Kitimat

town in British Columbia, Canada

Kitimat is a small port city on the North Coast of British Columbia, Canada.

Understand

Kitimat River

Kitimat, population 8,100 (2016), is a port city located in one of the few wide, flat valleys on the coast of British Columbia. The city was planned and built by the Aluminum Company of Canada (Alcan) during the 1950s and is now an integral part of the Northwest Corridor connecting North America to the Pacific Ocean and the Pacific Rim.

History

"Kitimat" in the Tsimshian language refers to the Haisla First Nation as the "People of the Snow". Before 1950 the Kitimat township was a small fishing village at the head of the Kitimat Arm of the Douglas Channel, a deepwater fjord.

The municipal town of Kitimat came into existence in 1951 after the Provincial Government of British Columbia invited Alcan to develop hydroelectric facilities to support the aluminum smelting industry. The company built a dam, tunnel, powerhouse, transmission line, a deep-sea terminal, and smelter. The company also designed, laid out and assisted with the initial construction of the city. At the time, the combined development was considered "the most expensive project ever attempted by private industry."

Alcan employed the services of city planner Clarence Stein in order to ensure the community design facilitated an environment that would attract and retain workers, although Alcan intended it to not be a company town. Today, Kitimat benefits from the quality of planning resulting from the Garden City design concept. Stein's design kept industry well separated from the community with large areas for expansion. He also created looped streets surrounding an urban city centre mall and linked by over 45 km (28 mi) of walkways connecting to all areas of the community.

Get in

By car

The only access by car is a by taking Highway 37 from Terrace, which is about a 40-minute drive.

By bus

  • BC Transit. Bus route # 11 operates between Terrace and Kitimat (1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes) from Monday to Saturday. Some of these trips stop at Northwest Regional Airport. (updated Apr 2024)

By plane

  • Northwest Regional Airport (YXT) (55 km (34 mi) north of Kitimat.). Located in Terrace, it is the nearest airport with scheduled flights. (updated May 2023)

Get around

By public transit

See

  • 🌍 Kitimat Museum & Archives, 293 City Centre, ☏ +1 250-632-8950, . Jun-Aug: M-Sa 10AM-5PM; Sep-May: M-F 10AM-4PM, Sa noon-4PM. The Kitimat Museum & Archives has exhibits on the town history with the coming of Alcan’s aluminum smelter in the 1950s, early valley settlement, and Haisla traditional arts and technology. (updated Jun 2020)
  • 🌍 Mount Elizabeth Theatre, 1491 Kingfisher Avenue, ☏ +1 250-632-7887, . The Mount Elizabeth Theatre (MET) is an intimate 512-seat performance facility serving both school and community users in Kitimat. MET is a professional, community style theatre that offers a practical and affordable venue for amateur and professional artists. (updated Jun 2020)
  • 🌍 Rio Tinto Smelter Tours, ☏ +1 250-639-8383. Office Hours: M-F 10AM-3PM. Rio Tinto BC Works offer tours of their state-of-the-art modernised aluminium smelter. The tours take place during summer on Friday at 1PM by reservation only. (updated Jun 2020)
  • 🌍 Kitimat River Fish Hatchery, 283 Haisla Blvd, ☏ +1 250-639-9888. Monday to Friday during the summer. The Kitimat Hatchery is operated by the Federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans to breed Chinook salmon, Chum salmon, Coho salmon, Steelhead and Cutthroat trout. Wheelchair accessible. Call ahead for availability of tours. (updated Mar 2021)

Do

Moore Creek fall
  • Fishing. Located at the head of the Douglas Channel along the Kitimat River, Kitimat offers salt- and freshwater fishing. (updated Jun 2020)
  • Hiking. Kitimat offers a large network of trails inside town and hiking trails. (updated Jun 2020)
  • 🌍 Moore Creek Falls (across from Rio Tinto's BC Works main office building). These falls are more spectacular after a good rain. (updated Mar 2021)
  • Kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding on Douglas Channel.
  • Heritage Walkways. Kitimat's heritage walkway system provides interpretive signs that celebrate the community's historical and cultural beginnings. Signs and maps are housed on red cedar kiosks with green metal roofs. (updated Mar 2021)
  • 🌍 Hirsch Creek Golf & Winter Club, 2000 Kingfisher Avenue, ☏ +1 250-632-4653, . 18-hole, par 72, championship golf course. (updated Jun 2020)

Buy

  • 🌍 City Centre Mall, 276 City Centre, ☏ +1 250-632-2433. M-W, Sa 9:30AM-6PM; Th F 9:30AM-7PM, Su noon-5PM. Small shopping mall in the downtown core, City Centre Mall provides independent retail outlets, banks, and restaurants. (updated Jun 2020)

Eat

Drink

  • 🌍 Chilly & Dancer Pub, 874 Tsimshian Blvd, ☏ +1 250-632-6920. Daily 4-10PM. (updated Jun 2020)

Sleep

Connect

Cope

Go next

Turnaround and return to Terrace. Continue north on the Stewart–Cassiar Highway (Highway 37) to the Alaska Highway.

Routes through Kitimat
Watson Lake ← Terrace ←  N  S  → END


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