Qualicum Beach is a town in the Regional District of Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. As of the 2006 census, it had a population of 8,502. It is situated at the foot of Mount Arrowsmith, along the Strait of Georgia on Vancouver Island's northeastern coast.
Qualicum's natural beauty, small-town charm, and proximity to Victoria and Vancouver have made it a popular tourist destination, with many rental cottages dotting its coast. It is also a popular retirement community, and has the oldest average population in Canada with a median age of 60.9 in 2006.
Qualicum Beach is served by the coast-spanning Island Highway, a daily train, an airport, and a nearby ferry to Lasqueti Island. It is informally considered a twin city with neighbouring Parksville.
Read more about Qualicum Beach: History, Politics and Government, Transportation, Geography and Climate, Landmarks, Image Gallery
Famous quotes containing the word beach:
“When the inhabitants of some sequestered island first descry the “big canoe” of the European rolling through the blue waters towards their shores, they rush down to the beach in crowds, and with open arms stand ready to embrace the strangers. Fatal embrace! They fold to their bosoms the vipers whose sting is destined to poison all their joys; and the instinctive feeling of love within their breasts is soon converted into the bitterest hate.”
—Herman Melville (1819–1891)