Population: 115,000

Kelowna, British Columbia, is located on the shore of Okanagan Lake, midway between Penticton and Vernon. It is accessible from the Central Access Route.

 

Visitor Information

Tourist information center just off Highway 97 at 544 Harvey Avenue. The visitor center is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Phone 250-861-1515 or visit www.tourismkelowna.com.

The largest community in the Okanagan, Kelowna offers excellent accommodations—from luxury resorts to campgrounds—as well as great restaurants and boutique shops.

Settlement started here in 1859 when Oblate Missionaries Father Charles Pandosy, Father Richard and Brother Sorel founded a mission on a creek at L’Anse au Sable (Sandy Bay), built a tiny church and a school and planted apple trees and vines.

Today, Kelowna’s burgeoning economy is based on fruit growing (a third of Canada’s fruit exports come from this area), healthcare, tourism, manufacturing (plywood plant), construction and forestry/fishing/ mining/oil and gas. Kelowna has 19 golf courses and more than 60 parks.

Attractions

Attractions include a robust wine industry; a growing craft beer scene; golfing; the largest farmers market in BC; a cultural dis- trict with museums, galleries, theaters and studios; an indoor water park; and British Columbia’s first winery—Calona Vineyards.