Ashcroft offers a unique combination of strategic location, competitive costs, and quality of life — making it one of the most investment-ready small communities in British Columbia. Just an hour from Kamloops and four hours from Vancouver, the Village of Ashcroft is close to major markets yet offers the lifestyle and flexibility of a tight-knit community.
Invest in Ashcroft
Diverse small-town economy
Transportation, agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and tourism.
Strategic location
Highways 1 & 97C, CN and CP mainlines, BC’s largest inland port.
Competitive costs
Lower real estate prices, efficient permitting, pro-business council.
Room to grow
Land available for housing, commercial, and industrial development.
Exceptional quality of life
Mild climate, recreation, arts, and cultural vibrancy.
Investment Opportunities
Ashcroft’s complete guide to investment opportunities, demographics, and development advantages.
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Official Community Plan (OCP)
The Village of Ashcroft will be launching a renewed vision and direction for the community in Spring 2026. Read about the renewal.
Current OCP (PDF)
At a Glance
Demographics & Workforce
Climate
Location
Kamloops
1 hr
Kelowna
2.5 hrs
Vancouver
4 hrs
Transportation:
Highway 97C
CP & CN mainlines
Inland Port
Local Economy
Ashcroft enjoys a relatively diversified local economy which includes mining, manufacturing, transportation, agriculture, services and tourism. This diversity is due to a lot of different factors, factors which could give new potential businesses a distinct advantage by operating in Ashcroft. Below are some of the sectors already represented in Ashcroft and area, and information for future potential commercial ventures.
Ashcroft benefits from an outstanding climate that allows for profitable agricultural businesses. The soil is well draining and fertile. What grows naturally here, given the dry climate, is extensive tracts of grasslands – the perfect landscape for raising livestock. Produce grown here is shipped all over Western Canada. Our major agricultural producers working in Ashcroft and the immediate surrounding include:
Desert Hills has a farm gate produce store on it’s property located within the Village. Visitors can purchase nursery items, local produce, Mexican food, and enjoy many fun events held throughout the Spring, Summer and Fall.
Ashcroft is a picturesque Village located in a visually dramatic landscape. As a result, the Film Industry has shot a lot of different productions in the community and around the area. Film projects include movies, television programs, and commercials. Examples include:
- Bullet Proof
- The Twilight Zone: A Small Town
- Red Snow
- Red Tomato: Blood Money
- The X-Files
- Shooter
- 2012
- The A-Team
- An Unfinished Life
Check out the Kohls Christmas commercial filmed here in Ashcroft in September of 2018.
For more information about filming in the area, please contact the TNRD Film Commission.
Thompson Nicola Film Commission Past Productions and movie map
A compressive list of movies filmed in Ashcroft and Area is available on IMDB
Ashcroft offers affordable housing, especially when compared to the prices found in the Lower Mainland, Okanagan, and Kamloops housing markets. With the forecasted growth of the Ashcroft Terminal, the demand for suitable housing will increase. At this time the housing stock is primarily single family dwellings with a smaller number of multiple family dwellings and apartments also available. Currently, Village Council is exploring options available to promote the development of new subdivisions and housing.
Ashcroft serves as a bedroom community for people working at the Highland Valley Copper mine, one of the largest Copper Mines in Canada. As well, IG Machine and Fibers, located adjacent to the Village’s boarder, has a quarry and colouring plant to produce granules for shingles. Both are employers of a significant number of Ashcroft residents.
IG Machine and Fibres, quarry and coloring plant for shingle granules
Highland Valley Copper Mine, the largest open pit copper mine in Canada and another top employer of Ashcroft residents
Ashcroft has small and large manufacturing companies and the proximity to both Canadian National Railway (CP) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railway (CPKC) mainlines makes Ashcroft an ideal location for manufacturing operations. Our largest manufacturer is Koppers, who manufacture railway ties. Ashcroft has a small manufacturing company called Rolgear. Rolgear manufactures unique and much praised ratcheting screw drivers. Rolgear is a great example of why manufactures should consider Ashcroft. Ashcroft offers real estate prices much lower than what is found elsewhere in the Province, a Council and Administrative staff that are committed to working with new, potential businesses, and a transportation network able to get manufactured goods from coast to coast.
Local retailers are the heart of our village, providing quality goods, exceptional service, and contributing significantly to the local economy. While there’s always room for more businesses, Ashcroft offers a surprising variety of products and services to meet your everyday needs. By choosing to shop local, you help sustain jobs, support entrepreneurs, and keep our community vibrant.
Tourism is an important economic focus for Ashcroft, highlighting the community’s rich history, unique desert climate, and well-preserved heritage buildings. As part of the Gold Rush Trail, Ashcroft served as the “Gateway to the Cariboo” during the gold rush ear, the headquarters to the B.C. Express Company (BX) which transported gold rush goods, and was a key stop on the route north. Today, the community continues to welcome visitors seeking a distinct experience that blends culture, history, and natural beauty in the heart of the true desert.
A recent study by has identified that Ashcroft can support a 63 plus room, major chain hotel, to accommodate existing visitors to the community. As tourism grows, so will the demand for accommodation.
Ashcroft is situated on Hwy 97C only 6 km from Hwy 1. There are three transportation companies based in the Village which includes Arrow Transportation Systems Inc., Trimac Trucking and the Ashcroft Terminal.
Arrow Transportation Systems Ltd.: operates a terminal from within the Village and is also a major employer in the community. Arrow is a leader in bulk commodity hauling, reload operations, freight management, logistics, consulting and technology.
Ashcroft Terminal: Ashcroft Terminal is an inland railcar trans-loading facility that is specifically located to where it can service both railway companies (Canadian Pacific and Canadian National) on its property. It consists of 320 acres of industrially zoned land and 350 acres of ‘Buffer Land,’ providing an opportunity for railcar storage, trans-loading for multi-modal transportation, and handling of bulk goods. It is also located close to the TransCanada Hwy 1. Recently, Singapore-based container ports giant, PSA has purchased a major stake in the Ashcroft Terminal. This with a $9.2 million funding announcement from the Federal Government signals that the Ashcroft Terminal is set to grow and with that increase the number of jobs in the area.
Ashcroft is the service center for many communities including Lytton, Clinton, Spences Bridge and Cache Creek.
Within its boundaries it has an RCMP detachment and Ashcroft Urgent and Primary Care Centre that services most of the 4000 residents of Ashcroft, Cache Creek and the TNRD Area I. The current municipal infrastructure, which includes modern sewage and water treatment systems, is capable of serving more than double the current population of 1600 that make Ashcroft home. High-speed internet service is available through out the community with a desire to bring Fibre Optic service into the community in the near future. Ashcroft is a location with an abundance of sunshine which allows for the cost effective home and business solar energy projects.
Opportunities
Hotel Investment
A recent Hotel Study commissioned by the Village has shown that the community is under-served with accommodation services and can support a 64-room hotel with meeting room space and other amenities.
More Details
Ashcroft has an opportunity for new accommodation facilities, including conference facilities and is looking for developers and hoteliers who are interested in an opportunity in an untapped market. Some established businesses in our diversified community bring in key staff needing accommodations. In addition, two major transcontinental rail lines that use Ashcroft as a base and have constant work crews and an expanding film industry looking for a local accommodation option increase the need for new quality accommodations.
Land Development
Municipal and private properties are available in and around the Village of Ashcroft for development within all sectors, including manufacturing, commercial and our expanding tourism sector.
More Details
Ashcroft has a diversified range of development opportunities. The Village is three minutes from Highway 1, connecting the Lower Mainland to the Interior. In addition, Ashcroft is home to Canada’s only 320-acre private terminal with CP and CN mainlines offering transloading facilities with opportunities for global export or import.