| City of Kelowna | |||
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| Kelowna and Okanagan Lake | |||
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| Nickname(s): K-Town | |||
| Motto: "Fruitful in Unity" | |||
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City of Kelowna
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Canada | ||
| Province | British Columbia | ||
| Regional District | Central Okanagan | ||
| Settled | 1879 | ||
| Incorporated | 1905 | ||
| Government | |||
| • 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 | ||
| Time zone | Pacific Time Zone (UTC-8) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7) | ||
| Postal code span | V1P, V1V – V1Z | ||
| Area code(s) | (250), (778) | ||
| Website | City of 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 Okanagan language 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 Vernon to the north, as well as Peachland to the southwest and, further to the south, Summerland and Penticton.
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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.
Some claim to believe that 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. Nevertheless, local tourism makes use of the Ogopogo legend, and a children's park features an imaginative statue of the fictional creature.
In both 1986 and 1988, alcohol-fueled riots erupted during summer Regatta festivities. In May 2005, Kelowna celebrated its Centennial. That year a new bridge to replace the Okanagan Lake Bridge began construction as part of a plan to alleviate traffic problems experienced during the summer months when tourists from the Coast, Alberta and east, and the U.S. flock to the area to enjoy the summer heat, Okanagan Lake 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.[2]
In July 2011 Kelowna's City Park was home to the largest Sport and Music Festival in Western Canada, Center of Gravity. The event drew in 25,000+ attendees and brought an approximate 4-5 million dollars in tourism revenue. [3]
In February 2009 an RCMP gang task unit was approved to help deal with gang violence.[4] In January 2011, Kelowna hosted the 2011 International Children's Winter Games.
On May 7, 1992, a forest fire consumed 60 hectares of forest on Mount Boucherie in West Kelowna across Lake Okanagan from Kelowna proper; no homes were damaged, however. In August 2003, a nearby wildfire destroyed over 200 homes and forced the temporary evacuation of approx. 30,000 residents.[5] 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 July 2009 wildfires destroyed hundreds of hectares of forest and a number of buildings in West Kelowna; 17,000 residents were evacuated.[6]
| Kelowna | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Climate chart (explanation) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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 International 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 Cascade Mountains to the west, and the Canadian Rockies and the Columbia Mountains to the east 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 1/3 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 Pacific 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).[7][8][9][10][11] The 4 year average wind measured at the airport has been less than 5 knots on average 10/12 months of the year between 2008 and 2011.[12]
| Climate data for Kelowna Airport | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 (59.0) |
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 (68.0) |
23.9 (75.0) |
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) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −3.8 (25.2) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
3.6 (38.5) |
8.2 (46.8) |
12.6 (54.7) |
16.3 (61.3) |
19.1 (66.4) |
18.7 (65.7) |
13.6 (56.5) |
7.2 (45.0) |
1.4 (34.5) |
−2.9 (26.8) |
7.7 (45.9) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −7.4 (18.7) |
−5.5 (22.1) |
−2.4 (27.7) |
0.8 (33.4) |
5 (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 (16.0) |
−3.7 (25.3) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
2.6 (36.7) |
0.6 (33.1) |
−6.1 (21.0) |
−15.7 (3.7) |
−28.4 (−19.1) |
−36.1 (−33.0) |
−36.1 (−33.0) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 30.8 (1.213) |
22.6 (0.89) |
21.8 (0.858) |
26.2 (1.031) |
39.0 (1.535) |
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 (0.984) |
21.3 (0.839) |
9.1 (0.358) |
298.0 (11.732) |
| 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 (0) |
0.0 (0) |
0.5 (0.2) |
14.8 (5.83) |
35.7 (14.06) |
101.8 (40.08) |
| % humidity | 76.4 | 68.1 | 50.3 | 39.5 | 40.5 | 39.7 | 36.3 | 37.5 | 44.1 | 55.1 | 71.4 | 76.8 | 53.0 |
| 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] | |||||||||||||
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.[14][15] 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 Winery (in West Kelowna), specifically for its unique architectural design. At least two major wineries were damaged or destroyed (now rebuilt) in 2003 due to the Okanagan Mountain Park Fire. Kelowna is also the home of Sun-Rype, a popular manufacturer of fruit bars and juices.
Okanagan College and University of British Columbia Okanagan are the predominant centres for post-secondary education. Over 5000 full-time students attend Okanagan College. 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 of over 7900 full-time students, enrolled in diverse undergraduate and graduate programs.[16]
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 fourth least affordable housing market in Canada, currently maintaining the classification of "Severely Unaffordable".[17] Because of the Okanagan's climate and vineyard-filled scenery, it is often compared to Napa Valley, California.[18]
Due to its moderate population, Kelowna is often used as a market trial area where national businesses and organizations can test a new product. Examples include:
According to the Statistics Canada 2001 census,[22] 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/km².
Minorities make up 6.2% of the population of Kelowna. The largest group of visible minorities are South Asian (28.7%), Chinese (19.0%), Japanese (14.0%), Southeast Asian (9.0%), Filipino and other Asian (10.6%), Black (7.4%), multiple/other (4.1%), and Arab (0.8%)[23]
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Population Growth
Religious groups
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Ethnic origin
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Kelowna's population growth has been driven primarily by the movement of Canadians from BC and other provinces into this region, not by international immigration.[23] Only 15.1% of the population is foreign born.[23]
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 four and a half 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.
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.
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.[24]
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, and Seattle, as well as seasonal service to Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Mexico. Travelers arriving at the Kelowna International Airport can find Ground Transportation services available for travel throughout the Okanagan Valley and British Columbia.
On November 27 2011 Kelowna airport officials received warnings of a flying Christmas tree to which helium balloons had been attached[2] as part of an international scavenger hunt organised by Misha Collins known as GISHWHES[3] (Greatest International Scavenger Hunt The World Has Ever Seen.)
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Public schools[33] 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[34]
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Post-secondary[35]
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Kelowna has "sister city" agreements with the following cities:[36]
| Lake Country | ||||
| West Kelowna | ||||
| Kelowna | ||||
| Peachland | Naramata |
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