Life in the North Shuswap
Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) Area F is located at the north end of Shuswap Lake, on rugged territory stretching between the Adams River and the Monashee Range. It encompasses the Shuswap’s most remote community, Seymour Arm, along with Anglemont, Celista, Lee Creek, Magna Bay, Scotch Creek, and St. Ives, and three First Nations reserves.
For centuries, First Nations traveled the lakes and pathways of the North Shuswap, hunting, fishing, and gathering. Gold-seekers, railway workers, homesteaders, and forestry workers gradually settled in the area, and some subsistence farms evolved into more sustainable operations, including orchards and strawberry farms. Currently, the main industries in Area F are tourism – primarily in the summer, when the local population triples, with a winter industry developing around sledding – logging, some light industrial operations, and agriculture, including a winery. Area F is home to the famous Adams River Salmon Run and Salute to the Sockeye festival in Tsutswecw Provincial Park (formerly Roderick Haig Brown Provincial Park).
Shuswap Lake is the defining feature of the North Shuswap, and the area also features sandy beaches, rivers, and remote mountain ranges. Residents and visitors to Area F are attracted to its very rural quality, despite some infrastructure limitations (Scotch Creek lacks a community sewer system, Seymour Arm is not connected to the power grid). Over 60% of residences in Area F are vacation or secondary dwellings.
Area F residents share a very strong sense of community, a love of outdoor recreation, and the natural environment. The local population is aging, but there is support for growth and improved infrastructure in Settlement Areas – to maintain the area’s rural character while encouraging a range of commercial services, sustainable agriculture, a four-season tourist industry and vibrant year-round economy, and a wider variety of dwellings.
Community Profile
Our permanent population hovers around 2500. In the summer with the sun out and the lake warm, we number in the 25,000 range.
Pertinent Area F Census 2016 information
Live, work and play in the North Shuswap
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