Penticton

Penticton is a city in the Okanagan Valley of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, situated between Okanagan and Skaha Lakes. In 2006, its population was 31,909,^[1] while its census agglomeration population was 43,313.^[2]

Name origin

The name Penticton is derived from a word in the Okanagan language. It is conventionally translated by the city's tourism promoters as "a place to stay forever" but is actually a reference to the year-round flow of the Okanagan River where it enters Skaha Lake. Differing accounts of the meaning are given in the British Columbia Geographical Names Information System entry for the city:^[3]

"Place where water passes beyond." (information from Isaac Harris, published in Vernon News, 18 July 1918); compare with: "Derived from the Okanagan dialect of the Salish tribe, the word Pen-tak-tin meaning 'a place of permanent abode where waters pass by'." (50th Anniversary booklet of Penticton, 1958) From the Indian name Pente-hik-ton, "ever" or "forever" referring to the constant steady flow of the Okanagan River out of the lake.... applied by the Indians to the locality at the outlet of the lake, meaning that the stream ran on ever, or forever, in contrast to other streams which dried up during the summer (6th Report of the Okanagan Historical Society); compare with: "Derives from the Okanagan word Sin-peen-tick-tin, loosely translatable as 'permanent place'." (c1980 advice from Randy Bouchard, BC Indian Language Project).

History

Penticton, from the Interior Salish word snpintktn, is commonly translated as "a place to stay forever," or more accurately, "a place where people live year-round." For over 7,000 years, Penticton has been home to the Syilx First Peoples, who were instrumental in helping the first European fur traders travel through the Okanagan in the early 1800s.

A young Irish immigrant named Thomas Ellis took the meaning of snpintktn to heart and in 1865 became the first European to settle in Penticton. Becoming one of the province's most successful cattle ranchers, Ellis acquired territory that stretched from Naramata all the way south to the American border. When he retired in 1892, Ellis sold off a large portion of his property to developers who laid out a small townsite at the foot of Okanagan Lake. Penticton had been born.

Development in the early years was slow and things only began to really pick up in 1905, when the South Okanagan Land Company subdivided another large section of the Ellis holdings. The original townsite, which lay mostly to the east of Penticton Creek, was linked up to the new one by Smith Street (later renamed Front Street), which was the heart of the small town in its earliest days. By 1908, with a population of six hundred, Penticton was incorporated and growth continued at a faster pace than ever.

Due to the difficulties of land travel due to the rugged local terrain, early transportation in and out of Penticton was primarily by water on Okanagan Lake, which runs from Vernon in the north to its southern tip at Penticton. Much of this travel was aboard steamships like the S.S. Sicamous. Although not the first, the Sicamous was the largest and most famous sternwheeler to grace Okanagan Lake. Known as the "Queen of the Lake," she was built in Port Harbor, Ontario and assembled at Okanagan Landing for her maiden voyage on July 1st, 1914. Many local servicemen heading for the First World War began their journey aboard the Sicamous. With her passenger service discontinued in 1935, the Sicamous worked for two seasons hauling freight before being retired completely. In 1949, the City of Penticton purchased the ship from the Canadian Pacific Railway in order to preserve this important relic of the age of the lake steamships.

In 1910, an announcement was made that Penticton would serve as the headquarters for the new Kettle Valley Railway, the rail line that would finally link the transportation of the coast to the wealth of the Kootenays. This decision would help secure Penticton's economic future; the arrival of the railway brought many jobs and by the time the line was finished, the town's population more than doubled. The railway also provided fast and efficient transportation for local products, greatly boosting the burgeoning orchard industry by opening up distant markets to high-quality Okanagan fruit. The KVR also allowed tourists to visit an area that had long been isolated from the rest of the province, enabling Penticton to become a tourist destination.

Following the end of the Second World War, Penticton entered into a golden age of growth and prosperity. A flood of returning veterans led to a post-war population boom and in 1948 Penticton was incorporated as a city. The 1950s and 1960s were busy decades of construction and large infrastructure projects. The channelization of the Okanagan River and numerous construction projects - including a new city hall, a community arts building, and Penticton's first major shopping centre - changed the face of the young city forever. In March 1955 the city achieved international fame when the Penticton Vees hockey team brought home the World Cup after defeating the Soviet Union 5-0.

Celebrating its Centennial in 2010, Penticton continues to change: old neighborhoods are being revitalized as the charm of small-town life returns to downtown; the new South Okanagan Events Centre brings conventions, sporting events, and performances of all kinds; and, most significantly, the growth of the local wine industry is rapidly turning Penticton into a top destination for wine tourism. The city now has a population of approximately 33,000 and continues to grow. Yet in spite of all this change, at heart Penticton remains the same.

Events

Penticton hosts many events annually, among them the Canadian Ironman Triathlon, the Valley First Granfondo Axel Merckx Okanagan, the Okanagan Wine Festival, the Okanagan Children's Festival, Fest-of-Ale BC,^[4] the Penticton Peach Festival (commonly known as "Peachfest"), the Pentastic Hot Jazz Festival, and the "Elvis Festival" which was featured in the Summer 2006 issue of British Columbia Magazine.

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. Both lakes have beautiful beaches. There is golfing on the area's many courses, as well as hiking or biking the Kettle Valley Railway Trail, and rock climbing at Skaha Bluffs. Penticton is home to KIJHL team the Penticton Lakers, the BCHL hockey team Penticton Vees who play throughout the winter months, as well as the PCSL soccer team Penticton Pinnacles, who play from May until July.

In September 2006, residents voted 80.3% in favour of the construction of the South Okanagan Events 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, so named in honour of the senior hockey team that in 1955 won the Ice Hockey World Championships against Russia. The Centre has boosted the city's convention market and is a popular stop on concert tours and for other special events.

The Penticton Vees now play in the South Okanagan Events Centre which opened in September 2008.

Penticton is the hub of wine tourism in the Okanagan Valley with access to 88 wineries within an hour's drive. Nearby Naramata now has 22 wineries, by the beginning of the 2009 Fall Wine Festival.

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. Penticton has finished the building of the Penticton Aquatic Centre

Education

Penticton is the location of the head offices of School District 67 Okanagan Skaha. There are two secondary schools, Penticton Secondary School and Princess Margaret Secondary School, as well as 11 elementary schools, Wiltse Elementary School, Uplands Elementary School, Giant's Head Elementary School, Carmi Elementary School, West Bench Elementary School, Queen's Park Elementary School, Parkway Elementary School, Kaleden Elementary School, Columbia Elementary School, Naramata Elementary School and Trout Creek Elementary School, three middle schools, KVR Middle School (English and French Immersion), Skaha Lake Middle School, McNicoll Park Middle School and Summerland Middle School (also English and French Immersion), and L’école Entre Lacs, a French school (not french immersion).^[5] Penticton Christian School, a private school, offers kindergarten through Grade 12.^[6] Penticton is also home to the Okanagan Hockey Academy & School, with players from around the world enrolling at Penticton Secondary, while undergoing rigorous training during the academic terms with OHA staff 4-5 times per week. Players are required to meet specific academic as well as physical standards in order to maintain eligibility for the OHA.^[7] Penticton is also home to a campus of Sprott-Shaw Community College, a private post-secondary institution.

Climate

Penticton has a cold winter/ warm summer Semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). Precipitation averages slightly more than 330 mm (13") annually. Penticton has warm summers with daytime temperatures above 30°C commonplace, but humidity is low and summer nights are warm. 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, nights tend to be cool throughout the year but without bitter cold nights in winter.

Sports

Transportation

Penticton Regional Airport (YYF) was constructed during World War II to serve as an emergency landing strip, and was later lengthened to 1829 meters to accommodate Boeing 737 aircraft. Air Canada Jazz provides air service to Vancouver, while Pacific Coastal Airlines formerly provided air service to Vancouver and Calgary after flights were terminated in January 2009.

Local bus service is provided by Penticton Transit System.

Penticton was the location of the headquarters of the Kettle Valley Railway.^[9]

Notable residents

• Andy Bell, Pro Freestyle Motocross Champion, host of MTV's Nitro Circus
• George Bowering, poet, first ever Canadian Parliamentary Poet Laureate
• Layla Claire, soprano
• Krystal Garib, Broadway actress, dancer, singer
• Brett Hull, NHL hockey player, graduate of Penticton High School
• Duncan Keith, NHL hockey player, graduate of Penticton Secondary School
• Alan Kerr, hockey player
• Shane Koyczan, Spoken word poet
• Spencer Krug, musician from the band Wolf Parade
• Andy Moog, hockey player
• Brendan Morrison, NHL hockey player, graduate of Penticton High School
• Bob Nicholson, president and chief executive officer of Hockey Canada
• Cameron Phillips, radio broadcaster
• Justin Pogge, hockey player
• Mike Reno, musician from the band Loverboy
• Mark Allan Robinson, political activist
• Alexis Smith, actress
• Blake Wesley, hockey player
• Terry David Mulligan, Canadian actor and television personality
• Paul Kariya, retired NHL superstar, graduate of Penticton Secondary School

Media

Radio stations

• AM 800 - CKOR, soft adult contemporary
• FM 93.7 - CBTP-FM, CBC Radio One
• FM 97.1 - CJMG-FM, hot adult contemporary (Sun FM)
• FM 100.7 - CIGV-FM, country music

Sister city

• Ikeda, Hokkaidō, Japan

See also

• List of mayors of Penticton
• Penticton Indian Band
• Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory
• Penticton Herald

References

External links

• Tourism Penticton
• The City Of Penticton
• Penticton travel guide from Wikitravel