City of Grand Forks Regional District of Kootenay-Boundary, British Columbia

City - A populated place with legally defined boundaries, incorporated as a city municipality under the provincial Municipal Act. At junction of Kettle and Granby Rivers, W of Trail, Similkameen Division Yale Land District

Mapped Location

City of Grand Forks: The mapped location is an approximation and should not be used for navigation or wayfinding.

 

Information

General information on City of Grand Forks

  • Feature Type: Incorporated

 

Official, historical, colloquial and alternative toponyms for City of Grand Forks

A brief list of names that this geographic feature has been named

Name Description
City of Grand Forks Official

 

Origin Notes and History of City of Grand Forks

References to City of Grand Forks that document the origin of its place name

Grand Forks was incorporated as a City 14 April 1897; the adjacent settlement of Columbia was incorporated as a City 4 May 1899. According to "An Act to amalgamate the cities of Grand Forks and Columbia" (Chapter 29, BC Statutes 1902), the 2 cities were amalgamated under the name of Grand Forks. Grand Forks (City) confirmed 6 October 1955 on 82/SW.

B.C. Geographical Names in Province of British Columbia
BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office  |  Province of British Columbia

....originally known as "Grande Prairie", and the area so-labelled on the Royal Engineers March 1862 preliminary map of the International Boundary. [Note that a post office with that name had been open for a decade near Monte Lake, precluding the establishment of a post office named Grande Prairie here.] Grand Forks Post Office was opened 1 January 1895. See also the municipality's own website.

B.C. Geographical Names in Province of British Columbia
BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office  |  Province of British Columbia

"This is the fork of the Kettle River and its northern tributary, the Granby River. A butte, 500 feet high and known as Observation Mountain lies in the Forks, just north of town. However "Grand" seems rather an exaggeration." (Rupert W. Haggen, BCLS, Origin of Place Names in Boundary District, 1945 manuscript, file H.1.45.)

B.C. Geographical Names in Province of British Columbia
included with note  |  Province of British Columbia

 

Regional District of Kootenay-Boundary

Political Boundaries

Last updated: 2023-10-01