Bella Coola
| Coordinates | 50°43′17″N 121°17′01″W |
| Country | British Columbia |
| District | Nuxalk Nation IAD |
| Population | 7,324 |
| Postal code area | BC |
| Postal code district | BC1N, BC1W |
| Satellites | Talyu (BC9) |
| Suburbs | Acwsalcta (BC2) Kristiania (BC5) |
Bella Coola (Nuxalk: Q′umq′uts) is a city on the central coast British Columbia. It is the seat of the Nuxalk Nation Indigenous Administrative District.
Commerce
Transportation
Air
Bella Coola Airport is located in Kristiania, and serves greater Bella Coola and the wider Nuxalk Nation region with domestic flights provided by Air BC, Northern Thunderbird Air, Pacific Coastal Airlines, and Pacific Western Airlines.
On 22 September 1976 a DH.95B Flamingo of Pacific Coastal Airlines operating a charter flight from Bella Bella to Burns Lake crashed at Mosher Creek near Stuwic, flying into a mountainside whilst trying to avoid a stall as the pilot attempted to clear a ridge. Only one of the nineteen people aboard was killed.
Rail
Bella Coola Station is the western terminus of BC Rail's Chilcotin–Owikeno Line to Williams Lake; there is also a rail ferry connection from there to Port Hardy operated by the RBCN Railway. There are also a number of other stations along the line that are located in satellites of Bella Coola.
BC Rail operate a Rapid service, the T'exelc Rapid (Trains 63/64), once daily between Bella Coola and Williams Lake, as well as Trains 6201/6202, a daily except Sunday stopping service between Bella Coola and Williams Lake - this is the last mixed train on the North American continent. As well, BC Rail operate a RailBus service under contract to Bella Coola Transit between Bella Coola and Stuwic; this runs nine times daily in each direction.
Railway stations in Bella Coola
| Station | Location | Railway | Line | Services |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acwsalcta Station | Acwsalcta | BC Rail | Chilcotin–Owikeno Line | Railbus |
| Bella Coola Station | Bella Coola | BC Rail | Chilcotin–Owikeno Line | Rapid, Mixed, Railbus, freight |
| Kristiania Station | Kristiania | BC Rail | Chilcotin–Owikeno Line | Mixed, Railbus |
| Salloomt Station | Kristiania | BC Rail | Chilcotin–Owikeno Line | Railbus |
| Snutli Station | Kristiania | BC Rail | Chilcotin–Owikeno Line | Railbus |
Road
Bella Coola is the western terminus of the Alexander MacKenzie Highway (BC Highway 20). The highway ends west of the city, at the Clayton Falls hydroelectric dam.
Bella Coola Transit provide bus service in the area.
- Bella Coola Transit bus routes
- 1 Bella Coola Transit Centre/Airport
- 2 Bella Coola Transit Centre/Bella Coola North
- 3 Clayton Falls/Acwsalcta
Ship
BC Ferries operate ferry services to Bella Bella via Ocean Falls, to Prince Rupert via Bella Bella, to Kimsquit. As well, the Royal BC Navy operate a rail ferry service from Bella Coola Station to Port Hardy, and Bella Coola Transit operate a ferry service between Bella Coola and the sattelite settlement of Talyu.
Sport
Football
Bella Coola United FC of British Columbia Football League and Bella Coola United WFC of the British Columbia Women's Football League both play at Mamayu Stadium in Acwsalcta, which has a capacity of 1,880.
Bella Coola United presently play in the Northwest Football Championship, having been relegated from the BCFL Division Three in 2019 after a single season. Their greatest League success came in 1976, when they finished second in Division Three A and thus qualified for the Promotion Playoffs; unfortunately, they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Silver King FC of Nelson with a 1:7 aggregate score, therefore failing to win promotion to Division Two. The club has won Northwest Championship titles in 2009 and 2014; their best BC FA Cup performance was in 1933, when they reached the quarter-finals, where they lost to Mission City FC.
Rugby
Bella Coola RFC, presently competing in the BCRU Second Division, play at Mamayu Stadium.
Military
HMBCS Porpoise, the Royal BC Navy's primary base for submarines, is located in South Bentinck Arm near the settlement of Ix7piixm; there are also helicopter and seaplane facilities located here.