Salmon Arm

Salmon Arm is a city in the Southern Interior of the Canadian province of British Columbia that has a population of 16,205 (2006). It is on the shores of Shuswap Lake, where the Salmon River empties into the Salmon Arm reach of the Lake. It is a tourist town in the summer, with many beaches, as well as camping facilities and house boat rentals. Salmon Arm is home to the longest wooden wharf in North America. It is the location of the head offices of the Columbia-Shuswap Regional District. Salmon Arm became a city on May 15, 2005, its 100th birthday of incorporation, and minted a coin with a C$3 local value commemorating the event. Directly north of the city, across Shuswap lake, lies Mt. Bastion. A photograph of Mt. Bastion serves as the background for the driver's licence of BC (however, the introduction of new advanced technology has meant new licences no longer contain the background photo of Mt. Bastion).

The largest employer in the Salmon Arm area is the forest industry and related businesses; however, due to economic conditions, the Federated Co-Op sawmill has been out of operation since 2008, although the co-located plywood production facility has generally remained operational. The city benefits from close access to the Canadian Pacific railway.

Tourism is also important to Salmon Arm, bringing many tourists from Vancouver, Calgary and Asia. Most tourists arrive during the summer season, either stopping en route to other holiday destinations, or to visit the Shuswap Lake. Salmon Arm has several hotels, campsites and houseboat rental outlets.

Relative to its size, Salmon Arm has a wide variety of restaurants and cultural attractions. Public beaches at Sunnybrae and Canoe are often crowded during the summer.