Photo: Ruth Hartnup from Vancouver, Canada · CC BY 2.0Around Whistler, 40 historic places within 100 km
Before 1961: just 0.7% of the homes, where most towns have 18%. For the municipality itself, Wikidata has 1914, which can be an incorporation or a merger rather than a founding. The nearest town with a top designation is Electoral Area D, Squamish-Lillooet, 45 km away.
15 places of the highest rank within 100 km of Whistler
By age, Vancouver's Chinatown leads, from 1880, at 93 km. Closest of all is Church of the Holy Cross, in Electoral Area C, Fraser Valley, 45 km off. Among them are 20 provincial or municipal listings, 14 National Historic Sites and 3 Recognized Federal Heritage Buildings.
The 12 nearest, within 100 km
| Church of the Holy CrossNational Historic Site · 1905–1907 · 45 km away, in Electoral Area C, Fraser Valley |
| Britannia Mines ConcentratorNational Historic Site · 1922–1924 · 57 km away, in Electoral Area D, Squamish-Lillooet |
| Binning ResidenceNational Historic Site · 1941–1942 · 87 km away, in West Vancouver |
| Victoria ParkListed in a community heritage register · 1905 · 89 km away, in North Vancouver |
| First Church of Christ, ScientistListed in a community heritage register · 1925 · 89 km away, in North Vancouver |
| Saint Paul's Roman Catholic ChurchNational Historic Site · 1884–1885 · 89 km away, in North Vancouver |
| Lions Gate BridgeNational Historic Site · 1937–1939 · 89 km away, in West Vancouver |
| Point Atkinson LighthouseNational Historic Site · 1912–1913 · 89 km away, in West Vancouver |
| Burrard Dry DockHeritage designation · 90 km away, in North Vancouver |
| Stanley ParkNational Historic Site · 1888–1989 · 91 km away, in West End |
| Hastings ParkProvincially Recognized Heritage Site · 1888 · 92 km away, in Hastings-Sunrise |
| Former Main Post OfficeClassified Federal Heritage Building · 1905–1911 · 92 km away, in Coal Harbour |
Around Whistler, within 100 km, the dated heritage reaches back to 1880
The area here stretches to 100 km around Whistler: each historic place by the first construction date it records.
The bars count 35 dated places within 100 km. The earliest is Vancouver's Chinatown in Strathcona, begun in 1880.
A growing town: 6.4% of Whistler’s homes went up from 2016 to 2021, against 4.1%
Homes built from 1981 to 2000 make up 49% of Whistler’s, against 23% in the typical town. 23% of Whistler’s homes date from 2001 to 2015, well above the typical 15%. Only 20% of Whistler’s homes were built from 1961 to 1980, less than the typical town’s 27%.
2021 Census, private dwellings by period of construction (Statistics Canada); the typical town is the middle Canadian town of 2,500 or more.
How Whistler compares with 16 towns its size
Towns of 15,000 to 15,200 residents, by places on the registers.
Just these have more: Pointe-Saint-Charles, Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, Lawrence Park South and Les Rapides. Their median is 0. 12 of them have none.
Whistler in brief
Few of its homes are old, 0.7% before 1961, against 18% in the typical town. Towns its size usually have more historic places; the middle one has 0.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Provincial and municipal lists. The local and provincial lists outside Québec aren’t published openly, so this page counts what Wikidata records and pages only the places an encyclopedia describes.
- Protection. National historic designation honours a place but binds only federal owners; a private building’s protection depends on its province or municipality.
- The federal register. Federal places come from Parks Canada’s directory, which counts National Historic Sites, federal heritage buildings, stations and lighthouses; their statements are the register’s own.
- The grade. This page gives no grade; history doesn’t count toward a Canadian town’s letter.
- The tiers. The highest designations are National Historic Sites, Classified Federal Heritage Buildings and Québec’s classements; then come the other federal designations; then provincial and local listings.
- People and events. Persons of national historic significance come with no location; a town gets one only by birthplace (name and both life years agreeing) or by one of its own places that bears the name and whose record tells the story. Events, which can’t be tied, are left out.
Questions about Whistler’s history
How many historic places does Whistler have on the registers?
Whistler has none of its own; Church of the Holy Cross, in Electoral Area C, Fraser Valley, the closest at 45 km, holds the highest designation.
When did Whistler become a municipality?
Wikidata gives 1914 for Whistler, which may mark incorporation or an amalgamation rather than a founding.
How old are the homes in Whistler?
Before 1961: 0.7% of its homes; the typical town has 18%.
Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada (Parks Canada).
Sources: Parks Canada, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations · Canadian Register of Historic Places (federal extract) · Wikidata (CC0) for map points, other names and articles · Statistics Canada, 2021 Census (homes by period of construction). Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).