Lytton, British Columbia

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Village of Lytton
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settlement_type = Village
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map_caption = Location of Lytton in British Columbia


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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = CAN
subdivision_type1 = Province
subdivision_name1 = BC
subdivision_type2 = Region
subdivision_name2 = Fraser Canyon
subdivision_type3 = Regional district
subdivision_name3 = Thompson-Nicola
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leader_title = Governing body
leader_name = Lytton Village Council
leader_title1 = Mayor
leader_name1 = Chris O'Connor
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established_title2 = Incorporated
established_date2 = 1945
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area_total_km2 = 6.71
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population_as_of = 2006
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population_total = 235
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timezone = PST
utc_offset = -8
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latd= 50|latm= 13|lats= 28|latNS=N
longd= 121|longm= 34|longs= 39|longEW=W
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elevation_m = 195
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blank_name = Highways
blank_info = 1 12
blank1_name = Waterways
blank1_info = Thompson River Fraser River
website = [http://www.lytton.ca Village of Lytton]
footnotes = Lytton in British Columbia sits at the confluence of the Thompson River and Fraser River on the east side of the Fraser at coordinates coord|50|13|30|N|121|34|36|W|city|display=inline. The location has been inhabited by the Nlaka'pamux people for over 10,000 years.

History

Lytton was on the route of the Gold Rush in 1858. That same year, Lytton was named for Edward Bulwer-Lytton, the British Colonial Secretary and a novelist. For many years Lytton was a stop on major transportation routes, namely, the Cariboo Wagon Road in 1862, the Canadian Pacific Railway in the 1880s, and the Trans Canada Highway in the 1950s. However, it has become much less important since the construction of the Coquihalla Highway in 1987 which uses a more direct route to BC's interior.

Population

The current village population is about 400 people with another 2,000 in the immediate area living in rural areas and on reserves of the neighbouring six Nlaka'pamux communities.

Weather

In the summer, Lytton is often the hottest spot in Canada. Shade temperatures regularly reach the mid to high 30°C 's (upper 90's to low 100°F's) and occasionally exceed 40°C (104°F). Lytton, along with the nearby community of Lillooet, share the second-highest temperature ever recorded in Canada. On 16 July 1941, the temperature reached a record 44.4°C (111.9°F) in both communities. [ [http://climate.weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/climateData/dailydata_e.html?timeframe=2&Prov=CA&StationID=966&Year=1941&Month=7&Day=26 Environment Canada Daily Data Report for July 1941] ] Hot summer temperatures are made more tolerable by low humidity; however, the heat can be intense with usually clear blue skies and blazing sunlight - heat also radiates from the valley slopes. Lytton's climate is also characterized by relatively short and mild winters (although the January average temperature is slightly below the freezing point) and light annual precipitation, with some Pacific maritime influence despite its interior location. Precipitation is largely concentrated in the cooler half of the year.

Vegetation

Open coniferous forests of Douglas-fir and ponderosa pine dominate the slopes around Lytton. Some black cottonwood is scattered among the conifers. Bunchgrass dominates the forest floor. Non-native trees cultivated in Lytton include black locust and Manitoba Maple.

Transportation

Lytton lies on Trans Canada Highway and is the location where the Canadian Pacific Railway and Canadian National Railway change sides of the Fraser River.

Highway 12 runs north from Lytton to Lillooet providing alternative access for Whistler and the 2010 Olympics.

There is a free reaction ferry that crosses the Fraser River at Lytton. On the West side of the river is a First Nation reserve and the Stein Valley Nlaka'pamux Heritage Park that includes the entire watershed for the Stein River.

Politics

The mayor of Lytton is Chris O'Connor, who has held office since 1999.

Lytton is in the provincial riding of Yale-Lillooet represented since 2005 by Harry Lali of the NDP and the federal riding of Chilliwack-Fraser Canyon represented by Chuck Strahl of the Conservatives.

Lytton is a corporate entity created under the Community Charter Act. The elections for the Village Council are held every three years with the next election scheduled to be held in November, 2008. The Council includes the following members:
*Mayor O'Connor
*Peter McArthur (since 1995)
*Jessoa Lightfoot (since 2005)
*Denise MacIntyre (since 2005)
*Rita McKay (since 2005)

The primary priorities of the Council currently are improvements to the village water system and formation of a sub-regional government with the five adjacent First Nations.

Economy

The main business is forestry and the main employer is Lytton Lumber.Lytton Lumber closed down last summer.

Tourism is of ever increasing importance as Lytton is the River Rafting Capital of Canada. Biggest of the companies operating from Lytton is Kumsheen Rafting Resort. Hyak is very close behind and Fraser River and Reo Rafting are the smaller rafting companies.

References

External links

* [http://www.lytton.ca Lytton]
* [http://www.lyttonemploymentcentre.org Lytton Employment Centre]
* [http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/steinvly.html Stein Valley Park]