Another year has come and gone here in the Alberni Valley and we thought it would be fun to take a look back at how things have changed over the last several decades.
In 1967, the amalgamation of Alberni and Port Alberni created a surge in population. By the 1970’s, Port Alberni reached a resident count of 20,000 – several decades later we are now sitting at about 26,000 locals in our community. Before the amalgamation of the twin cities, . “South Port”, or what we now call “Uptown” was previously known as “Port Alberni”. The former town of “Alberni” is what we know today as “North Port”, which is centered at Johnston Rd and Gertrude St.
Throughout the years, we have had some crazy weather patterns and natural disasters. In June of 1946, Port Alberni was struck with a 7.3 magnitude earthquake which shockingly could be felt down the West Coast all the way to Oregon. This earthquake was known as one of the most damaging disasters in BC to date. Another devastating phenomenon the Alberni Valley felt was the great tsunami which washed away 55 homes and damaged hundreds in 1964. Since then, we have been lucky to have not been faced with any other detrimental natural disasters, however we have had some crazy weather! Port Alberni has always been known as a hotspot on Vancouver Island, this could be due to being in a Valley that holds heat. The highest temperature ever recorded was just 2 years ago on June 28, 2021 – a whopping 42.7 degrees Celsius! Locals would agree that our summers seem to be getting warmer and warmer each year. Our coldest day recorded was over 70 years ago in 1950, dropping to -21.7 degrees Celsius.. brr!
One thing that has remained the same but different in the last 70 years is the local high school – Alberni District Secondary School. Originally located on Burde St, the high school opened their doors in 1951. In 2012, students got a much needed upgrade to a brand new location on Roger St. While the physical building has changed, many things remain the same including Pirate Pete – the school’s mascot and Totem Basketball Tournaments and Spirit Competitions – 2023 marks 67 years and counting for this event! Throughout the years, our school system has said goodbye to several elementaries and has discontinued middle schools all together – Cherry Creek, Beaver Creek and Klitsa are to name a few. Currently Port Alberni has 6 elementary schools, 1 high school and a college.
At the present time, our streets are starting to fill up with an abundance of new businesses – Uptown is especially booming. One thing that has never changed in the community is a sense of supporting new business and choosing to stay local when shopping or using services. Each time a new business pops up in our community, the outpour of support is heartwarming and amazing to see. Places like Cloud City and Pinto Goods are newer shops in our town but have made such a statement and are now key components to our business district. Jim’s Clothes Closet, Finishing Touches, Jays/Lace It Up and Suzanne’s are all long standing stable businesses in our town and still thriving. There was a time where the Alberni Mall was the Port Alberni’s go-to for shopping – a few names to make one feel nostalgic include Choice Chocolates, Liquidation World, Bootlegger and K-Mart. The mall was demolished in 2007 and has now been rebuilt as a strip-mall set up with Anytime Fitness, Canadian Tire, Home Hardware, Marks Work Wearhouse and Boston Pizza. Across the road we have an array of stores, shops and places to eat – it’s hard to imagine that several years ago it was an overgrown forest!
Housing prices in the Alberni Valley have been on a steady incline for several years – now averaging half a million dollars! For some, it isn’t a shock as Port Alberni has been Vancouver Island’s best kept secret for many, many years. It was only a matter of time before people realized what a beautiful and progressive city we are lucky to live in. Some things over the years have changed drastically, and others remain similar or the same to their beginnings. One thing that has always remained true is Port Alberni is a community with a heart. Residents are always supporting businesses and the community alike, anyone who gets the opportunity to live here, either past or present, should feel very blessed!