| 33rd | Top names in English with counterintuitive pronunciations |
| 23rd | Top CBC television stations |
| City of Kelowna | |||
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| Motto: "Fruitful In Unity" | |||
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| Country | |||
| Province | |||
| Regional District | Central Okanagan | ||
| Settled | 1879 | ||
| Incorporated | 1905 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Sharon Shepherd | ||
| - Governing Body | Kelowna City Council | ||
| - MP | Ron Cannan | ||
| - MLAs | Steve Thomson Norm Letnick Ben Stewart |
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| Area | |||
| - City | 211.69 km2 (81.7 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 344 m (1,129 ft) | ||
| Population (2006) | |||
| - City | 106,707 | ||
| - Density | 504.1/km2 (1,305.6/sq mi) | ||
| - Metro | 162,276 | ||
| - Metro Density | 55.9/km2 (144.8/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | Pacific Time Zone (UTC-8) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7) | ||
| Postal code span | V1P, V1V - V1Z | ||
| Area code(s) | +1-250 - 778 | ||
| Website | City of Kelowna | ||
Kelowna (May 16, 2006 census population 106,707, metropolitan population of 165,596) is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada. Its name derives from a native term for "grizzly bear". Kelowna ranks as the 22nd largest metropolitan area in Canada.
Nearby communities include West Kelowna to the west across Okanagan Lake, Lake Country and then Vernon to the north, as well as Peachland to the southwest and, further to the south, Summerland and Penticton.
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![]() Kelowna, 1909 |
![]() Kelowna, 1920 |
Father Charles M. Pandosy, a French Roman Catholic Oblate missionary, arriving in 1859 was the first European to settle at Kelowna, a place named "L'anse au sable" (Bay of Sand) in reference to the sandy shoreline.
Kelowna was officially incorporated in 1905.
The service industry employs the most people in Kelowna, the largest city in the tourist-oriented Okanagan Valley. In summer, boating, golf, hiking and biking are popular, and in winter, both Alpine skiing and Nordic skiing are favourite activities at the nearby Big White and Silver Star ski resorts.
Kelowna produces wines that have received international recognition.[1][2] Vineyards are common around and south of the city where the climate is ideal for the many wineries. Notable vineyards in the area include the Mission Hill Estate Winery, specifically for its unique architectural design. However, at least two major wineries were damaged or destroyed in 2003 due to the Okanagan Mountain Park Fire. Kelowna is also the home of Sun-Rype, a popular manufacturer of fruit juice and snacks.
Okanagan College and University of British Columbia Okanagan are the predominant centres for post-secondary education. With over 5000 full-time students Okanagan College constitutes the largest college in British Columbia outside the Lower Mainland and Victoria. In addition to vocational training and adult basic education, the college offers a highly regarded university transfer program. University of British Columbia Okanagan has a student population exceeding 6000 full-time students, enrolled in diverse undergraduate and graduate programs.
Kelowna is the seat of the Regional District of the Central Okanagan, the third-largest metropolitan area in British Columbia (after Vancouver and Victoria), and the largest in the British Columbia Interior. With scenic lake vistas and a dry, mild climate, Kelowna has become one of the fastest growing cities in North America. The appropriate management of such rapid development (and its attendant consequences) is a source of significant debate within the community. Kelowna is the 4th least affordable housing market in Canada, currently maintaining the classification of "Severely Unaffordable".[3] Because of the Okanagan's climate and vineyard-filled scenery, it is often compared to California.[4]
Kelowna was home to the late Premier of British Columbia, W.A.C. Bennett and is the birthplace of his son, William R. Bennett, who also served as Premier of the province.
Former Major League Baseball players, Jeff Zimmerman of the Texas Rangers, his brother Jordan Zimmerman, and Paul Spoljaric were born here. The city was home to The Grapes of Wrath, one of Canada's most popular rock bands in the 1980s and early 1990s. The 2007 World Women's Curling Championship winning Kelly Scott rink is based in the city. Actor and model, Taylor Kitsch, was raised in the town and now appears in the hit tv show Friday Night Lights. Many National Hockey League players also reside in Kelowna, including Dany Heatley, Ryan Getzlaf, Wade Redden, Trevor Linden, Jarome Iginla, Josh Gorges, Blake Comeau, Shea Weber, Scott Hannan, and Brett McLean. Canadian hip-hop musician and Juno award winner Mad Child also resides in Kelowna, alongside (in recent times) Dubstep stars Excision and Datsik. Indie rock bands Ladyhawk, Bend Sinister, and Yukon Blonde also hail from the city.
According to the Statistics Canada 2001 census,[5] the population estimates there were 96,288 people residing in Kelowna and 147,739 people residing in the Greater Kelowna Area. 48.4% of residents were male and 51.6% were female. Children under five accounted for approximately 4.8% of the resident population of Kelowna. This compares with 5.2% in British Columbia, and 5.6% for Canada overall.
In mid-2001, 18.4% of the resident population in Kelowna were of retirement age (65 and over for males and females) compared with 13.2% in Canada, therefore, the average age is 41.1 years of age comparing to 37.6 years of age for all of Canada.
In the five years between 1996 and 2001, the population of Kelowna grew by 8.2%, compared with an increase of 4.9% for British Columbia as a whole. Population density of Kelowna averaged 50.9 people per square kilometre, compared with an average of 4.2, for British Columbia altogether.
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Population Growth
Religious groups
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Ethnic origin
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For years, only one major highway passed through the city of Kelowna: Highway 97. The road itself is good, but its connections to all points east and west in the province were only managed by using the slow, curving Trans Canada Highway and the Crowsnest Highway.
As the Okanagan Valley is a popular getaway for residents in Vancouver, a new freeway was built into the BC interior in 1986, eliminating over two hours of travel time between the two major destinations. This freeway, starting in Hope, is known as the Coquihalla Highway (Hwy 5), and terminates in Kamloops. This new freeway system allows one to drive the 425 kilometres from Vancouver to Kelowna in just over four hours.
A spur route, The Okanagan Connector, or Hwy 97C, was later added in 1989; it connects in Merritt, and heads eastward to Peachland, about twenty minutes south of Kelowna.
Kelowna is connected to West Kelowna by the new five lane William R. Bennett Bridge which officially opened May 25, 2008. This new bridge now links Highway 97 to the southern Okanagan and the Coquihalla connector. The old floating bridge is currently being dismantled as it has outlived its usefulness and is incapable of supporting the current traffic levels. The new William R. Bennett bridge has helped to alleviate some traffic congestion but ongoing roadwork on interchanges, the restructuring of traffic lights and other improvements are underway on HWY 97 on both the Kelowna East and West Kelowna West of the bridge. This stretch of Highway 97 continues to be one of the province's busiest traffic arteries and improvements will be necessary to keep up with the ever increasing population and the ever expanding tourist traffic to this area.[citation needed]
Highway 33, which connects with Highway 97 in Rutland, provides an alternate way to enter and exit the city, towards the southeast.
Kelowna International Airport, north of the downtown core, has regular flights to and from Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria, Las Vegas, Honolulu and Seattle, as well as seasonal service to Mexico and Europe. Travelers arriving at the Kelowna Airport can find Ground Transportation services available for travel throughout the Okanagan Valley and British Columbia.
Kelowna's climate is a semi-arid, continental climate (Koppen climate classification Dfb), although the regions to the south are semi-arid (BSk).[6] Relative to most Canadian cities, Kelowna enjoys a dry climate and mild temperatures (Mean Annual Temperature of 7.7 °C (45.9 °F), January Mean Temperature of −3.8 °C (25.2 °F); Mean July Temperature of 19.1 °C (66.4 °F), Average Maximum of 27.8 °C (82.0 °F). These are recorded at the Kelowna Airport, at a higher altitude than the city core with higher precipitation and cooler temperatures. Okanagan Lake as well as the blocking barriers of the Canadian Rockies and the Columbia Mountains tend to moderate the winter climate, but Arctic air does occasionally penetrate the valley during winter, usually for very short periods (coldest recorded temperature of −36.1 °C (−33.0 °F), 30 December 1968).
Summers are hot and sunny, with daytime temperatures often exceeding 35 °C (95.0 °F) (hottest recorded temperature = 39.5 °C (103.1 °F), 24 July 1994). Clear, dry summer air allows nighttime temperatures to fall rapidly. The city averages about 300 millimetres (12 in) of precipitation per year, with about 1/3 of the precipitation falling as snow, the bulk in December and January. The inherent dryness of Kelowna's climate can be a factor in the forest fire risk as, for example, during the Okanagan Mountain Park Fire of 2003, when evacuation of large residential populations was ordered.
Although Kelowna averages 300.5 hours of bright sunshine in July (61% of daylight hours), the winter months are mostly overcast; thus, Kelowna averages only 40.3 hours of bright sunshine in January (for comparison, consider 120 hours at Winnipeg, Manitoba and Miramichi, New Brunswick; 44 hours at Prince Rupert, British Columbia; 45 hours at Yellowknife, Northwest Territories).
(All data are derived from Environment Canada statistics for the Kelowna airport)
Kelowna has the greatest percentage of "calm" wind observations in Canada (39%).[7][8][9][10][11] The city averages 363 days/yr recording winds less than 5 km/hr.[12]
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record high °C (°F) | 14.8 (59) |
14.7 (58) |
20.8 (69) |
28.1 (83) |
34.4 (94) |
38 (100) |
39.5 (103) |
39.3 (103) |
34.8 (95) |
26.8 (80) |
20.6 (69) |
15 (59) |
39.5 (103) |
| Average high °C (°F) | -0.2 (32) |
3.3 (38) |
9.6 (49) |
15.4 (60) |
20 (68) |
23.9 (75) |
27.6 (82) |
27.3 (81) |
21.5 (71) |
13.4 (56) |
5.4 (42) |
0.6 (33) |
14 (57) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | -3.8 (25) |
-1.1 (30) |
-3.6 (26) |
8.2 (47) |
12.6 (55) |
16.3 (61) |
19.1 (66) |
18.7 (66) |
13.6 (56) |
7.2 (45) |
1.4 (35) |
-2.9 (27) |
7.7 (46) |
| Average low °C (°F) | -7.4 (19) |
-5.5 (22) |
-2.4 (28) |
0.8 (33) |
5 (41) |
8.6 (47) |
10.5 (51) |
10.2 (50) |
5.7 (42) |
0.9 (34) |
-2.7 (27) |
-6.4 (20) |
1.5 (35) |
| Record low °C (°F) | -31.7 (-25) |
-25.3 (-14) |
-19.4 (-3) |
-8.9 (16) |
-3.7 (25) |
-0.6 (31) |
2.6 (37) |
0.6 (33) |
-6.1 (21) |
-15.7 (4) |
-28.4 (-19) |
-36.1 (-33) |
-36.1 (-33) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 30.8 (1.21) |
22.6 (0.89) |
21.8 (0.86) |
26.2 (1.03) |
39 (1.54) |
40.7 (1.6) |
36.9 (1.45) |
33.6 (1.32) |
32.7 (1.29) |
25.5 (1) |
34.5 (1.36) |
36.2 (1.43) |
380.5 (14.98) |
| Sunshine hours | 40.3 | 77 | 144.9 | 194.2 | 236.4 | 253.2 | 300.5 | 272.2 | 213.1 | 132.3 | 52.8 | 37.6 | 1,954.4 |
| Source: Environment Canada[13] 2009-07-09 | |||||||||||||
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Public schools[21] Public schools in the Kelowna area are part of School District 23 Central Okanagan or School District 93 Conseil scolaire francophone:
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Private schools[22]
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Post-secondary[23]
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Kelowna has "sister city" agreements with the following cities:[28]
Coordinates: 49°53′56″N 119°24′35″W / 49.898836°N 119.409714°W
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Lake Country | ![]() |
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| West Kelowna | ||||
| Peachland | Naramata |
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Kelowna is a city in the Okanagan region of British Columbia.
Kelowna is the largest inland city in British Columbia, located in the heart of BC's wine country. It has a metropolitan population of about 165,000. Okanagan Lake is the main draw in the summer. This 135 km long jewel is a big draw for boaters (power and sail), swimmers and kite-boarders. In winter thousands of tourists come from all parts of the world to ski at Big White resort, located 55 km from the city. Tourists also come in the fall (mostly) to experience and taste the Okanagan's world class wines from various wineries throughout the valley.
Kelowna has one international airport, with daily service to several cities including Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Prince George, and Seattle. Kelowna International Airport also offers flights to Puerto Vallarta,Victoria and Toronto.
Some of the Airlines utilizing Kelowna International Airport are:
There is currently no train service available to Kelowna however you can utilize the nearest train terminal in Kamloops (about 90 minutes north-west of Kelowna by car).
Highway 97 is the major highway through Kelowna, with Vernon and Highway 1 to the north, Penticton and Highway 3 to the south, and (via Highway 97C) Merritt to the west. Highway 33 provides secondary access to points south and east.
Greyhound services Kelowna from Vancouver and Calgary and points in between.
Lorenzo and Jayden
Traffic can be quite heavy on major roads in Kelowna during the summer months, especially at the approaches to the floating bridge. A lack of advance left turn traffic lights contributes to accidents at major intersections.
The Downtown Core is easily accessible with public transit as well as taxis and bicycles, once downtown you have two major Parkades to choose from if you decide to drive yourself one is of Pandosy Street (The Verve Restaurant is in the first level) or at the Library by the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) Station, so parking shouldn't be a chore.
As in any city the Rush Hour (usually 4:30PM-6PM) can be a challenge in the downtown core as well as on the main transportation arteries: Highway 97C, Highway 33, Lakeshore Rd.
The main industry in Kelowna is tourism, with its requisite offering of service industry jobs at or slightly above minimum wage. The local ski hill Big White offers winter employment for ski/board instructors, liftees, servers, and so on. With the recent boom in housing, there is a shortage of skilled tradespeople in the construction industry.
Pubs close at 1 AM and clubs at 2 AM.
If you will be staying in Kelowna between May and September, book your accommodations well in advance, especially for weekends.
A new ski hill, Kelowna Mountain Ski Hill, just north of Kelowna's Mission area, has been proposed.
Kelowna is a growing city and therefore has its growing pains, with these come the following recommendations; avoid Leon & Lawrence Avenues between Water and Ellis during night time. City Park at night is patrolled, however can be somewhat dodgy after hours too.
As long as you keep yourself aware of your surroundings, you will be fine.
| Routes through Kelowna |
| Kamloops / Sicamous (via |
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→ Westbank → Osoyoos |
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