Tofino

Tofino ( tə-FEE-noh, Nuu-chah-nulth: Načiks) is a town of approximately 2,516 residents on the west coast of Vancouver Island in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The District of Tofino is located at the western terminus of Highway 4 on the tip of the Esowista Peninsula at the southern edge of Clayoquot Sound. It is situated in the traditional territory of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations, who have occupied Clayoquot Sound for thousands of years. European and American vessels began trading along this coast in the late eighteenth century, and permanent non-Indigenous settlement began in the 1890s; the community took the name Tofino, after nearby Tofino Inlet, in the early 1900s, and its post office opened in 1909. Tofino was incorporated as a municipality in 1932 and as a district in 1982. A popular year-round tourism destination, Tofino's summer population swells to many times its winter size. It attracts surfers, hikers, nature lovers, bird watchers, campers, whale watchers and fishermen. Despite its small population, the town attracts a number of chefs and culinary professionals, which has resulted in a burgeoning choice of restaurants and specialty shops. In the winter, it is not as bustling, although many people visit Tofino and the West Coast to watch storms on the water. Close to Tofino is Long Beach, a scenic and popular year-round destination, in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. With its natural hot springs, Maquinna Marine Provincial Park is a popular day-trip destination for tourists. Reachable by boat or floatplane, the park is located about 45 km (28 mi) north of Tofino. Once a resource-based community sustained chiefly by fishing and logging, Tofino remained accessible only by air, water, or a gated logging road until a highway connection to the rest of Vancouver Island opened in 1959. The town gained international attention in...