Vanderhoof is a district municipality that lies near the geographical centre of British Columbia, Canada. It has a population of roughly 4,500 residents within town limits. Due to nearby rural communities without services Vanderhoof actually supports nearly 10,000 people. Vanderhoof's economic drivers are the forest industry, agriculture, and related industries. Tourism is growing, but has yet to challenge any of the established industries. Mining is growing in importance, with a number of mines being developed in the area. Vanderhoof has many elementary schools and one major secondary school—Nechako Valley Secondary School (NVSS), teaching grades 7-12—which are all part of School District 91 Nechako Lakes.