Duncan Seniors :: Duncan Boomers Baby Boomers
Duncan Seniors and Boomers Duncan Resource Directory
Duncan is a vibrant
community on Vancouver Island is named after William Chalmers
Duncan. Born in 1836 in Sarnia, Ontario he arrived in the area
in 1862, along with 99 others brought to the Cowichan Bay area
by Governor Douglas. After going on a couple of Gold Rush
expeditions, Duncan returned to the area, married in 1876 and
his son Kenneth became the first mayor of Duncan.
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Duncan, British Columbia
Location:
On Vancouver Island in
the Strait of Georgia, Regional District of Cowichan, Province of
British Columbia, Canada Latitude: 48°46N Longitude:123°42W
Elevation: 20m 36
miles (60 km) north of Victoria.
Duncan's farm named the Alderlea was not a scheduled stop for the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway when it opened in August 1886. The inaugural trip taken by Sir John A. MacDonald and Robert Dunsmuir, stopped for a crowd of 2,000 who assembled at Duncan's Crossing. This marked the birth of Duncan as a place on the map.
In the early 1900's Duncan's Chinatown included six Chinese families and 30 merchants supplying loggers, mill workers, cannery and mine workers. As immigration became more more restrictive and businesses closed the area became run down. In 1969 the buildings were torn down and the law courts complex was built.
Serviced by the Railway and Trans Canada Highway, it serves an area population of 77, 561. It is the centre of the Cowichan Valley Regional District. Cowichan derives from Quw’utsun’ Khowutzun Cowichan. Literally translated from Coast Salish into "The Warm Land"
Climate: Duncan records the highest average mean temperature in Canada at 11C.
Population (2006): 4,986
Business in Duncan: Duncan has experienced steady growth in the business sector, with a brisk increase in business incorporations during the past 3 or 4 years. Business incorporations in 2006 more than double the number of business incorporations in 2002 or 2003.
It isn't only the number of business start-ups that demonstrate strong economic growth in Duncan over the past three to four years. The number of business and personal bankruptcies have also declined during recent years.
The Duncan Business Improvement Area Society manages the "Core" and "Fringe" business areas. The objective of the society is to develop each area as a collective destination for one stop shopping for goods and services.
The Core area is a six block area within Government, Canada, Jubilee and Ingram Streets. The Fringe area includes the south side of Government Street from 70 to 176 Government. The Fringe area includes the area up to Canada Avenue between Ingram, Jubilee, and Fourth and includes other smaller areas including parts of the 800 and 900 block of Canada Avenue, and Duncan Street and along Government North to the end of City Limits.
The Society is funded by a Levy, based on the assessment rate, and is collected from property owners by the City of Duncan. The Levy collects approximately $376,000
Age Trends: A look at Duncan's age distribution indicates Duncan has fewer people under 65, in all age groups, than the provincial average and a higher than average number of residents over age 65. While this is based on 2001 Census, it is likely the trend of older residents in Duncan will continue to increase and likely continue to exceed provincial averages, due in part to the ratio of boomers in the general population - Duncan being no exception. Due to the skewing of the age distribution toward more seniors, it is not surprising that employment is marginally lower and percentages of people collecting pensions is slightly higher than the provincial average.
The warm climate in Duncan makes it an attractive retirement hometown for many retirees from all parts of Canada. Many of Duncan's newest residents are people who have moved to Duncan from other parts of Canada to retire.
