Get to Know Squamish
What is Squamish?
One of the top 52 places to go in the world in 2015 according to the New York Times. (Not nominated again in 2016, but neither were any other cities)
Squamish is an English adaptation of the indigenous name Skwxwú7mesh, which means "Mother of the Wind". Indeed, in the winter the cold wind can be a real mother...
No (known) relation to the sport called 43 Man Squamish invented by Mad Magazine
A pulp mill forestry town until the mid 2000s, now has more legal medical marijuana grow ops (3) than active mills (0)
For no other reason than it sounds funny, it is also known by locals as "Squampton"
Who is Squamish?
Population < 20,000 people making it the 242nd biggest city in Canada and 39th biggest in BC!
36 years old is the median age of Squamish (vs 41 in BC), which also has BC's fastest growing youth population
Possible (or likely?) home of the Sasquatch
World's highest percentage of population that lives out of their vehicles. (Some are even McDonald's-sponsored!)
0% vacancy rate for apartments and houses. Everyone wants to move here but there aren't enough places ( ...so stay at the Squamish Adventure Inn instead!)
Where is Squamish?
1 hour north of Vancouver (... unless the bridge from Vancouver is backed up, which is almost always)
40 minutes south of Whistler (... unless there's tons of snow, which only happens in the winter, between November and March)
0 meters above sea level. So close to the Pacific Ocean that the city deals with serious risks of flooding. Here's a flood timeline on the city's website. Fun!
In Canada
Why Squamish?
Top 10 wind- and kitesurfing destination in the world according to some. While it is fair to question who "some" is, a lot of people are out there surfing in the summer, so it must be good.
Rated by Mountain Bike Magazine as one of the world's top 25 wildest and most exotic places to mountain bike. Also the trademark owner of the "Mountain Bike Capital of Canada"
World class hiking, rock climbing, bird watching, fishing, back country skiing, and more.
Activity and Event calendars
Discover what's going on at in Squamish, and in the Sea-to-Sky Corridor!
Here are some links to some great local calendars. Check them out to see what is going on around town:
Want More Squamish?
Book your stay at the Squamish Adventure Inn:
Or check out one of the blog posts for more on why Squamish is so awesome: