The Slocan District is made up of nine communities, all in the Regional District of Central Kootenay Electoral Area H. Three are incorporated municipalities in the district.

Central to the region is Slocan Lake, a clean and pristine, undeveloped and undammed lake, fed by creeks that course down thickly forested mountain slopes. Slocan Lake drains into the meandering Slocan River. The Valhalla Range to the west and the Slocan Range to the east provide shelter, stunning views, and a backyard awaiting adventure. We share our home with many wild animals – deer, bears, elk, mountain goats, pikas, cougars, lynx and rare mountain caribou. About 1,500 people live along Slocan Lake’s 28-km-long eastern shoreline.

In our communities, you won’t find shopping malls, fast food restaurants or big box stores. You will find artisans in abundance, small organic farms, tourist operators, small manufacturers, and interesting little shops.

A pioneering spirit dominates our history and culture. Our communities sprang up along the lake during the silver rush of the 1890s, and went through the boom-and-bust cycles of the mining industry until the 1950s. Forestry then became the area’s primary industry, and more recently, tourism has become an important economic driver. In the late 1960s and 1970s, Vietnam War draft dodgers, back-to-the-landers and artists arrived, bringing progressive values and creative energy that still shape this valley. To read more about our local culture , see the .

We get about 950 mm (38″) of precipitation a year, and temperatures range on average from a comfortable -5 to +5C in winter (sometimes dropping to -20C) and 20 to 25C in summer, with heat waves in the high 20s/low 30s. It’s more likely to be sunny July to September (300+ hours/month) and snow is best from December to February. All that wet stuff is filtered through soil and rock to give us some of the cleanest, tastiest drinking water on Earth.

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