Hornby Island of British Columbia, Canada, is a Northern Gulf Island parallel with Vancouver Island’s Comox Valley.
A small community of 1074 residents (as of the 2006 census) is distributed across the island. The island is culturally distinctive as it was the site of a large immigration of American draft dodgers during the Vietnam War, and many of these people still live on the island. In recent years the island has become a major tourist destination and its population easily quadruples in size during the summer months. Though tourism is a primary source of income for Hornby, it has led to some water supply shortages. Most people reach the island by taking a BC Ferry to Denman Island from Buckley Bay on Vancouver Island, and then a 30-car ferry to Hornby.
The primary destinations on Hornby are Tribune Bay Provincial Park, Helliwell Provincial Park, and Whaling Station Bay. The island is also a popular mountain biking destination, with a variety of designated trails in Mount Geoffrey Escarpment Provincial Park. The total land area is 29.92 kmÂ² (11.55 sq mi)
The island is geographically distinctive as it was formed by post-glacial rebound with the retreat of the last ice age. Before the arrival of European settlers, the island was inhabited by the Pentlatch, a Coast Salish First Nations band. The island was found and named Isla de Lerena during the 1791 voyage of the Spanish ship Santa Saturnina, under Juan Carrasco and JosÃ© MarÃa NarvÃ¡ez. The name honors the Spanish Finance Minister, Don Pedro LÃ³pez de Lerena, who supported the settlement. In 1850 the British renamed it after Rear Admiral Phipps Hornby, then Commander of the Pacific Station.