Kelowna ( kə-LOH-nə) is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the head office of the Regional District of Central Okanagan. The name Kelowna derives from the Okanagan word kiʔláwnaʔ, referring to a grizzly bear.
Kelowna is the province's third-largest metropolitan area (after Vancouver and Victoria). It is the seventh-largest municipality in BC and the largest in the Interior. It is the 20th-largest metropolitan area in Canada. The city proper encompasses 214 km2 (83 sq mi), and the census metropolitan area encompasses 2,902.45 km2 (1,120.64 sq mi). Kelowna's population in 2025 is 165,907 in the city proper and 254,605 in the metro area.
Nearby communities include the City of West Kelowna (also referred to as Westbank and Westside) to the west, across Okanagan Lake; Lake Country and Vernon to the north; Peachland to the southwest; and Summerland and Penticton to the south.
History
The exact dates of the first settlement in the Okanagan Valley are unknown, but a northern migration led to the habitation of this area some 9,000 years ago. The Indigenous Syilx people are the first known inhabitants of the region where they continue to live today.
In 1811, David Stuart travelled to the Okanagan Valley, becoming the first European to do so. Despite this, it was not until 1859 that Father Pandosy, a French Roman Catholic Oblate missionary, became the first European to settle there. Pandosy's settlement was located at l'Anse au Sable (Bay of Sand), which he named in reference to its sandy shoreline. Although the population remained small for the rest of the 19th century, sustenance fruit growing expanded in Kelowna during the 1870s, and by the 1890s, commercial agriculture had become firmly established.
Kelowna was officially incorporated on May 4, 1905, with a population of 600. The town's first mayor was Henry Raymer.
Although agriculture had become an important mark of Kelowna in the surrounding region, the town relied entirely on transportation over Okanagan Lake until 1925. In 1893, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) constructed the steamer SS Aberdeen on the lake, which served as the first significant transportation link between Kelowna and Penticton, greatly increasing the speed of Kelowna's growth. On September 11, 1925, CP was extended to Kelowna, ending the town's reliance on Okanagan Lake for transportation and trade.
In 1911, Chinese revolutionary Sun Yat-sen visited Kelowna for fundraising. At that time, approximately 15% of the population was ethnically Chinese.
On August 6, 1969, a sonic boom from a nearby air show broke a quarter million dollars worth of glass, injuring six people. The destruction was caused by a member of the United States Blue Angels during a practice routine for the Kelowna Regatta festival when the pilot accidentally broke the sound barrier while flying too low.
On November 25, 2005, the First Ministers and National Aboriginal Leaders signed the Kelowna Accord, which sought to improve the lives of Indigenous peoples.
Kelowna celebrated its centennial in May 2005. The same year, construction began on the five-lane William R. Bennett Bridge to replace the three-lane Okanagan Lake Bridge as part of a plan to alleviate traffic problems during the summer tourist season. The new bridge was completed in 2008.
On July 12, 2021, a crane suffered a catastrophic failure while being dismantled at a construction site located at St. Paul Street near Bernard Avenue in downtown Kelowna. Part of the crane struck a nearby office building and a seniors home. The city declared a local state of emergency, and the area's residents were evacuated. Five people were killed in the collapse: four construction workers and one person in the office building.
Wildfires
In Kelowna, many seasonal wildfires have occurred over the years. Some significant fires warranting evacuations and/or causing damage are listed below:
- In August 2003, a nearby wildfire destroyed 239 homes and forced the temporary evacuation of about 30,000 residents. Many trestles of the historic Kettle Valley Railway were destroyed. The trestles have been rebuilt to look like the originals but using smaller dimension beams. This fire consumed 25,000 hectares (62,000 acres) of land.
- In July 2009, wildfires destroyed hundreds of hectares of forest and several buildings in West Kelowna; 17,000 residents were evacuated.
- In July 2009, a 100 ha (250 acres) fire near Rose Valley caused the evacuation of 7,000 people. No structures were lost.
- In July 2009, a 9,200 ha (23,000 acres) fire behind Fintry caused the evacuation of 2,500 people. No structures were lost.
- In September 2012, a late-season, 200 ha (490 acres) fire destroyed seven buildings and caused the evacuation of 1,500 people in the community of Peachland.
- In July 2014, a 340 ha (840 acres) fire behind the West Kelowna subdivision of Smith Creek caused the evacuation of 3,000 people.
- In July 2015, a 560 ha (1,400 acres) fire near Shelter Cove caused the evacuation of 70 properties.
- In August 2015, a 130 ha (320 acres) fire burned near Little White Mountain, just south of Kelowna.
- In August 2017, a 400 ha (990 acres) fire in the Joe Rich area caused the evacuation of over 474 properties.
- In August 2023, a 6,800 ha (17,000 acres) fire was burning in the McDougall Creek area on the west side of Okanagan Lake, causing the evacuation order of over 2,400 properties; winds carried embers across the lake to Kelowna, spawning fires and the loss of city structures.
Geography
Landmarks
- Mission Creek
- Bellevue Canyon
- Layer Cake Hill
- Pinnacle Rock
- Gallagher's Canyon
- Crawford Falls
- Knox Mountain
- Myra Canyon
- Mission Creek Falls
- Black Knight Mountain
- Maude-Roxby Wetlands
- Okanagan Lake
Vegetation
Kelowna's official flower is Balsamorhiza sagittata, commonly referred to as arrowleaf balsamroot.
Climate
Kelowna is classified as a humid continental climate or an inland oceanic climate per the Köppen climate classification system due to its coldest month having an average temperature slightly above −3.0 °C (26.6 °F) and below 0 °C (32 °F), with dry, hot, sunny summers and cool, cloudy winters, and four seasons. The official climate station for Kelowna is at the Kelowna International Airport, which is at a higher elevation than the city core, with slightly higher precipitation and cooler nighttime temperatures. Kelowna has the second mildest winter of any non-coastal city in Canada, after neighbouring Penticton. This is caused by the moderating effects of Okanagan Lake combined with mountains separating most of BC from the prairies; however bitter Arctic air masses can occasionally penetrate the valley during winter, usually for very short periods. The coldest recorded temperature in the city was −36.1 °C (−33.0 °F) recorded on December 30, 1968. The last time the lake completely froze over was in the winter of 1969. A partial lake freeze also took place in the winter of 1985–1986. Some winters pass without any significant surface ice.
An inversion layer of cloud created by a Pacific low-pressure system moving into or stalling over the southern interior gives Kelowna and the Okanagan Valley near-constant cloudy conditions during December and January, making it the cloudiest winter climate in Canada outside of parts of Newfoundland. Since Okanagan Lake rarely freezes, the warmer air from the lake rises above the colder atmospheric air, leading to a temperature inversion that also contributes to the valley being enveloped by clouds. This valley cloud has a low ceiling, and often bright sunshine can be experienced by driving approximately 20 minutes up into the nearby mountains. Summer days in Kelowna are very warm with periods of hot and sunny conditions. Temperatures typically reach the high 30s °C, or above for at least a few days each summer. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Kelowna was 45.7 °C (114.3 °F) on June 29, 2021. During summer, clear, dry air allows night-time temperatures to fall rapidly, however in the built-up city near lakeside, nights are somewhat warm on average by Canadian standards. The city averages about 380 mm (15 in) of precipitation per year, with about a fifth of the precipitation falling as snow, the bulk in December and January; however, June is the wettest month of the year, followed by a sharp drying trend through the remainder of summer.
While some smaller communities such as Blue River and Golden get less wind, Kelowna has the greatest percentage of "calm" wind observations for any major city in Canada (39% of the time). The four-year average wind measured at the airport has been less than 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) on average 10 to 12 months of the year between 2008 and 2011. Kelowna has an average high temperature that is above freezing every month of the year, rare for an inland Canadian city.
Sectors and neighbourhoods
Kelowna consists of ten sectors with multiple neighbourhoods within the sector boundaries.
Neighbourhoods
- Belgo
- Benvoulin
- Black Mountain
- Braeloch
- Central City
- Clifton
- Crawford
- Dilworth Mountain
- Downtown
- East Kelowna
- Ellison
- Glenmore
- North Glenmore
- Kettle Valley
- KLO
- McKinley Landing
- Midtown
- Mission
- North End
- Quail Ridge
- Pandosy
- Poplar Point
- Rutland
- South Kelowna
- Southridge
Central City
Central City is a linear commercial sector along Harvey Avenue, from downtown to Highway 33. Major commercial developments include the Capri Centre Mall, the Landmark buildings, and the Orchard Park Shopping Centre. Commercial activity is mainly concentrated along or near Highway 97 (Harvey).
Dilworth Mountain
Dilworth Mountain is a relatively low, isolated mountain just over 2000 feet near the city's geographic centre. Adjoining Knox Mountain to the west, it is part of the eastern heights that form Glenmore Valley and rises about one thousand feet above the rest of the Okanagan Valley. It has been extensively developed in recent years, with scenic suburban-influenced neighbourhoods only minutes from Central City.
Downtown
Central Kelowna is a tourist district alongside Okanagan Lake. It is officially defined as all land north of Highway 97, south of Clement Avenue, east of Okanagan Lake, and west of Richter Street. There are two main routes through the downtown core, along which attractions and commerce are concentrated. These include several parks and beaches, boardwalks and other walking trails, Kelowna Marina and Yacht Club, the Delta Grand Hotel and Casino, and Prospera Place arena. The other main route through downtown is Bernard Avenue from Richter Street to the lake, with more shops and restaurants designed for locals and tourists. Although Bernard Avenue continues east well past downtown, it is not part of downtown and is zoned residential. The commercial segment lies within its downtown section between Richter and Abbott streets, the latter of which is lake-adjacent.
After a period of suburban expansion into the surrounding mountain slopes, the city council adopted a long-term plan intended to increase density instead — particularly in the downtown core. This has resulted in the construction of taller buildings, including Water Street by the Park — a 42-storey building that is the tallest in Kelowna – opening for residences in 2025.
Kelowna has declared a 1 km2 (0.39 sq mi) downtown area a "red zone" of prolific drug trafficking, assaults and robberies. The red zone extends from Okanagan Lake to the west, Lake Avenue, Rowcliffe to Ethel and Ethel to Stockwell, Doyle and back to the lake. The red zone was identified in 1992 to reduce street crime. The RCMP conducts annual "spring sweeps" there, arresting low-level drug dealers. Kelowna was the second British Columbia city to declare a red zone.
Glenmore
Glenmore is a suburb primarily within Glenmore Valley, a subsection of the Okanagan Valley in the Kelowna area. It has been extensively developed in the past two decades, transforming from a small suburb with a rural character to large suburban neighbourhoods, including several elementary schools and a rapidly growing commercial hub. While most of its homes are on the relatively flat valley bottom, several large and more recent neighbourhoods, including the community of Wilden, are being built into the adjacent mountains.
Midtown
The Midtown area, bordered by Enterprise Way on the north and Springfield and Baron Road on the south, is a popular shopping destination for locals. Orchard Park, the shopping complex in BC's interior, is here. Since most of Midtown consists of large, car-oriented big-box stores, it is often criticized for its plainness; its contributions to urban sprawl and the decline of the pedestrian-oriented Downtown; and its lack of green space, as the area was formerly a linear park and golf course.