Nanaimo

The first Europeans to ever set foot in the Nanaimo Bay was the Spanish voyage of Juan Carrasco and his fleet in the year 1791. They named the area Bocas de Winthuysen. In 1804, the Hudson's Bay Company was informed by the Snuneymuxw chief Ki-et-sa-kun that coal could be found in the area, so during 1853, the company constructed a fort and named it Nanaimo Bastion. In 1869, Robert Dunsmuir, the name of one of its workers created coal mines in the Nanaimo harbour and discovered coal several miles North of Nanaimo at Wellington. He later founded the company Dunsmuir and Diggle Ltd, and expanded his operations to comprise steam railways.

During the past few years, Nanaimo has recently experienced a cultural change. This has allowed the many art lovers to explore all that Nanaimo could provide them. Some include: Art 10 Gallery, Port Place Shopping Centre (showcases creative artwork by native artists), Nanaimo Art Gallery (provides an art rental and sales program with wonderful works of art from more than 80 local artist together with monthly exhibits, a gift shop, artists talk and workshops), Artisan's Studio (this local cooperative features quality arts and crafts from the island of Vancouver, such as bags, wall hangings, silk scarves, stained glass, pottery, woodwork, weaving, leather, knitting, paintings, jewelry and original prints), Hill's Native Art (is a good place to find authentic local masks, jewelry, Cowichan sweaters, Inuit sculpture, totem poles, original paintings and limited edition prints), Gallery 223 (carries a great range of original pottery, glass, paintings, carvings and sculptures in a calm setting), Capewell Design and Art Studio (paints big acrylics and contemporary works of Italian architecture), Barton and Leier Gallery (is a gallery filled with original paintings by Nixie Barton and Grant Leier), and Black Rock Gallery (showcases the work of local contemporary and national artists from Canada).

Individuals who are into live theatre can find Nanaimo a haven of performing arts. The Port Theatre is situated downtown, and is a great place to enjoy a lot of performances, such as concerts, drama, improvisations, and ballet. The Harbour City houses TheatreOne, a community-based professional theatre company. They provide fringe flicks, children's theatre, drama and comedy improv.

The most prominent business within Nanaimo was coal mining, even though the early 1960's have made forestry a major force in the industry too. The largest company of the city is the provincial government, with NCO Group call centre tagging behind. Several big contributors to the local economy are the service, retail, and tourism trades.