Kelowna, British Columbia

Kelowna (2001 population 96,288, metropolitan population 147,739) is a city on Okanagan Lake in the interior of British Columbia, Canada. It is the seat of the Regional District of Central Okanagan, and the third-largest metropolitan area in British Columbia (aside from Vancouver and Victoria).

First settled by missionaries in 1859, Kelowna was officially incorporated in 1905. Neighbouring towns include Westbank to the west, Peachland to the southwest, Vernon to the north and Penticton south of Peachland.

The service industry employs the most people in Kelowna, the largest city in the tourist-oriented Okanagan Valley. In summer, boating is popular and in winter, Alpine skiing at the nearby Big White Ski Resort (http://www.bigwhite.com).

Kelowna is well known for producing wines that have a worldwide reputation. Vineyards are common anywhere around and south of the city where the climate is ideal for the many wineries. Notable ones would include the Mission Hill Estate Winery, specifically for its unique architectual design. However at least two major wineries were damaged or destroyed in the Okanagan Mountain Park Fire

Kelowna was home to the late Premier of British Columbia, W.A.C. Bennett and the birthplace of his son, William R. Bennett, who would also become Premier of the province.

Major League Baseball player, Jeff Zimmerman of the Texas Rangers was born here. The city is also home to The Grapes of Wrath, one of Canada's most popular rock bands in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Contents

1 Demographics 2 How To Get There 3 Venues and Attractions 4 Sports Teams 5 Local Services 6 Education 6.1 Public Schools 6.2 Private Schools 6.3 Post-Secondary 7 Events of Significance 8 Trivia 9 External links

Demographics

Racial Diversity

• 93.4% Caucasian
• 2.7% Aboriginal
• 1.1% Asian
• 1.0% Japanese

Religious Groups

• 40.7% Protestant
• 17.9% Roman Catholic
• 6.8% other Christian
• 3.0 other religions
• 31.6% no religion

Age Groups

• 0-14 years: 17.5%
• 15-64 years: 64.1%
• 65 years and over: 18.4%

How To Get There

For years, only one road 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, shaving off 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. Highway 5 is a toll highway for both directions, with each way costing $10 for a typical passenger vehicle.

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.

This new freeway system makes the drive from Vancouver to Kelowna just under four hours, at 425 km in distance.

Kelowna is connected to Westbank by a three-lane floating bridge and links Highway 97 south. The floating bridge is slated for replacement as it has outlived its usefulness and is incapable of supporting the current traffic levels. The construction of a new bridge has begun, although here has been a lot of controversy surrounding the project. Delays and connectivity are some of the major issues, since the highway leading up to the bridge is only four laned and is not a freeway.

Highway 33, which connects with Highway 97 in Rutland, provides an alternate way to enter and exit the city, towards the southeast.

Kelowna has an International Airport north of the city in Winfield, with regular flights to and from Calgary, Edmonton, Las Vegas, Toronto, Seattle, Vancouver, and Victoria.

Venues and Attractions

• Prospera Place, a 6,800-seat arena
• the Apple Bowl, a 1,000 seat outdoor stadium
• Rotary Centre for the Arts (http://www.rotarycentreforthearts.com/)
• Kelowna Art Gallery (http://www.galleries.bc.ca/kelowna/)
• Kelowna Community Theatre (http://www.kelownacommunitytheatre.com/)
• Kelowna Museum (http://www.kelownamuseum.ca/)
• Parkinson Recreation Centre (http://www.city.kelowna.bc.ca/CM/Page636.aspx)
• Capital News Centre

Sports Teams

• Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League (Winner of the 2004 Memorial Cup)
• Okanagan Sun - football team
• Kelowna Falcons - baseball team
• Kelowna Heat - baseball team

Local Services

• CHBC is a Kelowna-based television station
• Kelowna Capital News (http://www.kelownacapnews.com), free local newspaper
• Kelowna Daily Courier (http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca/), local newspaper
• the Okanagan Regional Library (http://www.orl.bc.ca/) has 3 branches in Kelowna
• Emergency services are provided by the Kelowna General Hospital, the BC Ambulance Service (http://www.healthservices.gov.bc.ca/bcas/overview.html), the Kelowna Fire Department (http://www.city.kelowna.bc.ca/CM/Page378.aspx), and the RCMP

Education

Public Schools

Public schools in the Kelowna area are part of School District 23 (http://www.sd23.bc.ca/)

• Secondary (Grades 10-12 or 8-12):
  • Kelowna Senior Secondary (http://www.kss.sd23.bc.ca/) (offers French immersion)
  • Rutland Senior Secondary (http://www.rss.sd23.bc.ca/)
  • Mount Boucherie Secondary (http://www.mbs.sd23.bc.ca/)
  • Okanagan Mission Secondary (http://www.okm.sd23.bc.ca/)
• Middle (Grades 7-9):
  • KLO Middle (http://www.klo.sd23.bc.ca/) (offers French immersion)
  • Dr. Knox Middle (http://www.drk.sd23.bc.ca/)
  • Constable Neil Bruce Middle (http://www.cnb.sd23.bc.ca/)
  • Rutland Middle (http://www.rms.sd23.bc.ca)
  • Springvalley Middle (http://www.sms.sd23.bc.ca)
• Elementary Schools (Grades K-6 or K-7):
  • About 20 elementary schools spread throughtout the city. (see the SD23 school directory (http://www.sd23.bc.ca/Schools/))

Private Schools

• Kelowna Christian School (http://www.kelownachristian.ca/) (K-12)
• Heritage Christian School (http://www.heritagechristian.ca/) (K-12)
• Vedanta Academy (http://www.vedantaacademy.com/) (K-12)
• Okanagan Adventist Academy (http://www.tagnet.org/okaa/) (K-12)
• Immaculata Regional High School (http://immaculata.kelowna.bc.ca/) (8-12)
• St. Joseph Elementary (http://stjosephkelowna.com/) (K-7)
• Kelowna Waldorf School (http://www.kelownawaldorfschool.com/) (Pre-8)
• Okanagan Montessori School (http://www.okmontessori.com/) (Preschool & Kindergarten)

Post-Secondary

• UBC Okanagan (http://www.okanagan.ubc.ca/)
• Okanagan College (http://www.okanagan.bc.ca/)
• Centre for Arts and Technology Okanagan (CATO) (http://kelowna.digitalartschool.com/)
• Sprott-Shaw Community College (http://www.sprottshaw.com/locations/kelowna_location.html)

Events of Significance

• In August 2003, a nearby wildfire destroyed over 200 homes and forced the temporary evacuation of approximately 30,000 residents.
• During the 2003 fire, many trestles of the historic Kettle Valley Railway were destroyed. One of the trestles, Trestle 18, has been rebuilt, and other trestles are planned to be reconstructed as well.
• In May 2005, Kelowna celebrated its Centennial.
• 2005, A new bridge to replace the Okanagan Floating Bridge has begun construction, being part of a plan to try and alleviate the severe traffic problems experienced during the summer months (the height of tourism season)

Trivia

• In the Sci-Fi series Stargate SG-1, Jonas Quinn comes from another planet, from a nation named Kelowna. Later in the series, the country amalgamates with two others to form the Langara Federation. Stargate SG-1 is produced in Canada (specifically, in Vancouver).

External links

• http://www.city.kelowna.bc.ca/
• http://www.kelownabc.com/
• http://www.welcometokelowna.com/
• http://www.castanet.net/ - Local news
• http://www.saveparadise.com - Community Activistspt:Kelowna