History of Salmon Arm
Salmon Arm is located in the heart of BC’s famous Shuswap Lake recreation area along the Trans Canada Highway. This creates opportunities for tourism, commerce and business.
Salmon Arm is the "Northern gateway to the Okanagan" and is ideally situated midway between Calgary and Vancouver. Nestled on the south shores of Shuswap Lake, Salmon Arm is surrounded by outstanding natural beauty, clean waterways, provincial parks and an abundance of green space. All this lends itself to making tourism one of Salmon Arm’s fastest growing business sectors.
Salmon Arm has a mild, yet distinct four season climate and superior year-round recreational amenities. The area is overflowing with arts and cultures. Visitors avail themselves to the many activities offered, including summer entertainment on the wharf every Wednesday, live theatre, ecological reserves on the foreshore, hiking, water and houseboating activities, and a championship golf course. Winter recreational activities such as x-country skiing, snowmobiling, sleigh rides, and carnivals are also abundant in the area. Our many hospitable Shuswap inns, hotels and bed and breakfasts along with a wide choice of restaurants and pubs make it attractive to visitors from all over the world.
Salmon Arm’s economy is a diverse mixture of forestry, agriculture, tourism, commerce and manufacturing. It’s growing sophistication, and comprehensive infrastructure, offers complete municipal facilities, fully equipped fire halls, an auditorium for staging concerts and special events, a four cinema movie complex as well as a community theatre, and multipurpose facility with a twin sheet ice arena. Excellent health care and educational facilities are a drawing card for many newcomers and expanding businesses.
Groups coming to Salmon Arm for conventions, conferences, annual meetings, reunions, seminars or workshops can find the meeting facilities for groups from 6 to 500.
The beautiful Shuswap Lake takes its name from the Shuswap Indians, northernmost of the Great Salishan Family and one of the largest tribes in the Interior or B.C. Once numbering over 5,000, these people were fishermen and hunters. They roamed in bands through the vast land of lakes and forests reaching 240 kms to the West, East and North.
Whether your interests lie in work or play, Salmon Arm has it all! Come and see for yourself!