British Columbia is mouth-wateringly beautiful. Clear skies, beautiful scenery and a low population density (1,434 per square mile) are combining to make the Kelowna real estate market hot, hot, hot, with a huge lack of inventory. For people toying with putting their homes up for sale, now would be a good time to take the plunge.
What is driving this interest in property? Perhaps it is the long, meandering Lake Okanagan passing through the city. The province is on the west coast of Canada. Kelowna, aka Orchard City or K-town, is in the middle of BC on a line of latitude that bisects Vancouver Island.
The first Europeans to settle here were from France. They came in the middle of the 19th century. It was nearly half a century before the city was incorporated, in 1905. The area has cold, cloudy winters and dry, sunny summers and enjoys four obvious seasons. This is described by weather experts as humid continental climate. Famous figures from here include cyclist Axel Merck, Olympic rower, Scott Frandsen, and Josh Gorges, professional hockey player.
The tourism industry provides most of the jobs here. Visitors flock here for biking, golf, hiking and boating in the summer time. Popular winter sports include Nordic and Alpine skiing at nearby Silver Star and Big White resorts. There is loads to see and do here and no shortage of nice places to stay. Among the attractions are historic sites such as Father Pandosy Mission, Guisachan Heritage Park and Myra Canyon Trestles. Various festivals are held throughout the year, including Parks Alive!, Arts Alive! and Celebrate Canada Day. There are also a number of major social gatherings geared around the town's successful wine industry.
The town is surrounded by parks and protected areas. This is a major attraction to residents and visitors alike. To the north lies Fintry Provincial Park and Protected area. Greystone Protected Area is east, while Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park lies to the south. Trepanier Protected Area is located west of the town and west of the lake.
Locally-produced wines have received recognition at the international level. Vineyards are clustered in the south of the region, where the climate is ideal for growing grapes. The Okanagan Mountain Park fire destroyed two of these wineries in 2003. These have since been rebuilt. USA Today dubbed the area one of the 10 best wine regions to visit in 2014.
The city is also home to a popular soft drink manufacturer. The city is also home to two institutions of higher learning, the University of British Columbia, home to 8,000 students, and Okanagan College, which boasts 5,000 students. Faculties at the Okanagan campus of UBC include Creative and Critical Studies, Education, Applied Science, Health and Social Development, Management and Medicine.
There are organizations that quantify key indicators of quality of life in cities all over the world. Here, Kelowna comes out looking very attractive. Factors that should be low are low (crime, pollution, traffic and property price to income ratio) and positive characteristics that should be high, are high. These are purchasing power, health care and safety. The property price to income ratio is a key indicator in real estate. A low ratio means that keeping a roof over a person's head does not gobble up a huge amount of the monthly paycheck. A high ratio means the opposite. Low is good.
The town has been immortalized on the silver screen. Both Shed and Shed 2, snowboarding films, were both shot at Big White ski resort, as was the cult thriller/horror/comedy/zombie film, Fido. The latter film was set in the 1950s and involved a cloud of cosmic radiation that turned the dead into the nearly dead.
Public bus transportation is provided by the Kelowna Regional Transit System. Despite this, the town is one of the most automobile-dependent areas of Canada. More than 65 percent of the total greenhouse emissions in this city are attributed to its love affair with the car.
Kelowna has a lot to offer. It is lush with greenery, plenty of open space and a high quality of life. Much of the local crime is sporadic and associated with events with a high profile for alcohol, and those reports are few and far between. By and large, it is a placid community. There is a huge demand for homes of all types, making this a good time to sell. However, it can only keep growing, which makes this an ideal time to invest in property in Kelowna.
What is driving this interest in property? Perhaps it is the long, meandering Lake Okanagan passing through the city. The province is on the west coast of Canada. Kelowna, aka Orchard City or K-town, is in the middle of BC on a line of latitude that bisects Vancouver Island.
The first Europeans to settle here were from France. They came in the middle of the 19th century. It was nearly half a century before the city was incorporated, in 1905. The area has cold, cloudy winters and dry, sunny summers and enjoys four obvious seasons. This is described by weather experts as humid continental climate. Famous figures from here include cyclist Axel Merck, Olympic rower, Scott Frandsen, and Josh Gorges, professional hockey player.
The tourism industry provides most of the jobs here. Visitors flock here for biking, golf, hiking and boating in the summer time. Popular winter sports include Nordic and Alpine skiing at nearby Silver Star and Big White resorts. There is loads to see and do here and no shortage of nice places to stay. Among the attractions are historic sites such as Father Pandosy Mission, Guisachan Heritage Park and Myra Canyon Trestles. Various festivals are held throughout the year, including Parks Alive!, Arts Alive! and Celebrate Canada Day. There are also a number of major social gatherings geared around the town's successful wine industry.
The town is surrounded by parks and protected areas. This is a major attraction to residents and visitors alike. To the north lies Fintry Provincial Park and Protected area. Greystone Protected Area is east, while Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park lies to the south. Trepanier Protected Area is located west of the town and west of the lake.
Locally-produced wines have received recognition at the international level. Vineyards are clustered in the south of the region, where the climate is ideal for growing grapes. The Okanagan Mountain Park fire destroyed two of these wineries in 2003. These have since been rebuilt. USA Today dubbed the area one of the 10 best wine regions to visit in 2014.
The city is also home to a popular soft drink manufacturer. The city is also home to two institutions of higher learning, the University of British Columbia, home to 8,000 students, and Okanagan College, which boasts 5,000 students. Faculties at the Okanagan campus of UBC include Creative and Critical Studies, Education, Applied Science, Health and Social Development, Management and Medicine.
There are organizations that quantify key indicators of quality of life in cities all over the world. Here, Kelowna comes out looking very attractive. Factors that should be low are low (crime, pollution, traffic and property price to income ratio) and positive characteristics that should be high, are high. These are purchasing power, health care and safety. The property price to income ratio is a key indicator in real estate. A low ratio means that keeping a roof over a person's head does not gobble up a huge amount of the monthly paycheck. A high ratio means the opposite. Low is good.
The town has been immortalized on the silver screen. Both Shed and Shed 2, snowboarding films, were both shot at Big White ski resort, as was the cult thriller/horror/comedy/zombie film, Fido. The latter film was set in the 1950s and involved a cloud of cosmic radiation that turned the dead into the nearly dead.
Public bus transportation is provided by the Kelowna Regional Transit System. Despite this, the town is one of the most automobile-dependent areas of Canada. More than 65 percent of the total greenhouse emissions in this city are attributed to its love affair with the car.
Kelowna has a lot to offer. It is lush with greenery, plenty of open space and a high quality of life. Much of the local crime is sporadic and associated with events with a high profile for alcohol, and those reports are few and far between. By and large, it is a placid community. There is a huge demand for homes of all types, making this a good time to sell. However, it can only keep growing, which makes this an ideal time to invest in property in Kelowna.
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