Nanaimo

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

Over the last few years, Nanaimo has recently experienced a cultural transformation. This has allowed the various art lovers to explore all that Nanaimo could offer them. Some comprise: Art 10 Gallery, Port Place Shopping Centre (features original artwork by native artists), Nanaimo Art Gallery (offers an art sales and rental program with beautiful works of art from more than eighty native artist in addition to monthly exhibits, a gift shop, artists talk and workshops), Artisan's Studio (this local cooperative showcases excellent arts and crafts from Vancouver Island, like wall hangings, silk scarves, bags, pottery, woodwork, stained glass, leather, knitting, weaving, jewelry, original prints and paintings), Hill's Native Art (is a good place to find genuine native jewelry, masks, totem poles, Cowichan sweaters, Inuit sculpture, original paintings and limited edition prints), Gallery 223 (carries a great assortment of unique glass, paintings, pottery, sculptures and carvings in a cozy setting), Capewell Design and Art Studio (paints big contemporary and acrylic 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 Canadian artists).

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, like for example concerts, drama, improvisations, and ballet. The Harbour City houses TheatreOne, a community-based professional theatre company. They offer children's theatre, fringe flicks, comedy improve, and drama.

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