P R O M O T E D C O N T E N T
The West Kootenay city has long
been a great place to live. More
and more people are realizing the
a business potential too
Castlegar
Poised for
Growth
H
aving been born and raised in
Castlegar, Tammy Verigin-Burk
returned to the place she calls
home after studying and working
in the Lower Mainland and other
parts of B.C. for many years.
Going back to the southern
Interior city that sits smack dab between
Vancouver and Calgary wasn't a di-cult
decision for the executive director of the
Castlegar Chamber of Commerce.
"I'm at the centre of everything," says
Verigin-Burk. "Everything I could possibly
need is here, and we're on the con…uence
of the Columbia and Kootenay Rivers,
surrounded by mountains, skiing and golf.
"You can aˆord to live here, to raise
your family here," she adds. "You don't
have to take on two or three jobs to pay
your mortgage. You can enjoy your life."
While aˆordability, natural beauty
and outdoor recreation (boating, ‹shing,
hiking, mountain biking, paddleboarding
and more) are some of the draws for people
seeking quality of life to this city of 14,000,
so are business opportunities. Economic
development in Castlegar is taking oˆ.
Situated 615 kilometres from both
Vancouver and Calgary and a 30-minute
drive to the U.S. border, Castlegar is the
West Kootenay's commercial hub for
69,000 people living in the Columbia and
Kootenay River valleys. It's also home to the
West Kootenay Regional Airport, which has
more than 74,000 annual visitors (and daily
…ights to Calgary and Vancouver).
Forestry, hydro power generation,
mining, transportation, education,
tourism and education are the region's
key economic development drivers, but
Castlegar's business community is primed
for diversity and growth.
The Castlegar Chamber of Commerce,
which has been recognized as 2018's best
chamber in B.C. by the BC Chamber of
Commerce, has established Destination
Castlegar, maximizing on its tremendous
draws for visitors. There are provincial
parks, natural swimming ponds, festivals
and farm-to-table dining. With a collection
of dozens of pieces of public art, Castlegar
is the sculpture capital of Canada.
The chamber also established the
Economic Development o-ce, bolstering
The sculpture
capital of
Canada
Castlegar is just
a halfhour from
the U.S.
C A S T L E G A R
