Kamloops is located in the Thompson-Nicole Regional District of British Columbia. It is the largest city in the region and is ranked as 37th on the list of metro areas throughout Canada. Kamloops houses the district's regional offices and was originally one of three tribal settlements in the area. Today Kamloops is a mecca for both industry as well as education and is also one of the fastest growing cities in the region with no signs of slowing down.
Kamloops is a city that is always growing. The average growth rate of the city stands at 1.43% annually and, according to the most recent census for the area in 2016, Kamloops' overall population is 90,280.
City Size and Population Density
The city of Kamloops covers a considerable area, coming to a total of 299.23 square kilometers (115.53 square miles). When we combine this area with the total population, the calculations indicate a population density of 286.3 residents per square kilometer (742 individuals per square mile).
Demographics in Kamloops
The population consists of a 90% native culture. Only 10% of residents are classified as immigrants, according to the most recent census of 2011. This census also showed that there are more women than men within the overall population. There are 41,945 men and 43,730 women in Kamloops.
English and French are the preferred and official languages here.
In terms of religion, over 30% of the residents of Kamloops have no preferred religion and a large portion of the population - nearly 60% - is affiliated with some form of Christianity.
Employment
The labor market in Kamloops is quite good for the area. It is estimated that the unemployment rate within the city is 7.7%. The overall workforce within Kamloops stands at 84.3% of the population. This includes eligible workers from the age of 15 and above. The totals reflect that 84.3% of the population is eligible to work, although this consists of those that are just too old to work as well as disabled individuals.
Education
One of the most important parts of any city is its education system, and education in Kamloops is critical to its thriving economy. It is estimated that 17.06% of the overall population have no formal educational qualifications as they did not finish high school. Those that have only graduated from high school make up 30.30% of the population. After high school, trades certificate holders total 13.57% of the people, with college graduates at 16.74%. Individuals with pre-bachelor degrees stand at 6.26% while those with full bachelor's degrees total 10.83%. The smaller numbers are not surprising since most cities do not have substantial amounts of people studying for these degrees, with advanced degrees making up only 5.24%.
Religion
The religious aspect of Kamloops is quite different from that of many other cities where Christianity dominates. Where 48.8% of the overall population does claim to be of the Christian religion, while many residents claim no religious affiliation at all. That is in stark contrast to other cities throughout the world where religious affiliation has a more significant impact. There are also some other religions in Kamloops that deserve mention even though these numbers are fractions of the population. Buddhism is practiced .48% of the population, Hinduism makes up .32% and Jews are a mere .07%. Muslims occupy .66% of the population and Sikhs 1.31%. In addition to these, the Aboriginal religion is .29%, and other religions make up .68% of the overall population.
History
The gold rush of the 1860s brought further growth, resulting in the City of Kamloops being incorporated in 1893 with a population of about 500. By 1911, the population had grown to nearly 4,000 and again doubled by 1951 to just over 8,000 residents. By 1976, the town had increased to over 58,000.