Fraser

River in southern British Columbia, Canada; length 1,375 km/855 mi. It rises in the Yellowhead Pass of the Rocky Mountains and flows northwest into the interior plateau of British Columbia. It then flows south through its lower valley at Hope, then west where it enters the Strait of Georgia, near Vancouver. The Fraser River has acted as the focus of economic life in the southern part of the province: as a salmon fishery, as a means of transportation for the rich lumber reserves of its upper valley, and as a source of irrigation and hydroelectric power. It was named for Canadian explorer Simon Fraser, who led expeditions in the area in 1808.

Its lower valley has emerged as the main west–east transport route and is followed by both road and rail. Downstream from Hope the wide valley is used intensively for agriculture: mainly market gardening, fruit growing, and dairy farming. Gold was discovered in the Fraser valley in 1858. Important tributaries along its course include the Nechako, West Road, Thompson, and Chilcotin rivers.