British Columbia has 161 municipalities, out of which 14 are classified as towns. According to the 2021 Canadian census, British Columbia is the third most populous province in Canada, with 5,000,879 inhabitants, and the fourth largest province by land area, covering 920,686.55 km2 (355,479.06 sq mi).
Towns, cities, district municipalities and villages in British Columbia are referred to as municipalities and all are included in local governments, which may be incorporated under the Local Government Act of 2015. In order for a municipality in British Columbia to be classified as a town, it must have a minimum population of 2,500, and a maximum population of 5,000. Although the population of Port McNeill falls below this threshold, it is still classified as a town, as are nine settlements with populations greater than 5,000. All municipalities have councils.
The largest town by population in British Columbia is Comox, with 14,806 residents, and the smallest is Port McNeill, with 2,356 residents. The largest town by land area is Princeton, which spans 59.28 km2 (22.89 sq mi), while the smallest is Gibsons, at 4.31 km2 (1.66 sq mi). The first municipality to incorporate as a town was Ladysmith on June 3, 1904, while the province's newest town is View Royal, which incorporated on December 5, 1988
Towns
| Name | Regional district | 2021 Census of Population | Incorporation date as a town | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2021) | Population (2016) | Change (%) | Area (km2) | Population density | |||
| Comox | Comox Valley | 14,806 | 14,028 | +5.55% | 16.87 km2 | 877.7/km2 | January 14, 1946 |
| Creston | Central Kootenay | 5,583 | 5,361 | +4.14% | 8.41 km2 | 664.2/km2 | May 14, 1924 |
| Gibsons | Sunshine Coast | 4,758 | 4,605 | +3.32% | 4.31 km2 | 1,103.2/km2 | March 4, 1929 |
| Golden | Columbia Shuswap | 3,986 | 3,708 | +7.50% | 11.33 km2 | 351.9/km2 | June 26, 1957 |
| Ladysmith | Cowichan Valley | 8,990 | 8,537 | +5.31% | 12.04 km2 | 746.5/km2 | June 3, 1904 |
| Lake Cowichan | Cowichan Valley | 3,325 | 3,226 | +3.07% | 8.24 km2 | 403.5/km2 | August 19, 1944 |
| Oliver | Okanagan-Similkameen | 5,094 | 4,928 | +3.37% | 5.49 km2 | 927.9/km2 | December 31, 1945 |
| Osoyoos | Okanagan-Similkameen | 5,556 | 5,050 | +10.02% | 8.56 km2 | 660.7/km2 | January 14, 1946 |
| Port McNeill | Mount Waddington | 2,356 | 2,337 | +0.81% | 13.77 km2 | 171.1/km2 | February 18, 1966 |
| Princeton | Okanagan-Similkameen | 2,894 | 2,828 | +2.33% | 59.28 km2 | 48.8/km2 | September 11, 1951 |
| Qualicum Beach | Nanaimo | 9,303 | 8,943 | +4.03% | 17.98 km2 | 517.5/km2 | May 5, 1942 |
| Sidney | Capital | 12,318 | 11,672 | +5.53% | 5.11 km2 | 2,412.8/km2 | September 30, 1952 |
| Smithers | Bulkley-Nechako | 5,378 | 5,401 | −0.43% | 15.26 km2 | 352.4/km2 | October 6, 1921 |
| View Royal | Capital | 11,575 | 10,408 | +11.21% | 14.33 km2 | 807.6/km2 | December 5, 1988 |
| Total towns | 95,922 | 91,032 | +5.37% | 200.98 km2 | 717.56/km2 | — | |
| British Columbia | 5,000,879 | 4,648,055 | +7.59% | 920,686.55 km2 | 5.4/km2 | — | |
Former towns
Fort Nelson, originally incorporated as a village on April 8, 1971, became a town on October 31, 1987, and then amalgamated with the Northern Rockies Regional District on February 6, 2009, to form the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality. Kinnaird, originally incorporated as a village on August 6, 1948, became a town on August 5, 1967, and then amalgamated with the Town of Castlegar on January 1, 1974, to form the City of Castlegar. Mission City, originally incorporated as a village on December 12, 1939, became a town on January 1, 1958, and then combined with the District of Mission on November 1, 1969.
See also
- List of communities in British Columbia
- List of municipalities in British Columbia
- List of cities in British Columbia
- List of district municipalities in British Columbia
- List of villages in British Columbia
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