Welcome to Lillooet
Lillooet is an important location in Aboriginal history and culture and remains one of the main population centres of the Stʼatʼimc (Lillooet Nation). Today it is one of the southernmost communities in North America where indigenous people form the majority. Just over 50 per cent of the people in Lillooet and area are Stʼatʼimc. First Nations communities assert the land is traditional territory since time immemorial. Considered to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited locations on the continent, the area is reckoned by archaeologists to have been inhabited for several thousand years.
Demographics
Total Population
0
Total Population
Population by Age
SLRD Census Population
First Nations
Indigenous Communities
6
Upper St’am’imc
Communities
Community Members
St’am’imc Owned Businesses
0
Businesses
Business & Employment
Total Business Licenses
Total Business Licenses
232
Business Profile
Housing & Commercial Space
Total Dwelling Units
1,219
Median Home Price
Owners & Renters
Buildable Area (Acres)
Average Development Permits
Issued Per Year
0
Permits Issued
Development Value
in $Mil
$ 4.8mil
Development
Lillooet Fun Facts
Lillooet’s Camels
In 1858, an entrepreneur determined that camels would be ideal pack animals for Lillooet, so he imported 23 two humped Bactrian camels from Asia. But the high-strung beasts ate miners clothing, kicked at anyone who came close, and cut their soft feet on the rocky mountainous roads. The camels were abandoned, left to roam in the wild, and almost all died. The lone surviving Bactrian camel, “The Lady”, died around 1896 on a farm in Grande Prairie, BC.
Hottest Place in Canada
Thinking about going skiing? Lillooet holds the record for the fourth-hottest temperature recorded in British Columbia. In 2021 temperatures in Lillooet reached 46.8 °C (116.2 °F). Lillooet also holds the record for the hottest temperature recorded in the province during the months of April (36.1 °C [97.0 °F]), May (41.7 °C [107.1 °F]), and December (22.2 °C [72.0 °F]). Lillooet’s climate is classified as a semi-arid desert.
Largest Town in BC
The modern town of Lillooet had its start as one of the main centers of the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush when it was dubbed the “largest town west of Chicago and north of San Francisco” and had a population of an estimated 15,000. Prior to the Gold Rush, the Lillooet area was inhabited by the St’am’imc Nation since time immemorial and counts as one of the oldest continuously inhabited areas in all of North America.