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Okanagan
Orchard |
Kelowna British
Columbia may be the Okanagan's best kept secret. Its location puts travellers
close to the west coast, skiing at Big
White Ski Resort, orchards,
vineyards and wineries within 10 minutes of the city, hiking in the
Canadian Rockies and, of
course, Okanagan Lake. Kelowna may be small, but it is not lacking in the comforts
of larger centers. Kelowna is a small city with big city appeal.
HISTORY
For centuries, the Kelowna
area was home to Native American Indians. In fact, the name itself is a Salish
word meaning grizzly bear. Grizzlies are not common in the Kelowna region, however,
and it is commonly believed that the name came from an early resident and not
from the bear itself. Life would change in the late 1700s, when European explorers
began trading with the Aboriginal Peoples of the Okanagan. Missionaries soon
followed, and in 1859 Father Pandosy founded a mission and planted the first
apple trees in the area. The remains of the mission can still be seen. His work
led to planting on a large scale through the 1890s. Planting occurred on private
land that is now the Guisachan
Heritage Park. The Earl and Countess of Aberdeen were responsible for
these efforts. Later, Lord Aberdeen would become the governor general of Canada.
The remains of Father Pandosy's mission can still be visited at the Provincial
Heritage Site.
Kelowna officially became
a town in 1892, and by the turn of the century was a thriving lakeside community.
In 1905, the population had grown to 600 people. To make life more accommodating,
a ferry was set up to cross Okanagan Lake. The population continued to grow,
and in 1916 Kelowna was able to send 1,000 men to battle in the first world
war.
Life in Kelowna would change
again in 1925, when the Canadian National Railway brought the young town, and
its wares, to the rest of North America. The exporting of fresh fruit became
so common that Kelowna earned the nickname "the Florida of the North".
Kelowna was still growing
and entered the second world war with even greater numbers. After the war, land
was set aside for returning veterans, and the population grew substantially.
From this, Kelowna would build a reputation as a retirement community. This
reputation is as strong today as it was then.
In 1946, the city built
its airport.
There was no terminal, and few services, but 914 m (1,000 yd) of grass were
set aside to form a landing strip. The runway was eventually expanded to keep
pace with the ever growing city, and a 7060 sq m (76,000 sq ft) terminal was
built to handle the increasing number of flights to and from the centre of the
Okanagan. Today, the state of the art international airport creates almost 2,000
jobs and generates more than 250 million dollars annually.
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| The
Train Comes To Kelowna |
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Almost 100 years after Europeans
began settling in the area, the citizens of Kelowna would take on one of their
most ambitious projects ever. The Floating Bridge, a truly unique bridge built
across Okanagan Lake, is unlike any bridge in North America. The bridge is more
than 1.5 km (almost 1 mi) long, and is supported by pontoons, which in turn
are held in place by anchors. So unique is this bridge that when it officially
opened in 1958, a dedication ceremony was held with then Premier W.A.C. Bennett
and H. R. H. Princess Margaret in attendance.
The coming of the railway
connected Kelowna to North America, but it wasn't until British Columbia developed
the Coquihalla Highway, which opened in 1990, that the Okanagan would become
a tourist retreat. B.C.'s "superhighway" made journeys to Vancouver and the
West Coast an easy, convenient three hours.
Kelowna gave the Okanagan
its next big attraction when it began celebrating Canadian film. The annual
Okanagan
Film Festival, founded in 1998, seeks to promote Canadian film in Okanagan
communities.
By the 21st century, almost
100, 000 people called Kelowna home, making it the largest city in the Okanagan.
It is now the centre of business, marketing and distribution for the entire
region, and is perhaps best known for manufacturing. A wide variety of things
come from Kelowna's production lines, including plastics, fiberglass, body armour
and oil field equipment, but perhaps most commonly boats.
Kelowna also has a growing
hand in technology and aerospace research, and offers the best medical care
in southern British Columbia. In 1998, the hospital expanded when it opened
the Okanagan Cancer Centre.
All of this business and
activity has made Kelowna a very busy city. The Kelowna International Airport
is now the 11th busiest in Canada, with almost 40 regularly scheduled flights
each day, and the number keeps growing, making it one of the fastest growing
airports in all of North America. To keep pace, and to welcome the new millennium,
the city instigated an extensive expansion program.
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| A
View of the Lake |
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CLIMATE
Summers in Kelowna are hot
and dry in spite of its location on Okanagan Lake. Temperatures reach an average
of 27 ºC (80 ºF), though about one third of the summer days are considered tropical
with temperatures greater than 30 ºC (85 ºF). Winters are fairly mild and temperatures
settle around 0 ºC (32 ºF). Snow falls frequently and averages 105 cm (41 in)
annually.
Transportation
Highways 33 and 97A both
run directly through Kelowna. Highway 33 connects to Highway 3 in the south,
winding its way to Vancouver
through Osoyoos,
Princeton
and Hope.
The 97A connects to the Transcanada Highway, just east of Salmon
Arm.
More and more travellers
choose to fly to Kelowna each year, and the Kelowna International Airport is
designed to meet the needs of visitors from around the world. It is, after all,
an international airport. The airport has been designed to handle the constantly
growing number of daily flights, and boasts a capacity to help more than one
million passengers annually.
For those who like to see
the country, Greyhound
Bus Lines offers regular daily trips to Kelowna.
SIGHTS AND ATTRACTIONS
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Sculpture
of Ogopogo On The Shore of Okanagan Lake |
Immediately, one of the
most striking features of Kelowna is the sculpture of Ogopogo, the Demon Fish
of the Okanagan. Always attracting attention, the sculpture depicts one of the
more unusual and mysterious enigmas in Canada, and is set against a backdrop
of the lake it is said to inhabit. Like it's famous Scottish counterpart, the
Loch Ness monster, Ogopogo is a mystery ages old, with a thick serpent like
body and a head like that of a horse. Native tribes recount sightings centuries
before Europeans arrived, long before Nessie of Scotland came to public attention.
Sightings are fairly frequent when compared to other world mysteries like Nessie,
and "hunters" come from the world over hoping to catch a glimpse. Most sightings
have been in the southern end of Okanagan Lake, often mistaken (at first) as
being a log floating on the water. N'ha-a-itk, as he is known to the natives,
is said to be anywhere from 4.6 to 6.1 (15 to 20 ft) long, though some reports
have reached more than 15.2 m (50 ft).
Architecture is not something
Kelowna is known for, but it does have its treasures. Like the clock tower near
the town centre, and the fountain at the civic centre. Certainly one of the
more impressive engineering feats is the floating bridge across Okanagan Lake,
an amazing marvel of technology and artistic expression. The bridge is held
above the water by pontoons. Each pontoon claims two anchors, weighing 70 tons
each, which are secured 25 feet below the lake floor. This is one bridge that
must be seen to be believed.
The Okanagan countryside
surrounding Kelowna is a haven for leisure
and adventure sport enthusiasts, as well as nature lovers. Wandering
around the many orchards and vineyards, one can almost forget that this is in
Canada's backyard. It is here that the many fruit and beverage exports are produced.
The countryside is so rich and varied, with everything from pine trees to cacti,
that it has earned many nicknames, from the aforementioned "Florida of the North"
to the "Hawaii of Canada".
The Pioneer
Country Market & Museum is also worth a visit. A garden, kitchen and
tearoom, museum and gift shop all await eager sightseers and offer an enjoyable
glimpse into life in the Okanagan. The all natural recipes use ingredients grown
by the owners (on land owned by the Casorso family since 1876), and will appeal
to all travellers. The Pioneer Country Market & Museum provides a true experience
of dining
in the Okanagan. If you enjoy it you can even take some home.
