Balfour, British Columbia

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Balfour is a small, unincorporated community in the West Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia, Canada. It sits on BC Highway 3A on the north shore of the West Arm of Kootenay Lake, about 33 kilometres northeast of Nelson. The town grew around a ferry terminal that links the lake to other communities and has long been its main hub.

Long before settlers arrived, First Nations people fished and picked huckleberries in the area. In 1889–1890, land was claimed and a general store opened. A year later a hotel began serving visitors, and a post office started in 1891. The Anglican church opened in 1892. A brick company operated nearby for about ten years starting in 1894, and the Pilot Bay smelter nearby helped the economy for a while before closing in 1896. A lighthouse was built in 1897.

More families moved in during the early 1900s, many hoping to grow fruit. The Riverside subdivision and nearby Fraser’s Landing were developed, and Balfour began to take shape as a community connected by roads and the lake. A school started in 1910, and the first permanent schoolhouse opened in 1924. Road improvements and bus service linked Balfour with Nelson and Kaslo in the 1910s and 1920s.

An ambitious hotel, the Hotel Kootenay Lake, opened in 1911 but closed in 1914. A sanatorium operated after World War I and was demolished in 1929. A grand house and cottages drew visitors in the 1920s and ’30s. In 1947, new inns were built and the Tillicum Inn later became Dock ’n’ Duck after renovations. The Balfour Golf Course opened in 1990 and expanded to 18 holes in 2002.

Today, Balfour is known as a retirement and weekend retreat community with a small commercial centre, including a bakery, pub, marina restaurant, and a couple of stores. An RV park is at the western end of town. The population was 459 in 2016 (477 in 2011 and 479 in 2006). In 2020, the Anglican church building was acquired by a local historic association. The West Kootenay Transit System serves the town with routes stopping at the ferry terminal.