Chilliwack (/ˈtʃɪləwæk/) is the 7th-largest city in British Columbia by metropolitan area, with 101,512 people.[1] Historically an agricultural community, most of its residents are now city-dwellers. Chilliwack is the seat of the Fraser Valley Regional District and its second largest city. This city is surrounded by mountains and recreational areas such as Cultus Lake and Chilliwack Lake Provincial Parks. It is located 102 kilometres (63 miles) southeast of Vancouver. There are many outdoor activities in the area, including hiking, rock climbing,[2] mountain biking[3] horseback riding, whitewater kayaking,[4] camping, fishing, golf and paragliding.[5]
In Halq’eméylem, the language of the Stó:lō communities around Chilliwack and Sardis, Tcil’Qe’uk means “valley of many streams”.[6] It also lends its name to the Chilliwack River, and group of aboriginal people, the Ts’elxweyeqw.[7] The spelling of Chilliwack is sometimes a matter of confusion. Prior to the amalgamation of the City of Chilliwack and the Municipality of Chilliwhack, there were two different spellings. When amalgamated, the current spelling of the city was adopted.[8] Anglicized spellings include “Chilliwhyeuk” and other versions closer to the original Halq’eméylem.
The archeological record shows evidence of Stó:lō people in the Fraser Valley, or S’ólh Téméxw, 10,000 years ago. Permanent structures in the Chilliwack area date from around 5,000 years ago.[9] It is estimated that at the time of the first contact with Europeans, there were as many as 40,000 people living within Stó:lō territory.
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