Penticton, British Columbia

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Penticton
Coordinates: 49°29′28″N, 119°35′19″W
Country	Canada
Province	British Columbia
Regional District	Okanagan-Similkameen
Incorporated	1909
Government
- Mayor	Jake Kimberley
Area
- City	42.02 km²  (16.2 sq mi)
Elevation	385 m (1,263.1 ft)
Population (2006)
- City	31,909
- Density	759.5/km² (1,967.1/sq mi)
Time zone	PST (UTC-8)
Area code(s)	250

Penticton is a city in south central British Columbia between Okanagan Lake and Skaha Lake (at one time known officially as "Dog Lake"). Its 2006 population was 31,909 (41,574 in the greater area). The name Penticton is derived from a word in the Salish language, and it is roughly translated as "a place to stay forever".

Contents 1 Economy 2 Recreation 3 Education 4 Climate 5 Transportation 6 Trivia 7 See also 8 External links

[edit] Economy

Penticton's primary economic strengths are tourism, wine production and fruit orchards. Penticton hosts many world famous events annually, among them the Canadian Ironman Triathlon, the Okanagan Wine Festival, the Penticton Peach Festival and the Pentastic Hot Jazz Festival, and the "Elvis Festival," which was featured in the Summer 2006 issue of British Columbia Magazine.

[edit] Recreation

Penticton is home to recreational opportunities such as skiing at the Apex Mountain Resort ski area, boating and fishing on Skaha Lake and Okanagan Lake, golfing on one of the area's many courses, hiking or biking the Kettle Valley Railway Trail, and sport climbing at Skaha Bluffs.

In September 2006, residents voted 80.3% in favor of the construction of the South Okanagan Event Centre. The $73 million arena, sports complex and convention centre could possibly serve as a summer or early fall training facility for the Vancouver Canucks as well as the home of the BCHL's Penticton Vees. It will likely boost the city's convention market and become a popular stop on concert tours and for other special events.

Penticton is the hub of wine tourism in the Okanagan Valley with access to 88 wineries within an hour's drive. Nearby Naramata Bench will have 23 wineries by the end of 2007.

The Kettle Valley Railroad(KVR) Trail Network—with trail heads leading to more than 160 km of flat, railbed trails for hiking and biking adventures—can be accessed from Penticton. This trail is part of the Trans Canada Trail.

[edit] Education

It is the seat of the Okanagan-Similkameen Regional District and School District 67 Okanagan Skaha. There are two high schools, Penticton Secondary and Princess Margaret, as well as many primary schools. Penticton Christian School, a private school, offers kindergarten through Grade 12.

[edit] Climate

Penticton has a temperate, semi-arid climate and averages slightly more than 300 mm (12") of precipitation annually. Penticton has very warm summers (daytime temperatures above 30 °C are commonplace, but humidity is low and nights are cool). Winters are brief with mean daily temperatures averaging just below freezing for about 8 weeks out of the year. The average daily maximum remains above zero the entire year. Penticton is sheltered from cold Arctic air in winter by the surrounding mountain ranges, making blizzards and freezing rainstorms very rare. In addition, the frost-free season averages more than 140 days a year.

[edit] Transportation

Penticton Regional Airport(YYF) provides air service to Vancouver. The city is currently looking for airlines to fly routes to Edmonton and Calgary Alberta. Air travel to these citys was cut off after QuickAir, a small Canadian airline closed down due to a mounting debt. Penticton Regional Airport was constructed during the Second World War to serve as an emergency landing strip. It was later lengthened to 1829 meters to accomodate the Boeing 737.

[edit] Trivia

• Penticton is the home of the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory, Canada's only radio telescope array.
• Penticton is the sister city of Ikeda, a town in the Hokkaido prefecture of Japan.
• Penticton is the former home of Donald Bakker.
• Penticton is the former home of Mike Reno from the band Loverboy.
• Penticton is the former home of Spencer Krug from the band Wolf Parade.
• Penticton is the birthplace of actress Alexis Smith.
• Hockey player Andy Moog was also born in Penticton.
• The Penticton Vees won the 1955 Ice Hockey World Championships.
• Penticton was the location of the headquarters of the Kettle Valley Railway.

[edit] See also

• List of mayors of Penticton, British Columbia

[edit] External links

• Tourism Penticton
• The City Of Penticton
• Penticton travel guide from Wikitravel
• School District 67 - Okanagan Skaha
• Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen - Rural Government

Coordinates: 49°29′28″N, 119°35′19″W