British Columbia
Truly Diverse

Welcome to the Northern region of Super-Natural British Columbia, Canada. British Columbia is world-famous for its beautiful cities, incredible scenery and warm, welcoming people, and the Northern region is the place where you can experience it all. Three distinct areas comprise this vast region, the Central Interior Lakes and Rivers District, the Peace River District, and the Northwest. So get ready for the educational, cultural and recreational adventure of a lifetime.

With literally thousands of lakes and rivers to cast your fishing line into, or canoe, swim or water-ski in, the Central Interior Lakes and Rivers District is appropriately named. In the spring and summer, the lakes and rivers teem with a wide variety of fish. In the late summer and fall, salmon surge through the district's river systems as they head for their traditional spawning grounds. From backyard porches to man-made viewing platforms, you can view the many species of animals and birds, large and small, that inhabit northern British Columbia. The area offers numerous provincial and private camping areas, recreation-based resorts and lodges to suit every kind of outdoors taste. Here you can take advantage of the many kilometers of high quality hiking and mountain-biking trails, or spend quiet nights around the campfire.

But don't forget the winter sports. A ski hill is never far away, no matter where you live in the North. There are excellent facilities for downhill skiing all around the northern part of the province; cross-country skiing on a bright sunny day is a great way to keep warm and enjoy the beauty and quiet of freshly fallen snow. And the best part is that cross-country skiing can be done almost anywhere. Snowmobiling and ice fishing are also popular pastimes during the winter months.

In the Central Interior, just a short one-hour plane trip from Vancouver, you will discover not only pristine wilderness and abundant wildlife, but also the modern growing city of Prince George. Often called the Northern Capital of British Columbia, Prince George is home to 75,000 people, and as the fourth largest city in British Columbia, Prince George features all the amenities that you would expect in a vibrant and expanding city.

The city provides numerous indoor and outdoor recreational opportunities to satisfy every desire. Located in the middle of an endless spruce forest, the city boasts more than 120 parks. If the hiking, camping or water sports in this area are not enough for you, then it is only a three and a half hour drive to the entrance of two of Canada's most spectacular national parks, Jasper and Banff. For a less strenuous outdoor experience, try one of the four golf courses situated in the Prince George city limits, or swim in the two public Aquatic Centers. If shopping is your passion, you won't be disappointed here - there are two large shopping malls, several strip malls and plenty of specialty shops.

Prince George offers residents and visitors alike a rich cultural environment. Theatre Northwest, a professional theatre company, brings professional actors who perform Canadian and international works. Theatre Workshop showcases the best of local and regional amateur theatre in the newly renovated Prince George Playhouse, and an active Symphony keeps local, national and international musicians busy on the stages of city venues. The Native Friendship Centre in the downtown area houses the Native Art Gallery, where Native artisans show and sell their work. There is no shortage of history in Prince George either: you can learn about the area at the Fraser-Fort George Regional Museum, or at the Railway and Forestry Museum.

At the end of a busy day or week, you can treat yourself to dinner out and experience the multicultural atmosphere of the city at the same time. You can taste foods from around the world in the over 100 restaurants the city has to offer. The downtown nightclub scene provides an equally diverse range of entertainment from current pop, country and rock groups to folk music.

It is not surprising that a city with so much to offer is also home to two excellent educational facilities. Since 1969, the College of New Caledonia has been providing outstanding post-secondary education in a wide range of subject areas to residents of northern British Columbia and beyond. A highly experienced and dedicated teaching staff offers each student the personal attention that is so important for success. CNC is a comprehensive community college that grants diplomas and certificates in Business, Health Sciences, Trades and Technologies, as well as two years of university transfer programmes. Among its many excellent courses is English as a Second Language, as students from all around the world study together in small classes. It is not unusual to share a classroom with students from as many as twelve different countries. The highly trained and qualified ESL teachers are experts in helping you improve your English skills and move on to other college or university programs.

The University of Northern British Columbia is one of Canada's newest universities, and currently has about 3,200 students. UNBC offers about forty degree programs at both undergraduate and graduate level in the arts, sciences and professional programs. The award-winning Prince George campus is a showpiece for the use of wood in construction, and the campus also provides great views of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. UNBC's professors are among the best in Canada, and class sizes are the smallest among all universities in British Columbia. UNBC is a research-intensive university, and many students have the opportunity to participate in research on important social, economic and environmental themes.

If you travel north from Prince George, you will enter the Peace River district. The topography varies immensely in this region, from the Rocky Mountains in the west to the Interior Plains in the eastern sections. This is an area of big skies, wild valleys, mountains and rivers, as the Northern Rockies host an immense variety of wildlife, leading some naturalists to call it the 'Serengeti of the North'. The towns of Fort St. John, Dawson Creek, Chetwynd, Tumbler Ridge, Mackenzie and Fort Nelson dot the huge land mass, including a new Environmental Planning degree specializing in Energy Development that is unique in Canada. Education is an important component of life in this area, with Northern Lights College and UNBC providing a wide range of educational opportunities. Northern Lights College has a great deal of experience in providing international students with high quality programmes.

West of Prince George you will travel to the Northwest region, which has been the homeland since time immemorial of the North Coast First Nations People. You can make your way along the highway from the towns of Houston and Smithers to Hazelton, where you can visit the historic K'san Native Museum and pass by the majestic Seven Sisters Mountain. The highway then winds its way along the Skeena River to the town of Terrace, British Columbia, home to Northwest Community College, servicing the diverse educational needs of the residents of this area. You will finally end up at the port city of Prince Rupert.

This is an area of stunning beauty, visited by more than half a million tourists a year. The scenery they enjoy here ranges from interior farming valleys to coastal fjords interspersed with craggy mountains and lava flows. The outstanding recreational opportunities in this area include fishing, whale-watching, rock-climbing, skiing and much more. This area is also rich in wildlife with some species, such as the Kermode bear, being unique to it. The rivers in the area are some of the most productive salmon streams in the world, and the coastal waters yield halibut, octopus and shellfish from intertidal zones.

If a truly Canadian experience is what you want, there can be no better place than Northern British Columbia. The area offers a perfect blend of wilderness and small town or city amenities. International students will find that Northerners are eager to welcome them, and to share with them their unique homeland and safe, friendly lifestyle.

Author

Mary Ann Tierney
International Education Coordinator
College of New Caledonia