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Kelowna

Coordinates: 49°53′56″N 119°24′35″W / 49.898836°N 119.409714°W / 49.898836; -119.409714
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City of Kelowna
Kelowna and Okanagan Lake
Kelowna and Okanagan Lake
Coat of arms of City of Kelowna
Coat of arms
Map
Country Canada
Province British Columbia
Regional DistrictCentral Okanagan
Settled1879
Incorporated1905
Government
 • MayorSharon Shepherd
 • Governing BodyKelowna City Council
 • MPRon Cannan
 • MLAsSteve Thomson
Norm Letnick
Ben Stewart
Area
 • City
211.69 km2 (81.73 sq mi)
Elevation
344 m (1,129 ft)
Population
 (2006)
 • City
106,707
 • Density504.1/km2 (1,306/sq mi)
 • Metro
162,276
 • Metro density55.9/km2 (145/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific Time Zone)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (Pacific Daylight Time)
Postal code span
V1P, V1V - V1Z
Area code+1-250 - 778
WebsiteCity 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.

History

  • Kelowna, 1909
    Kelowna, 1909
  • Kelowna, 1920
    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.

Economy

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 a worldwide reputation. Vineyards are common around and south of the city where the climate is ideal for the many wineries. Notable ones 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 least affordable housing market in Canada[1] and 13th in the world. It is classified as "Severely Unaffordable".[2] Because of the Okanagan's climate and vineyard-filled scenery, it has been compared to California.

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.

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. Evangeline Lilly of the hit TV show Lost was discovered on the streets of Kelowna. 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.

Demographics

File:Kelownaatnight.jpg
Kelowna at night.

According to the Statistics Canada 2001 census[3], 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.

Travel

Roads and highways

File:KelownaMap.gif

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 Westside 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.

Air travel

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 use the official Kelowna Shuttle, which provides services throughout the Okanagan Valley and British Columbia.

Climate

File:DSCN0050.JPG
Kelowna seen from the west side.

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%).[4][5][6][7][8]. The city averages 363 days/yr recording winds less than 5km/hr.[9]

Climate data for Kelowna
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Source: Environment Canada[10]
Kelowna at night
Kelowna from Knox mountain 360 Degree
UBC Okanagan, Kelowna 360 Degree
UBC Okanagan, Kelowna 360 Degree

Venues and attractions

  • Prospera Place, a 6,800-seat arena
  • Apple Bowl, a 5,700 seat outdoor stadium
  • SOPA Gallery of Fine Arts[11]
  • Alternator Gallery for Contemporary Art[12]
  • Rotary Centre for the Arts, a 326-seat theatre[13]
  • Kelowna Art Gallery[14]
  • Kelowna Community Theatre, a 853-seat theatre[15]
  • Kelowna Museum[16]
  • 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
  • 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. [17]
  • Summerhill Pyramid Winery
  • 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.

Sport

Kelowna Marina

Media

Main article: Media in Kelowna

Local services

Education

Events of significance

  • On August 6, 1969, a sonic boom from a nearby air show produced an expensive broken glass bill while at least 6 people were injured[21].
  • 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-fuelled 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 approximately 30,000 residents[22].
  • 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 and alleviate the severe traffic problems experienced during the summer months when people from Kelowna drive to Westbank and vice versa. (the height of tourist season).
  • 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.[23]
  • In July 2009, wildfires destroyed some hundreds of hectares of land in West Kelowna, including a number of buildings, and 17,000 residents were asked to evacuate.[24]

Sister cities

Kelowna has "sister city" agreements with the following cities:[25]

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 in Kelowna.

See also

References

  1. ^ Victoria housing among world's most costly
  2. ^ 4th Annual Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey
  3. ^ a b Kelowna Community Profile - Statistics Canada. 2002. 2001 Community Profiles. Released June 27, 2002. Last modified: 2005-11-30. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 93F0053XIE.
  4. ^ Phillips, D. 1990. The Climate of Canada. Catalogue No. En56-1/1990E. Ottawa: Minister of Supply and Services of Canada
  5. ^ Atlas of Canada http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/learningresources/facts/superweather.html
  6. ^ Canada - A peoples' history, http://www.omnitv.ca/ontario/tv/history/interactive/climatefacts.shtml
  7. ^ US Green Building Council, Kelowna, British Columbia Competition Program Detailed Summary, https://www.usgbc.org/FileHandling/show_general_file.asp?DocumentID=1264
  8. ^ Weather - CanadianStudy.ca
  9. ^ Weather Winners http://www.on.ec.gc.ca/weather/winners/winners-e.html
  10. ^ Environment Canada—Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000, accessed 09 July 2009
  11. ^ SOPA Gallery of Fine Arts
  12. ^ Alternator Gallery for Contemporary Art
  13. ^ Rotary Centre for the Arts
  14. ^ Kelowna Art Gallery
  15. ^ Kelowna Community Theatre
  16. ^ Kelowna Museum
  17. ^ JGarden - Gardens
  18. ^ Public Schools in Kelowna: Kelowna Senior Secondary, Rutland Senior Secondary, Mount Boucherie SecondaryOkanagan Mission Secondary, KLO Middle, Dr. Knox Middle, Constable Neil Bruce Middle, Rutland Middle, Springvalley Middle
  19. ^ Private Schools in Kelowna: Aberdeen Hall Preparatory School,Kelowna Christian School, Heritage Christian School, Vedanta Academy, Okanagan Adventist Academy, Immaculata Regional High School, St. Joseph Elementary, Kelowna Waldorf School, Okanagan Montessori School, Okanagan Montessori
  20. ^ Post-secondary Schools in Kelowna: UBC Okanagan, Okanagan College, Sprott-Shaw Community College[dead link‍]
  21. ^ Archival news footage after the sonic boom
  22. ^ Okanagan Mountain Park Fire 2003
  23. ^ http://www.castanet.net/news/Kelowna/47061/Wakefest-2009-not-happening
  24. ^ Canadian wildfires force thousands to flee homes
  25. ^ "Sister Cities". City of Kelowna. Retrieved 2007-09-26.

49°53′56″N 119°24′35″W / 49.898836°N 119.409714°W / 49.898836; -119.409714

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