Kelowna is a city of about 100,000 on the east shore of Okanagan Lake.  The city’s name comes from the local aboriginal language, it means grizzly bear.  The answer to the obvious question is no, you are not likely to run into any bears, grizzly or otherwise, wandering the streets downtown, although, from time to time, black bears have been known to wander into the outlying areas.

The Interior Salish people originally settled the central Okanagan.  The natives have contributed much to the local culture, most notably the legend of the monster that lives in Okanagan Lake.  They called the creature N’Haatik.  Today we call it Ogopogo, the name, I’m told, comes from a music hall song popular in the 1920’s.  

In the 1860’s the first Europeans, Catholic missionaries, arrived.  They brought with them the first of the fruit trees that would decades later become so important to the region’s economy.  The area started out as a cattle producing region but when the railroad and its sternwheelers arrived and produce was moved more easily, the focus of agriculture in the valley shifted to irrigated orchards.  Thousands of acres of arid rangeland were converted to orchards in the first decade of this century, turning what had been a brown valley, green.  The remains of the primitive, but effective irrigation flumes that brought melt water from reservoirs high in the hills, can still be seen on many of the local hillsides.

Kelowna’s town site was laid out in 1892 and the city incorporated in 1905.  Population growth in the area was relatively slow until 1958 when the Okanagan Lake Bridge, the longest floating span bridge in Canada was opened.  The bridge made Kelowna much more accessible than the previous ferry service had been, the road routes to the population and political centres of B.C., the lower mainland and the capital,  are to the southwest.  The increased growth and accessibility brought tourism to the sunny Okanagan.  Today it’s a crucial part of our economy.  

Like most Canadians, our lifestyle in the Okanagan is shaped by our climate.  Unlike most Canadians, we’re fortunate to enjoy hot summers and mild winters, with just enough snow to make you aware that you are in Canada!  The lake is a natural playground and most native British Columbians have fond memories of childhood vacations spent on its sandy beaches.  Water sports, golf and recreational team sports are perfect pastimes in our warm summers and the surrounding mountains provide ample opportunity to enjoy alpine and cross-country skiing and snowmobiling in winter.  Each summer Kelowna hosts the (Insert your favourite beer company sponsor here) Thunderfest Hydroplane races and our local fair, the Regatta.  In January we have a winter fair, Snowfest.

 The current planning of the city, and its many green spaces owe themselves to a little piece of legislation called the Agricultural Land Reserve Act.  The act, passed in the mid-seventies, protects all viable agricultural land in British Columbia from development.  Much of the land within the city limits of Kelowna is agriculturally viable and so, immune to development.  This has presented some interesting vertical sprawl problems for developers, but at the same time it’s preserved much of the beauty that makes this town so livable.  One of the biggest beneficiaries of the reserve seems to be the golfers in the community.  Due to an interesting take on the definition of agriculture, golf courses are an acceptable use for reserve land.  By my count, there are at least 15 courses in and around the city.  Fore!

Our city has grown a lot in the last decade, but the leisurely lifestyle remains entrenched.  Our municipal government has kept a focus on the environment and makes it a policy to encourage us to eschew our cars for more environment friendly modes of transportation.  Bike lanes and footpaths abound in the city.  The city works people even go so far as to help out those of us who are smart enough to keep a bicycle upright but too stupid (apparently)  to know how to take it across the railroad tracks.

Go to Page 2 to see a few of my favourite things to do in the Okanagan