Nelson BC

Our City & How to Find Us

The City of Nelson is a dynamic community,

Home to an unusually large number of artists, and, consequently, galleries, boutique shops, and coffee houses.

While enjoying a thriving art and culture scene, Nelson also houses a variety of eateries and dining opportunities unparalleled in the Kootenays. Local music and musicians are well represented in many of these establishments, or featured prominently at regional music festivals throughout the year- though summer is prime time for taking in local and international acts at a series of outdoor stages and events.

Boasting a progressive, environmentally conscious and engaged ethic alongside outdoor pursuits and adventuring,

Nelson hosts established farmer’s markets, well-equipped gear shops, community level green initiatives and a multitude of trail systems radiating from town and into the surrounding area.

Educational opportunities and just plain leisure vie for visitors’ and residents’ attention, all these activities and the general bustle of Nelson book-ended by mountain ranges to the east and west, the West Arm of Kootenay Lake reflecting this picture perfect town back on itself in the interests of constant introspection, steady improvement and noteworthy additions to the cultural landscape; Nelson’s heritage street trolley is a great summer-time attraction, as are the numerous graduate shows presented by a variety of faculties found at Selkirk College and/or Kootenay School of Art and Design.

A recognized Transition Town, Nelson is home to a diverse population of intermingling ethnicities, races, cultures and creeds.

It is a balanced and ever-evolving locale that is neither exclusive nor pretentious; while what author Richard Florida characterizes as “the creative class” is readily apparent in town and the larger region (there is much to explore outside of Nelson, too), it is an inclusive and welcoming set engaged in these pursuits, not the nose-in-the-air bunch associated with big-city avant-garde.

We do things differently in the Kootenays,

less by design than a shared preference in lifestyle- it is not uncommon to see some shops shuttered early morning on a powder day, proprietors breaking trail to Whitewater Ski Resort in search of fresh turns in newly fallen snow.

Winter, spring, summer or fall, Nelson is yours to explore by foot, bike, ski or paddle, an all-season destination framed by lakeside and mountain, a gateway to the fabled West Kootenays.