About Parksville

About the City of Parksville!

We are an active community with families with young children, urban professionals, retirees, long-time residents, and new arrivals who have chosen to live in Parksville for the quality life, the region's natural environment and amenities. We are a great place to live, work and play.

Our temperate climate allows visitors and residents to enjoy a variety of outdoor activities year-round such as golf, hiking, mountain biking, and windsurfing. The 39-acre Parksville Community Park features a spectacular beachfront, waterfront walkway, sports fields, racquet courts, beach volleyball courts, children's playground, splash park, and more. The region boasts a number of golf courses for every level of player and budget.

Parksville has also been called Canada's Riviera and with good reason! Few beaches outside Mexico and the Caribbean compare with our kilometres of near perfect sandy beaches at Parksville Bay and Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park.

The City also features unique shops, world class spas, arts and cultural events, fine dining, and accommodations. This region hosts many annual events and festivals such as Canada Day, the Brant Wildlife Festival along with the annual Parksville Beach Festival featuring the Quality Foods Canadian Open Sand Sculpting Competition and Exhibition.

Did you know?

• Parksville is home to 13,642 (2021 census) residents; the Oceanside region of Vancouver Island has a population of 31,054.
• Parksville encompasses 81.76 square kilometres of land.
• Summertime temperatures average 21°C to 24°C and even in January, temperatures are most likely to be above 0°C, averaging 3°C to 6°C. We get over 2,000 hours of brilliant sunshine every year and our share of rain too, averaging about 800 millimetres per year.
• Initially settled in 1870 by John Hirst, Parksville has continued to grow, becoming a village in 1945, a town in 1978, and finally a city in 1981.
• Parksville was named for Nelson Parks, the first postmaster of the original settlement. Parks registered his land claim in 1884, for a parcel of land near the modern-day Parksville Community Park.

Check out these links to find out more about Parksville and the surrounding area:

Parksville Qualicum Beach Tourism Association
Regional District of Nanaimo
Parksville and District Chamber of Commerce
Parksville Downtown Business Association

Or find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram