About Kelowna and Area

About the Okanagan

The Okanagan (pronounced /oʊkəˈnɑːɡən/ OHK-ə-NAH-gən), also known as the Okanagan Valley and sometimes as Okanagan Country is a region located in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. As of 2009, the region's population is approximately 350,927. The primary city is Kelowna. The name derives from an Okanagan language word S-Ookanhkchinx meaning "Transport toward the head or top end".^{[citation needed]} The region is known for its dry, sunny climate, dry landscapes and lakeshore communities and particular lifestyle. The economy is retirement and commercial-recreation based, with outdoor activities such as boating and watersports, snow skiing and hiking. Agriculture has been focused primarily on fruit orchards, with a recent shift in focus to vineyards and wine.

History

The Okanagan Valley is home to the Okanagan people, an Interior Salish people who live in the valley from the head of Okanagan Lake downstream to near the river's confluence with the Columbia River in present-day Washington, as well as in the neighbouring Similkameen Valley, though the traditional territory encompasses the entire Columbia River watershed. They were hunter-gatherers, living off wild game and berries and roots for the most part but travelling north or south to fish salmon runs or to trade with other nations.Today the member bands of the Okanagan Nation Alliance are sovereign nations, with vibrant natural resource and tourism based economies. The annual August gathering near Vernon is a celebration of the continuance of Okanagan life and culture.

In 1811 the first non-natives came to the Okanagan Valley, a fur trading expedition voyaging north out of Fort Okanogan, a Pacific Fur Company outpost at the confluence of the Okanagan and Columbia Rivers. Within fifteen years, fur traders established a route through the valley for passing goods between the Thompson River region and the Columbia River for transport to the Pacific. The trade route lasted until 1846, when the Oregon Treaty laid down the border between British North America and the United States west of the Rocky Mountains on the 49th parallel. The new border cut across the valley. To avoid paying tariffs, British traders forged a route that bypassed Fort Okanogan (by then in the hands of the Hudson's Bay Company, which had merged with the North West Company, which had bought the Pacific Fur Company) via the Fraser Canyon, following the Thompson, Nicola, Coldwater and Fraser river]]s to Fort Langley instead. The Okanagan Valley did not see many more outsiders for a decade afterward.

View of the Okanagan valley from the hills above Kelowna

In 1859, the first European settlement was established when Father Charles Pandosy led the making of an Oblate mission where Kelowna is now. In the decades that followed, hundreds of ranchers came to settle on Okanagan Lake. The Fraser Canyon Gold Rush of 1858 eventually encouraged more settlement as some prospectors from the United States took the Okanagan Trail route on their way to the Fraser Canyon, although at the height of the rush the American adventurers who used the route did not settle because of outright hostilities from the Okanagan people, whom a few of the parties traversing the trail had harassed and brutalized. A few staked claims around the South Okanagan and Similkameen valleys and found gold and copper in places. A mining industry began in the southern Okanagan region, and more farmers, as well as a small service industry, came to meet the needs of the miners.

Fruit production is a hallmark of the Okanagan Valley today, but the industry began with difficulty. Commercial orcharding of apples was first tried there in 1892, but a series of setbacks prevented the major success of commercial fruit crops until the 1920s. But until the 1930s, the demand for shipping fruit and other goods did drive a need for the sternwheeler steamboats that serviced Okanagan Lake: the S.S. Aberdeen from 1886 and then the S.S. Sicamous and S.S. Naramata from 1914. The Sicamous and Naramata survive as a tourist attraction in Penticton.

While the last half-century has grown several resource-based enterprises in the region, for instance forestry in Princeton, the fastest-growing industries in the Okanagan today are real estate, tourism and retirement accommodation as well as the ripping up of orchards and their replacement by wineries and vinyards. Favoured by its sunny climate, lakes, and winery attractions, the valley has become a popular destination for vacationers and retirees. The area also attracts seasonal fruit-picking labourers, primarily from Quebec and Mexico, who often live in migrant-worker camps.^[1]

Geography

A panoramic view of the Okanagan, near Penticton.

As defined for census purposes by Statistics Canada, the region has a total area of 20,829 km² (8,042 mi²) which is roughly two-thirds the size of Belgium.

Geographic features include:

Major highways

Adjacent regions

Thompson Country - Northwest
Shuswap Country - North
Boundary Country, Arrow Lakes, Slocan Valley and West Kootenay - East
Similkameen Country and Nicola Country - West
Okanogan County, Washington, USA - South

Communities

Armstrong
Coldstream
Grindrod
Enderby
Kaleden
Kelowna
- Rutland
- Okanagan Mission
Lake Country
- Oyama
- Winfield
- Carr's (Carr's Landing)
- Okanagan Centre
Lavington
Lumby
Naramata
Okanagan Falls
Olalla
Oliver
- Fairview
Osoyoos
Peachland
Penticton
Spallumcheen
Summerland
Vernon
West Kelowna (district)
- Lakeview Heights
- Westbank

The Indian reserves of the Okanagan first peoples also form identifiable communities:

Demographics

The population of the region was 350 927, as of the 2009 CB stats estimates. [1]

*From Wikipedia, 01/27/2011

About Kelowna

Kelowna is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley, in the southern interior 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 The District of West Kelowna (a separate political entity from 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.

History
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.

Events of significance

On August 6, 1969 a sonic boom from a nearby air show produced an expensive broken glass bill of a quarter million dollars while at least 6 people were injured. The incident was caused by a member of America's Blue Angels during a practice routine for the Kelowna Regatta festival: He accidentally went through the sound barrier while flying too low.^[1]
Winter 1983 was the last time that the Lake completely froze over. (A Royal Canadian Mounted Police helicopter successfully rescued an SUV that had tried to drive across the Lake and cracked through the ice).
In both 1986 and 1988, alcohol-fueled riots erupted during summer Regatta festivities.
On May 7, 1992, a forest fire consumed 60 hectares of forest on Mount Boucherie in West Kelowna; no homes were damaged.
In August 2003, a nearby wildfire destroyed over 200 homes and forced the temporary evacuation of approx. 30,000 residents.^[2]
During the 2003 fire, many trestles of the historic Kettle Valley Railway were destroyed. All the trestles have been rebuilt to look like the originals but using smaller dimension beams.
In May 2005, Kelowna celebrated its Centennial.
In 2005, a new bridge to replace the Okanagan Lake Bridge began construction, being part of a plan to try to alleviate the severe traffic problems experienced during the summer months when tourists from the Coast, Alberta and east, and the US flock to the area to enjoy the summer heat, Okanagan Lake and its beaches, mountain bike riding, and other outdoor activities. This influx of tourist traffic adds to the commuters between West Kelowna/Westbank and Kelowna.
In July 2007, general rowdiness during the annual "Wakefest" wakeboarding competition and music festival led to the decision by Kelowna City Council to ban the event for the following year. Expected to return for the summer 2009 tour after organizers/promoters agreed to changes in the festival (including renaming it, introducing restricted beer garden hours and moving the date to later in the summer), conflicting dates with the national tour forced the festival to be withheld for another year.^[3]
In July 2009, wildfires destroyed some hundreds of hectares of forest and a number of buildings in West Kelowna; 17,000 residents were asked to evacuate.^[4] (NB The District of West Kelowna is not part of the City of Kelowna.)
In August 2009, Kelowna hosted the 40th General Council of the United Church of Canada
2000s, Kelowna builds the tallest building in between the lower mainland and Calgary: Skye at Waterscapes, which is a 26 floors high residential tower.
In January 2011, Kelowna welcomes the world as it hosts the 2011 International Children's Winter Games.

Geography and climate

Kelowna
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D

31

0
−7

23

3
−6

22

10
−2

26

15
1

39

20
5

41

24
9

37

28
11

34

27
10

33

22
6

26

13
1

35

5
−3

36

1
−6
Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm
Source: Environment Canada ^[5]
[show]Imperial conversion
J F M A M J J A S O N D

1.2

32
19

0.9

38
22

0.9

49
28

1

60
33

1.5

68
41

1.6

75
47

1.5

82
51

1.3

81
50

1.3

71
42

1

56
34

1.4

42
27

1.4

33
20
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches

Kelowna's climate is a semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSk), with four seasons. The official climate station for Kelowna is located at the Kelowna Airport, which is at a higher altitude than the city core with slightly 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 masses do occasionally penetrate the valley during winter, usually for very short periods (coldest recorded temperature of −36.1 °C (−33.0 °F), on December 30, 1968).

Summers are hot and sunny, with daytime temperatures often exceeding 35 °C (95.0 °F), the hottest recorded temperature at the Airport was 39.5 °C (103.1 °F), on July 24, 1994. During summer clear, dry air allows nighttime temperatures to fall rapidly. The city averages about 300 millimetres (12 in) of precipitation per year, with about 1/3rd of the precipitation falling as snow, the bulk in December and January; however, June is the month of greatest rainfall. The inherent dryness of Kelowna's climate is a factor in the forest fire risk as, for example, during the Okanagan Mountain Park Fire of 2003, a large residential evacuation (over 30,000 residents) was ordered.

Although Kelowna averages 300.5 hours of bright sunshine in July (61% of daylight hours), the winter months are mostly overcast due to the presence of low-level Pacifc moisture clashing with Arctic air and getting trapped in the valley; thus, Kelowna averages only 40.3 hours of bright sunshine in January (for comparison, consider 120 hours at Winnipeg, Manitoba and Miramichi, New Brunswick).

Kelowna has the greatest percentage of "calm" wind observations in Canada (39% of the time).^[6]^[7]^[8]^[9]^[10] The city averages 363 days/yr recording winds less than 5 km/h.^[11]

[hide]Climate data for Kelowna (Kelowna Airport, 1971-2000)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 14.8
(58.6) 14.7
(58.5) 20.8
(69.4) 28.1
(82.6) 34.4
(93.9) 38.0
(100.4) 39.5
(103.1) 39.3
(102.7) 34.8
(94.6) 26.8
(80.2) 20.6
(69.1) 15.0
(59) 39.5
(103.1)
Average high °C (°F) −0.2
(31.6) 3.3
(37.9) 9.6
(49.3) 15.4
(59.7) 20.0
(68) 23.9
(75) 27.6
(81.7) 27.3
(81.1) 21.5
(70.7) 13.4
(56.1) 5.4
(41.7) 0.6
(33.1) 14.0
(57.2)
Average low °C (°F) −7.4
(18.7) −5.5
(22.1) −2.4
(27.7) 0.8
(33.4) 5.0
(41) 8.6
(47.5) 10.5
(50.9) 10.2
(50.4) 5.7
(42.3) 0.9
(33.6) −2.7
(27.1) −6.4
(20.5) 1.5
(34.7)
Record low °C (°F) −31.7
(-25.1) −25.3
(-13.5) −19.4
(-2.9) −8.9
(16) −3.7
(25.3) −0.6
(30.9) 2.6
(36.7) 0.6
(33.1) −6.1
(21) −15.7
(3.7) −28.4
(-19.1) −36.1
(-33) −36.1
(-33)
Precipitation mm (inches) 30.8
(1.213) 22.6
(0.89) 21.8
(0.858) 26.2
(1.031) 39
(1.54) 40.7
(1.602) 36.9
(1.453) 33.6
(1.323) 32.7
(1.287) 25.5
(1.004) 34.5
(1.358) 36.2
(1.425) 380.5
(14.98)
Rainfall mm (inches) 7.8
(0.307) 9.6
(0.378) 16.9
(0.665) 25.6
(1.008) 39
(1.54) 40.7
(1.602) 36.9
(1.453) 33.6
(1.323) 32.7
(1.287) 25
(0.98) 21.3
(0.839) 9.1
(0.358) 298
(11.73)
Snowfall cm (inches) 29.2
(11.5) 15.7
(6.18) 5.2
(2.05) 0.7
(0.28) 0
(0) 0
(0) 0
(0) 0
(0) 0
(0) 0.5
(0.2) 14.8
(5.83) 35.7
(14.06) 101.8
(40.08)
Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 14.2 11.2 10.7 10 11.9 11.6 9.1 9.1 8.4 10.7 13.9 14.3 135.1
Avg. rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) 4.6 6.1 8.9 9.8 11.9 11.6 9.1 9.1 8.4 10.4 10.1 4.6 104.6
Avg. snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) 11.0 6.8 2.7 .60 .03 0 0 0 0 .43 5.0 11.1 37.7
Sunshine hours 40.3 77.0 144.9 194.2 236.4 253.2 300.5 272.2 213.1 132.3 52.8 37.6 1,954.4
Source: Environment Canada^[5]

Economy

Demography

According to the Statistics Canada 2001 census,^[16] 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; the average age is 41.1 years of age, compared to an average age of 37.6 years in 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 Vancouver at 5335 people per square kilometre, and with all of British Columbia with an average of 4.2 people/sqkm.

Population Growth
1905 600
1959 10,000
1971 19,089
1978 51,955
1981 59,196
1986 61,213
1991 75,950
1993 85,564
1996 89,442
2001 96,288
2006 106,707
Religious groups
Total 94,760 100%
Catholic 18,195 19.2%
Protestant 38,215 40.3%
Christian Orthodox 795 0.8%
Christian, n.i.e. 5,735 6.1%
Muslim 250 0.2%
Jewish 215 0.2%
Buddhist 505 0.5%
Hindu 140 0.1%
Sikh 855 0.9%
Eastern religions 110 0.1%
Latter-day Saint 305 0.3%
No religious affiliation 29,435 31.1%
Source: Statistics Canada 2001 Census^[16]
Ethnic origin^{[not in citation given]}
English 20,665 48.1%
Scottish 16,275 37.9%
German 13,170 30.7%
Canadian 12,410 28.9%
Irish 12,265 28.5%
French 7,455 17.4%
Ukrainian 4,485 10.4%
Dutch 2,915 6.8%
Polish 2,815 6.6%
Norwegian 2,765 6.4%
Swedish 2,380 5.5%
Russian 2,045 4.8%
Italian 1,865 4.3%
Aboriginal people 1,695 3.9%
Welsh 1,390 3.2%

Transportation

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Roads and highways

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.

In 1986, in time for the opening of Expo 86, a new freeway was built into the BC interior, eliminating over two hours of travel time between the Coast and the interior. This freeway, starting in Hope, is known as the Coquihalla Highway (Hwy 5), and terminates in Kamloops. At Merritt another newer (1989) highway, the Okanagan Connector, BC Highway 97C, heads eastward to Highway 97, which it joins at the West Kelowna-Peachland boundary. This new freeway system allows one to drive the 395 kilometres from Vancouver to Kelowna in just over four hours.

Kelowna is connected to West Kelowna by the new five lane William R. Bennett Bridge which officially opened May 25, 2008. This new bridge links Highway 97 to the southern Okanagan and to the Coquihalla Highway via Hwy 97C. The old floating bridge has been dismantled as it has outlived its usefulness and was incapable of supporting the current traffic levels. A small park area on the Kelowna side of the bridge has a dedication to the old bridge, and artwork made of pieces of it. 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 sides 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; it also is the route to the Big White Ski area.

Public Transport

Main article: Kelowna Regional Transit System

Kelowna Regional Transit System is operated by Scotland based company FirstGroup, providing public bus transportation services in Kelowna and its vicinity. Funding for the transit system is shared between the City of Kelowna, Central Okanagan Regional District, District of Lake Country and BC Transit.^[17]

Air travel

Main article: Kelowna International Airport

Kelowna International Airport (IATA: YLW), north of the downtown core, is the 10th busiest airport in Canada. There are regular flights to and from Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria, Las Vegas, and Seattle, as well as seasonal service to Mexico. Travelers arriving at the Kelowna International Airport can find Ground Transportation services available for travel throughout the Okanagan Valley and British Columbia.

Venues and attractions

Prospera Place, a 6,800-seat arena
Apple Bowl, a 5,700 seat outdoor stadium
SOPA Gallery of Fine Arts^[18]
Alternator Gallery for Contemporary Art^[19]
Rotary Centre for the Arts, a 326-seat theatre^[20]
Kelowna Art Gallery^[21]
Kelowna Community Theatre, a 853-seat theatre^[22]
Kelowna Museum^[23]
Kelowna Marina on Okanagan Lake
Kelowna Hydrofest on Okanagan Lake
Capital News Centre
H2O Adventure and Fitness Centre, largest publicly owned water park in Canada, and features Canada's first FlowRider
Kelowna Farmers Market - April to October Outdoors
Kasugai Gardens, an outdoor Garden beside City Hall built to celebrate friendship with its sister city; Kasugai, Japan.^[24]
Over 100 Wineries within a 90 minute drive
Kettle Valley Railway (Myra Canyon Trestles)
Knox Mountain Hillclimb - One of the worlds longest uphill point to point car races still running. The event runs May long weekend of each year.
Waterfront Park
Mission Creek Greenway

Prominent citizens

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.

Many current and former National Hockey League reside in Kelowna, including Dany Heatley, Ryan Getzlaf, Wade Redden, Trevor Linden, Jarome Iginla, Josh Gorges, Blake Comeau, Shea Weber, Scott Hannan, Brett McLean, Jeff Finley, Jim Harrison, Byron Dafoe, Tim Lenardon, Fran Huck, Bill Hogaboam, Curt Fraser, Mike Ridley, Todd Elik, Bob Bourne and Greg Adams.

Former Major League Baseball players, Jeff Zimmerman of the Texas Rangers, his brother Jordan Zimmerman, and Paul Spoljaric were born here.

Olympic Rower Heather Mandoli was born and resides in Kelowna. The 2007 World Women's Curling Championship winning Kelly Scott has also resided in the city.

The city was home to The Grapes of Wrath, one of Canada's most popular rock bands in the 1980s and early 1990s. Mad Child also resides in Kelowna, as do Bend Sinister, and Yukon Blonde. Dubstep artists DatsiK, Excision and Downlink are from Kelowna.

Actor and model, Taylor Kitsch, was raised in the town and now appears in the hit television show Friday Night Lights.

Emmy nominated composer, independent blues recording artist and performer, John Lee Sanders immigrated to BC in 2006, from the USA, and currently resides in Kelowna.

Sport

Kelowna Marina

Kelowna Rockets - Western Hockey League (Winners of the 2004 Memorial Cup)
Okanagan Sun - Canadian Junior Football League (Winners of the 1988 and 2000 Canadian Bowl)
Okanagan Challenge - Pacific Coast Soccer League
Kelowna Falcons - West Coast Collegiate Baseball League
Kelowna Hydrofest- American Boat Racing Association (Largest professional boat racing series in Canada)
Okanagan Crusaders - Crusaders Website
Kelowna Peach Tarts - Okanagan Roller Derby (independent Women's Flat Track Roller Derby league) website
OgoPolo - Kelowna Hardcourt Bike Polo Club website
Kelowna Rowing Club - Kelowna Rowing Club - 1449 Green Bay Rd, West Kelowna, BC.^[25]

Local services

Kelowna Weather
The Okanagan Regional Library has 3 branches in Kelowna
Emergency services are provided by the Kelowna General Hospital, the British Columbia Ambulance Service, Central Okanagan Search and Rescue and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Kelowna Regional Transit System, operated by First Canada, provides transit to the Kelowna Area (A branch of BC Transit)
Kelowna Airport Shuttle / Inner City Taxi Service provides transit services similar to a taxi

Sister cities

Kelowna has "sister city" agreements with the following cities:^[29]

Trivia

In the science fiction television series Stargate SG-1, Jonas Quinn hails from the nation of Kelowna on the planet Langara. Stargate SG-1 and its sister show Stargate Atlantis are produced in Vancouver.
Some believe a lake monster named Ogopogo lives in Lake Okanagan. In the past, naysayers have pointed out the similarities between the so-called monster and a beaver, a log, and other less monstrous lake denizens.
The Online Virtual World Club Penguin has its headquarters located in Kelowna.
In the song "Driving One of Your Cars" by Swedish musician Lisa Miskovsky, she mentions Kelowna in the lyrics "Kelowna is beautiful in summertime they say".
Fido, a comedy/horror/thriller movie about zombies, was filmed in Kelowna and debuted on September 7, 2006 at the Toronto Film Festival.
Part of the movie Mee Shee: The Water Giant was filmed in Kelowna.
The movies Shred, and Shred 2 were partially filmed at Big White, a ski hill near Kelowna.
In the song "Love This Town" by Canadian musician Joel Plaskett, he mentions playing a show in Kelowna that was met with apathy and heckling, resulting in him 'hating that town'. He has since played the song at a concert in Kelowna and apologized.
The fictional BDL team the Kelowna Kripplers are based in Kelowna.

*Wikipedia 01/27/2011