Comox, British Columbia - Comox is a town of 13,000 people located on the southern coast of the Comox Peninsula in the Georgia Strait on the eastern coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The warm dry summers, mild winters, fertile soil and abundant sea life attracted First Nations thousands of years ago, who called the area kw'umuxws (Kwak'wala, the adopted language of the K'omoks, for plentiful). When the area was opened for settlement in the mid-19th century, it quickly attracted farmers, a lumber industry and a fishing industry. For over fifty years, the village remained isolated from the outside world other than by ship until roads and a railway were built into the area during the First World War. The installation of an air force base near the village during the Second World War brought new prosperity to the area, and in recent years, Comox has become a popular tourist attraction due to its good fishing, local wildlife, year-round golf and proximity to the Mount Washington ski area, the Forbidden Plateau, and Strathcona Provincial Park. The town is also home to Canadian air force base CFB Comox, an international airport and the HMCS Quadra Sea Cadet training facility. The mild climate has attracted many retirees to the area in the 21st century, resulting in a high rate of growth and a sharp increase in the median age of residents.

Comox town is located in the Comox Valley, along with several other communities, including Courtenay, Cumberland, and the unincorporated hamlets of Royston, Union Bay, Fanny Bay, Black Creek and Merville. The nearby Comox Glacier is visible from many parts of the town and is the area's signature landmark.

By the turn of the 21st century, although Comox Valley contained half of the agricultural land on Vancouver Island, jobs were moving away from other resource-based industries such as fishing and logging. The largest employers were now CFB 19 Wing Comox, the local school board, Mount Washington Alpine Resort and St. Joseph Hospital. Daily commercial jet service helped expand tourism and business opportunities in the town, and Comox's population, which had remained stagnant since the 1970s, increased by 6.5% from 2001 to 2006. Many of the newcomers were retirees, raising the town's median age from 42.1 to 46.2 in only 5 years.

In 2011, the 133-year-old Lorne Hotel, still an ongoing commercial enterprise and the oldest free-standing licensed hotel in British Columbia, was destroyed by fire.

According to the 2006 census, Comox had a population of 12,010 people, which was an increase of 6.5% from the 2001 census count. Over 97% of residents spoke English as their first language, and less than 1% were of a visible minority. The median household income in 2006 was $56,295, significantly more than the British Columbia provincial average of $52,709.

The Filberg Festival, named for the park in which it is held, is an arts and crafts fair that takes place each summer on the BC Day long weekend. On the same weekend, Comox also holds "Nautical Days" in Comox Marina Park, featuring an arts and crafts festival, a parade, a classic car show, the "Build, Bail and Sail" amateur boat- building competition and live music.

St. Joseph General Hospital (SJGH) was founded by four nuns from the Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto in 1913, to provide the needed health care to the settlers of the Comox Valley and its active logging industry. Initially housed in a converted house with room for only 10 patients, it now has 235 beds, 110 for acute care and 125 for complex care. Currently SJGH falls under the Vancouver Island Health Authority.

Today SJGH provides many specialist services including Anesthesiology, Dermatology, General Surgery, Gastroenterology, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics/Gynaecology, Ophthalmology, Orthopaedics, Paediatrics, Palliative Care, Pathology, Psychiatry, Radiology, and Urology.

The School District 71 Comox Valley operates public schools in Comox.

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