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Kelowna has the largest population between the Lower Mainland (ie., Vancouver) and Calgary. The new Coquihala connector, via Merritt, puts Vancouver only 4 hours away. Kelowna is the major transportation and commercial hub of the Okanagan, with CP Rail, CN Rail, Greyhound, and a 24-hour airport with scheduled connections to several cities in the West. Kelowna also happens to be tops for those of retirement age. The last few years have shown strong growth in tourism and wine-making, as well as the high-technology sector. Homes 
Over the last few years, medium rise apartments have been built faster than other types of housing. Waterfront properties have climbed to $500,000 to $700,000 over the past decade, and nearby Okanagan Mission (south of Mission Creek) is a prestige neighbourhood. The on-a-hill-with-a-view areas like Glenmore and Rutland have also grown in population. New developments are being built in Mission Hills and Kettle Valley. Across the Lake, new developments of Casa Loma and Lakeview Heights. Are popular with short commutes across the floating bridge.
Schools
Kelowna’s school district serves students within 10 kilometres of the city and has 33 elementary and 12 secondary schools. Francophone programs are offered at Ecole Anse-au-sable (K-7) and Kelowna Secondary (*-12). The Okanagan University College is a degree-granting institution, just south of downtown. Shopping Kelowna is the middle point of the Okanagan, and attracts retail traffic from the entire Valley. The city has several shopping malls, the largest being Orchard Park. The downtown has a quaint little "main street" shopping area on Bernard St., with the more touristy shops closer to the waterfront. 
Recreation
Kelowna offers a wide range of recreational activities, being right on Okanagan Lake. There are a half dozen popular beaches, two waterslides (one on each side of the Lake), and easy access to the Kettle Valley Railway recreational trail. In the winter time, Big White is the area’s largest ski hill, only 22 km to the east, and there are another 4 ski hills in the Okanagan Valley. |
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