Sparwood, British Columbia, is a district municipality nestled in the heart of the Canadian province. As the second-largest community on the Elk River, Sparwood is a hidden gem with a rich history and a vibrant community. Located approximately 30 kilometres from Fernie, Sparwood is home to approximately 4,200 residents. Despite its small population, Sparwood spans an impressive area of 191.01 square kilometres, incorporating local coal mines into its landscape. The town's name traces back to the late 1800s when it was a railroad stop. The trees from this area were shipped to the coast for manufacturing spars for ocean vessels, hence the name Sparwood.
Sparwood prides itself as the home of the Terex Titan, once the world's largest truck. The green Titan, which was in service at Sparwood between 1978 and 1991, now stands a few yards from the Crowsnest Highway, attracting the attention of tourists and travellers. The adjacent tourist information centre serves visitors to the district municipality and the wider area. Sparwood's history is also beautifully depicted in mural art, showcasing the history of the former Michel-Natal mining communities.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Sparwood had a population of 3,990 living in 1,815 of its 2,101 total private dwellings. This represents a change of 9.6% from its 2016 population of 3,646. With a land area of 191.3 km2 (73.9 sq mi), Sparwood had a population density of 21.7/km2 (56.2/sq mi) in 2021.
Sparwood experiences a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb). This climate is characterized by relatively cold and very snowy winters combined with moderately warm summers with relatively high diurnal temperature variation. Due to the low overnight lows in summer, September's mean of 10.5 °C (50.9 °F) places Sparwood just above subarctic climates (Dfc) in classification.
Since 1980, Sparwood has been the sister city of Kamisunagawa in Hokkaido, Japan. This relationship fosters cultural exchange and mutual understanding between the two communities.
