29.6 (−21.3) |
−29.6 (−21.3) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 175.4 (6.91) |
104.8 (4.13) |
98.2 (3.87) |
77.3 (3.04) |
68.6 (2.70) |
64.4 (2.54) |
48.5 (1.91) |
41.3 (1.63) |
61.7 (2.43) |
134.1 (5.28) |
202.5 (7.97) |
143.6 (5.65) |
1,220.4 (48.06) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 68.9 (27.1) |
44.7 (17.6) |
40.0 (15.7) |
15.7 (6.2) |
1.9 (0.7) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
3.9 (1.5) |
42.0 (16.5) |
70.6 (27.8) |
287.7 (113.1) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 19.9 | 15.3 | 18.1 | 18.1 | 18.1 | 15.7 | 11.2 | 9.7 | 12.1 | 18.7 | 20.7 | 17.4 | 195 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) | 11.8 | 8.7 | 8.3 | 4.2 | 0.85 | 0.04 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 7.5 | 11.6 | 54.29 |
| Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada[8] | |||||||||||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Sunshine Valley (community)". BC Geographical Names.
- ^ "Tashme (community)". BC Geographical Names.
- ^ "Sunshine Valley RV Campground - Camping Sunshine Valley RV Resort". Holiday Trails Resorts. Archived from the original on February 5, 2020. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
- ^ "Sunshine Valley teens burning with promise". Hope Standard. July 20, 2019. Archived from the original on February 5, 2020. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
- ^ "Amenities". www.sunshinevalleyproperties.com. Archived from the original on January 30, 2020. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
- ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (February 9, 2022). "Population and dwelling counts: Canada and designated places". www150.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ^ "George Takei visits Sunshine Valley's Japanese internment museum". Hope Standard. September 3, 2019. Archived from the original on February 5, 2020. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
- ^ "Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010 Station Data". Environment and Climate Change Canada. Retrieved June 3, 2024.