District of Metchosin | |
|---|---|
 The Town and Fire hall in Metchosin | |
  Metchosin Where Metchosin is located in British Columbia  Metchosin Metchosin (British Columbia)  Metchosin Metchosin (Canada) | |
| Coordinates: 48°22′55″N 123°32′16″W / 48.38194°N 123.53778°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | British Columbia |
| Region | Vancouver Island |
| Regional District | Capital |
| Founded | 1840 |
| Incorporated | 1984 |
| Government | |
| • Governing Body | Metchosin Municipal Council
|
| • Mayor | Marie-Térèse Little |
| Area | |
| • Land | 69.57 km2 (26.86 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 40 m (130 ft) |
| Population (2021) | |
| • Total | 5,067 |
| • Density | 72.8/km2 (189/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| Website | District of Metchosin website |
Metchosin is a district municipality in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is located in the Okanagan Valley and is in North Okanagan regional district.
The population of Metchosin was 5,067 as reported by the 2021 Canadian census. The mayor of Metchosin is Marie-Térèse Little.
Before Europeans, members of the Scia’new First Nation lived in the area for thousands of years. The name Metchosin comes from the North Straits Salish language word smets-shosin, meaning "place of stinking fish". In 1790, European contact was made when the Spanish explorer Manuel Quimper arrived in the area while he was on his exploration of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. In 1861, the village built the Race Rocks Lighthouse. During the early 1880s, the Canadian federal government built a quarantine station on Albert Head and William Head to help fight against infectious diseases. The government used Bentinck Island as a colony for people who were suffering from leprosy. After the colony, the station was turned into the William Head Institution, a minimum-security prison. It was later shut down in 1999. Amber Head was taken over by the Royal Canadian Navy and they made it a part of CFB Esquimalt.
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