Nelson, city, southeastern British Columbia, Canada, on the western arm of Kootenay Lake, a few miles south of Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park and 408 miles (657 km) east of Vancouver. The discovery of gold at nearby Fortynine Creek in 1867 led to the development of several mines near Cottonwood Creek Delta, the original town site. Founded in 1887, the community was first known as Stanley or Salisbury. In 1888 it was renamed in honour of Hugh Nelson, then lieutenant governor of British Columbia.
In 1907 Nelson became the first city in the province to undertake municipal hydroelectric development on the Kootenay River. It is now a service point for an extensive farming, lumbering, and mining area and is also the chief administrative centre for the Kootenay region. Industries include railroad repair shops, sawmills, and transportation and communication utilities. The Kootenay Museum displays Indian flint and historical items of the Dukhobors, who were members of a Russian religious sect that immigrated to western Canada at the end of the 19th century. Nelson has been the scene of the World’s Midsummer Curling Bonspiel Championships since 1945 and is a base for fishing, hunting, skiing, and water sports. Inc. city, 1897. Pop. (2006) 9,258; (2011) 10,230.