Agassiz, British Columbia

Agassiz (/ˈæɡəsi/ AG-ə-see)^[6] is a small community located in the Eastern Fraser Valley region of British Columbia, Canada, about 97 kilometres east of Vancouver and 24 kilometres north-east of the city of Chilliwack.^[7] Agassiz is the only town centre within the jurisdiction of the District Municipality of Kent. The majority of Kent's population resides in the Agassiz area.

Agassiz
Unincorporated community
A view of the mountains from the street
Agassiz Location in British Columbia
Coordinates: 49°14′20.19″N 121°45′57.18″W
Country	Canada
Province	British Columbia
Regional district	Fraser Valley
Named after	Lewis Nunn Agassiz, a member of the Agassiz family
Area [1]
• Land	2,500.5 km2 (965.4 sq mi)
Elevation [2]	48 m (157 ft)
Population [3]
• Estimate  (2021)	6,300
• Density	1.6/km2 (4/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-08:00 (PST)
Postal codes[4]	V0M 0A6, V0M 1A0, V0M 1A1, V0M 1A2, V0M 1A3, V0M 1A4
Area codes[5]	604, 250, 778, 236, 672

History

The land on the Fraser that is now called Agassiz was once the location of villages of the First Nation Steaten people that had been wiped out by smallpox starting in 1782.^[8] Later, another village of former First Nation slaves settled there called Freedom Village (Halkomelem: Chi'ckim).^[8]

Modern day Agassiz was founded by Lewis Nunn Agassiz, a member of the Agassiz family.^[9]

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Kent had a population of 6,300 living in 2,351 of its 2,518 total private dwellings, a change of 3.8% from its 2016 population of 6,067. With a land area of 168.59 km² (65.09 sq mi), it had a population density of 37.4/km² (96.8/sq mi) in 2021.^[10]

Climate

Agassiz has an oceanic climate (Cfb) with warm summers with cool nights and cool, rainy winters.^[11] Mid-summer to early fall is generally the driest time of the year, with only 1 out of every 3 days on average having precipitation.

Climate data for Agassiz, British Columbia
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	17.2 (63.0)	21.7 (71.1)	25.8 (78.4)	32.2 (90.0)	36.0 (96.8)	41.4 (106.5)	38.3 (100.9)	39.4 (102.9)	36.8 (98.2)	29.6 (85.3)	21.1 (70.0)	17.2 (63.0)	41.4 (106.5)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	6.2 (43.2)	8.5 (47.3)	11.6 (52.9)	15.0 (59.0)	18.5 (65.3)	21.1 (70.0)	24.0 (75.2)	24.6 (76.3)	21.3 (70.3)	15.0 (59.0)	8.9 (48.0)	5.8 (42.4)	15.0 (59.0)
Daily mean °C (°F)	3.4 (38.1)	5.1 (41.2)	7.5 (45.5)	10.4 (50.7)	13.6 (56.5)	16.2 (61.2)	18.5 (65.3)	18.7 (65.7)	15.9 (60.6)	11.0 (51.8)	6.1 (43.0)	3.2 (37.8)	10.8 (51.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	0.5 (32.9)	1.6 (34.9)	3.4 (38.1)	5.6 (42.1)	8.8 (47.8)	11.3 (52.3)	12.8 (55.0)	12.8 (55.0)	10.3 (50.5)	6.9 (44.4)	3.2 (37.8)	0.5 (32.9)	6.5 (43.7)
Record low °C (°F)	−25.0 (−13.0)	−24.4 (−11.9)	−14.4 (6.1)	−3.9 (25.0)	−1.1 (30.0)	1.7 (35.1)	3.3 (37.9)	1.7 (35.1)	−1.1 (30.0)	−8.5 (16.7)	−19.0 (−2.2)	−21.1 (−6.0)	−25.0 (−13.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	240.8 (9.48)	142.1 (5.59)	154.7 (6.09)	125.9 (4.96)	103.0 (4.06)	92.2 (3.63)	66.6 (2.62)	58.2 (2.29)	87.6 (3.45)	191.7 (7.55)	285.0 (11.22)	206.1 (8.11)	1,754.1 (69.06)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	220.8 (8.69)	131.1 (5.16)	148.8 (5.86)	125.5 (4.94)	103.0 (4.06)	92.2 (3.63)	66.6 (2.62)	58.2 (2.29)	87.6 (3.45)	191.6 (7.54)	275.8 (10.86)	187.7 (7.39)	1,688.9 (66.49)
Average snowfall cm (inches)	20.3 (8.0)	12.5 (4.9)	5.8 (2.3)	0.4 (0.2)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0.2 (0.1)	9.2 (3.6)	19.0 (7.5)	67.4 (26.6)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm)	19.2	17.3	19.9	17.8	17.1	15.0	10.4	10.1	11.7	17.1	21.3	20.0	196.9
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm)	16.8	15.8	19.6	17.8	17.1	15.0	10.4	10.1	11.7	17.1	20.7	18.1	190.1
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm)	4.6	2.8	1.0	0.2	0	0	0	0	0	0.07	1.3	3.9	13.87
Mean monthly sunshine hours	57.8	85.7	127.7	163.9	194.2	195.6	255.8	242.2	196.8	122.2	60.2	53.6	1,755.6
Source: Environment Canada[12][13][14]

Arts and culture

TV shows filmed in Agassiz

The television drama Wayward Pines (2015–2016) was filmed on location in the community. The series finale episode, unintentionally harking back to the annihilation of the Steaten people by smallpox, ends with the last few hundred humans on Earth in the 39th century deciding to commit genocide of the entire intelligent, yet simple, new Homo species that has evolved on an Earth decimated by humans in the 21st century – by infecting the new species with typhoid, Marburg virus, and the bubonic plague.

Winter Night Lights

Running through November and December, Winter Night Lights is an annual Christmas lights display at the Agassiz Harrison Museum, Historic Aberdeen building and Pioneer Park.^[15]

Government and infrastructure

The Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Agassiz Research and Development Centre, which leads integrated research on peri-urban agriculture in Canada, and the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) Kent Institution is in Agassiz.

Transportation

Agassiz is served by Via Rail's The Canadian as a flag stop.^[16] The station is only served by eastbound trains towards Toronto. Westbound trains call at Chilliwack along the CN Railway tracks, on the other side of the Fraser River. This split in service between Vancouver and Ashcroft is due to CN and CPR utilizing directional running through the Thompson- and Fraser Canyon.

Gallery

• 
  The Agassiz-Harrison Museum
• 
  District of Kent District Hall and Public Library, Agassiz, BC.

See also

• Agassiz-Rosedale Bridge
• Harrison Hot Springs