Duncan/Cowichan Valley

Zone 3 of the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board is the Cowichan Valley, which has a trade area population of 74,000.

The zone starts at the Malahat mountain pass (just north of Victoria), and travels north to the community of Ladysmith. It also extends across Vancouver Island west to Lake Cowichan and the Nitinat Inlet to the Pacific Ocean.

From the Malahat, through the villages of Mill Bay and Cobble Hill (home to some of Vancouver Island’s finest wineries and British Columbia’s only cidery), comes the commercial heart of the Cowichan Valley in the City of Duncan (pop. 4,900). It covers approximately one square mile and is jam packed with interesting shops, activities and services most of which are centralized within about four city blocks. Duncan is the city of Totems. Almost eighty totem poles can be found spread throughout the city.

West of Duncan, the Cowichan Lake district, with its communities of Youbou, Mesachie Lake, Honeymoon Bay and Lake Cowichan (pop. 3,000), is home to some of Vancouver Island’s most spectacular rainforest and one of Vancouver Island’s largest freshwater lakes.

Leaving Duncan, the Municipality of North Cowichan begins (pop.28,519).

Continuing north on Highway 19: Chemainus (pop. 3,900), is a mill town now known as the “Little Town That Did”, due to its world famous downtown murals; Ladysmith (pop.3,900) proudly proclaims its historic roots as well as its claim to being one of the ten prettiest towns in Canada. The community was designed to house the coal miners that worked in Dunsmuir mines.

Source::Courtesy of Duncan-Cowichan Chamber of Commerce and the City of Duncan