Parksville is a city on Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. Often called The Jewel of Vancouver Island, it is located along provincial highway 19A, 37 kilometres north of Nanaimo, and 7 kilometres south of Qualicum Beach, lying between Englishman River and French Creek. During the 2001 Census, Parksville's population was established at 10,323.
The first person to settle in the Parksville area was John Hirst , who pre-empted 300 acres (1.2 km²) of land on both sides of "Englishman's River" in 1873. Parksville was named after the area's first postmaster, Nelson Park , in 1877. The Village of Parksville was incorporated June 19, 1945. Parksville became a Town on April 1, 1978 and a City on June 1, 1981.
The main economies of Parksville are fishing, forestry, tourism, and dollar stores.
