Search for B.C.'s best small town: Interior region, Round 2

Revelstoke and Golden are separated by 150 kilometres, but the ways they're connected offer a history of the relationship between small towns in B.C.

"They're sort of existing in parallel worlds," said Ben Bradley, a University of Northern British Columbia history professor.

Bradley pointed out that both were settled through the development of the Canadian Pacific Railway, and subsequently grew through the development of the logging industry.

But it wasn't until the development of Highway 1 in the early 1960s that the towns became truly connected, in a way that was common for many regions of British Columbia as car travel between towns took hold.

"It develops a degree of competition in the tourist, and service industries between the two towns," said Bradley.

"And the question for motorists, either eastbound towards Calgary or westbound towards Vancouver, is where are we staying overnight? What restaurants to visit? Are there roadside attractions along the way that mean we should drag our feet and travel more slowly, or are we in a rush?"

Transition to tourism

And in recent decades, both towns have expanded their tourism opportunities and diversified their economies through the development of ski hills.

It's a pathway from railways to highways, from resource towns to outdoor destination hubs that'ssimilar to that of many small towns in the province.

Bradley said despite the many links between the two, there's enough distance between Revelstoke and Golden to ensure both can succeed as they continue to transition.

"I think it comes down to a lot of travel patterns of tourists that have families out for their holidays, rather than really sharp competition," he said.

Revelstoke and Golden are two communities in the Interior facing off in the second round in the Search for B.C.'s Best Small Town.

Each day from Tuesday to Friday, there will be a new series of one-on-one votes in a different region. Each week, we'll narrow the field down from 128 to 64, 64 to 32, and so on, until we have a champion.

Voting will take place until 10 p.m. PT each day, with today's votes determining the eight quarterfinalists in the Interior quadrant of the competition.