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Creston, British Columbia, Canada

Motto:
Creston, British Columbia, Canada.
Census division
Regional District	Central Kootenay
Area:	8.48 km²
Founded
Incorporated	1924
Population Town population	5,004 (2001)
Population density	590.1/km²
Time zone	Mountain: UTC -7
Postal code span
Latitude Longitude	49°5′44″N, 116°30′22″W
Elevation	m MSL
Highways	Highway 3 Highway 3A Highway 21
Waterways	Kootenay River
Mayor
Governing body	Creston Town Council
1(sc) According to the Canada 2001 Census. 2(gr) Geographic references.

Creston (49.06° N 116.31° W) is a town of approximately 5,000 people in the Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia, Canada. The town is located just a few kilometers north of the Porthill, Idaho border crossing into the United States and about a three-hour drive north from Spokane, Washington. It is about a one-hour drive west from Cranbrook, British Columbia along the Crowsnest Highway. Due to its close proximity to the U.S. border, many businesses in the town accept American currency.

Creston is the eastern terminus of the Salmo-Creston highway constructed in the late 1950s (now Highway 3) as a shortcut to avoid the long route north to Nelson and crossing Kootenay Lake by ferry between Balfour and Kootenay Bay.

Creston's economy is largely resource-based with agriculture and forestry most important. Many are employed in the service sector, and tourism is increasingly prominent. Since 1959, Kokanee beer has been brewed in Creston at the Columbia Brewery. The town is also home to two grain elevators. Many apple, cherry, pear, and plum orchards grow around the town, which is also an important dairy centre.

Creston has a continental climate which is often modified by air masses of Pacific Ocean origin, especially in winter. Daily maximum temperatures are usually above freezing even in January except when air masses of Arctic origin move over the area. The worst cold outbreaks may send temperatures below -30^oC (-22^oF) on very rare occasions. Spring comes early by Canadian standards; trees usually start to leaf out before the end of April. A clear summer day is likely to have a daily maximum near or above 25^oC (77^oF); the record maximum is 39.4^oC (102.4^oF). The first fall frost usually holds off until October where air drainage is good.

The mean annual precipitation is 631.1 millimeters (24.85 inches) in mid-town, but the area has a rather steep precipitation gradient. The moisture-loving western hemlock grows near the town's northern boundary; another wet-belt indicator, the western red cedar, is common in town. The sun-loving ponderosa pine forms a larger proportion of the vegetation near Creston's southern boundary. Douglas-fir is the most common native tree throughout; other large species include grand fir, western larch, western white pine and lodgepole pine. Large pines other than the ponderosa are seldom seen in town, but are common in some of the woods nearby. Prominent among the non-native trees are horsechestnut, Norway maple, silver maple and several species of walnut, including the butternut. There also are occasional examples of chestnut, London plane, and tulip tree.

Creston is built on rolling benchland immediately to the east of the Kootenay River floodplain. Beyond the benchland to the east are the Purcell Mountains; their steep west-facing scarps are called the Skimmerhorns. The Selkirk Mountains rise west of the floodplain.

Silt loam is the most common soil texture at Creston. The floodplain soils are dark and poorly drained for the most part; they are excellent for pasture and grains where drainage is improved. Some of the benchland soils are brown and of good tilth; others are gray, deficient in organic matter, and have rather heavy calcareous subsoils. The best orchard soils are on the more freely drained benchlands.

• Creston, British Columbia, Canada
• Creston, British Columbia
• Creston Community Nutshell

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Subdivisions of British Columbia

Regional districts	Alberni-Clayoquot · Bulkley-Nechako · Capital · Cariboo · Central Coast · Central Kootenay · Central Okanagan · Columbia-Shuswap · Comox-Strathcona · Cowichan Valley · East Kootenay · Fraser Valley · Fraser-Fort George · Greater Vancouver · Kitimat-Stikine · Kootenay Boundary · Mount Waddington · Nanaimo · North Okanagan · Northern Rockies · Okanagan-Similkameen · Peace River · Powell River · Skeena-Queen Charlotte · Squamish-Lillooet · Stikine · Sunshine Coast · Thompson-Nicola
Principal urban centres	Abbotsford · Kamloops · Kelowna · Nanaimo · Prince George · Vancouver · Victoria
Large suburban communities	Burnaby · Coquitlam · Delta · Langley Township · North Vancouver District · Richmond · Saanich · Surrey
Other major centres	Campbell River · Chilliwack · Courtenay · Cranbrook · Fort St. John · Penticton · Port Alberni · Salmon Arm · Vernon

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