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Creston has a complete range of programs and services providing the opportunity for a comfortable and satisfying lifestyle.

PUBLIC SAFETY

Creston and Area Fire Protection Services are made up of three volunteer departments: Creston, Canyon/Lister and Wynndel. The staff includes approximately seventy volunteer firefighters and three paid chiefs.

An RCMP detachment of eleven full-time officers and nine auxiliary officers is based in Creston. It provides 24-hour coverage for the Creston Community and surrounding area.

RECREATION

A wide range of recreational opportunities is offered in Creston. Facilities include an 18-hole golf course, a par-3 golf course, a five-pin bowling alley with eight lanes, a gym, several tennis courts, baseball diamonds, soccer fields, a four-hundred seat auditorium and a recreation centre with an ice rink, a 25-metre swimming pool and six sheets of curling ice.

Outdoor enthusiasts will enjoy Creston's scenic hiking and biking trails. Near Summit Creek Campground and Recreation Area, hikers can explore part of the original Dewdney Trail. Creston offers excellent fishing and canoeing on Duck Lake and Kootenay Lake, and hangliding is accessible from Goat Mountain. Cross-country skiing is a popular winter activity and downhill skiers can enjoy a choice of several hills within a two-hour radius. Several municipal parks in Creston provide perfect picnic areas and playgrounds for families and children.

HEALTH CARE

Creston has a fully equipped hospital with 32 beds and a 20-bed extended care unit. The hospital provides the area with minor surgery, maternity and outpatients departments, a laboratory, X-ray, physiotherapy services and a diabetes teaching centre.

Other community health care facilities include two intermediate care facilities, a medical clinic and several independent doctors' offices, a public health clinic and a mental health clinic. Creston has several dentists' offices, an optometrist, two chiropractors, a reflexologist and two massage therapists. The Endicott Centre is a full-time care facility for mentally disabled adults of Creston and area.

EDUCATION

Creston has a full range of educational facilities. School District #8 includes Creston, Nelson and surrounding communities. This area maintains elementary schools, secondary schools and one elementary/secondary school (in Crawford Bay). Preschool aged children may attend one of the privately owned daycares or the Creston Cooperative Nursery School operated out of the Recreation Centre. There are three private schools in the Creston Valley: Seventh Day Adventist School, Lower Kootenay Band Yaqan Nuki School and Bountiful Elementary/Secondary School.

Public Schools - six Elementary Schools, one High School, one Elementary/High School; three Private Schools; Community College

The College of the Rockies, Creston campus, is located in the heart of downtown, close to parks, library, shopping and the high school. The modern campus houses classrooms, computer labs, video conferencing lounge and large horticulture facility. Programs offered include Adult Basic Education delivered in a flexible manner to meet the learner's needs. In addition, health programs such as Resident Care Aid and Licensed Practical Nurse on offered on a rotational basis (www.cotr.bc.ca/Creston for details). As well, the campus delivers several shorter Associate Certificate programs, both classroom based and online. These include Bridging for Women, Practical Herbalist On Line, Activity Assistant On Line, Resource Centre Teacher Assistant, plus over 200 continuing education and personal enrichment courses at www.ed2go.com/rockies. For all our instructor-led continuing education courses, go to www.cotr.bc.ca/creston-ce/

LIBRARY & MUSEUM

The Creston Public Library Association has been serving Creston for more than 75 years. The Library holds approximately 25,000 items, including books (regular and large-print) and audio, video and music cassettes. Through an interlibrary loan network, patrons have free access to libraries across the province.

The Creston Valley Museum and Archives provide historic information on the community and its surrounding area by way of photographs, manuscripts, books and catalogues, newspapers, private collections and government records.