Campbell River, British Columbia

Where in the world could you try your hand at double-hand bucking, the underhand block chop, the axe throw, or a chockerman's race? Campbell River, of course!

These are just a few of the events held during the Campbell River Salmon Festival in August. But they don't actually have anything to do with salmon – they are all logging events that even the amateur can participate in. The logging events during the Salmon Festival are one of the few things in Campbell River that have nothing to do with salmon. This town on the east coast of British Columbia's Vancouver Island is, after all, Canada's salmon capital. It is one of the best places in the world to watch the famous salmon runs. Every spring, people marvel as the area's streams fill up with pink, coho, sockeye, and chinook salmon returning to their original spawning grounds. You can even don a wetsuit and mask and swim over to the town's estuary to snorkel with the fish! Don't worry, though – the salmon don't bite, even when you do come face-to-face with them. You can also try salmon fishing. And, if you're good enough, you might catch a big one and become a member of the famous Tyee Club, a local organization dedicated to honoring the salmon.

It is obvious that the natural environment is a key component of life in Campbell River. In fact, the Tyee Club regularly undertakes projects to restore local waterways to enhance the salmon population. The local government itself has initiated several projects to protect the environment as well. It buys up local lands in order to improve the habitat for the area's rich variety of wildlife species. These investments in the environment show that the town puts a big emphasis on quality of life. It has a good transit system and a local airport and is even home to three hospitals and a community college, North Island College. All this is found in a town of 31,294 people!

The town also offers excellent employment opportunities. It has strong and growing mining and forestry industries as well as a range of government services. And, you can't beat the climate. With mild winters and dry summers, it's easy to enjoy the wealth of recreational activities available at the local provincial parks, mountains, or ocean beaches. The local mountains do offer excellent downhill skiing in the winter, but besides that, you don't have to worry about the stereotypically harsh Canadian winters in Campbell River.

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