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 the explosive demand for homes in Kelowna? It doesn’t hurt that the town has a lake, Okanagan, running through it. Orchard City, or K-town, is on the same line of latitude as Vancouver Island on the pacific coast. Kelowna is right in the middle of the province.
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 completely surrounded by huge nature reserves, placing it at the center of a huge oxygen factory. Greystone and Trepanier protected areas form the east-west axis of tranquility, while Fintry and Myra-Bellevue provincial parks form the south-north.
The southern climate is ideal for growing grapes, hence a lucrative wine industry has grown here. In fact, local wines have been noticed at the international level. The Okanagan Mountain Park fire destroyed a couple of these vineyards in 2003, but they were eventually restored. In 2014, the region was recognized by USA Today as one of the best wine regions for visitors.
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.
The quality of life in Kelowna has been quantified by statistical organizations, who rate it very high. The positive QOL indicators, in which the town is rated either moderate or high, include safety, health care and purchasing power. The negative indicators, in which the town is rated low, are pollution, traffic, consumer price index and the ratio of property prices to income. A low property price to income ratio means that rents or mortgage payments occupy a smaller proportion of household income than areas with a high ratio.
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.
It is easy to see why property here is so much in demand. It is a delightful place to live. Even crime seems limited to events where liquor is available. It is a haven for nature-lovers and has a very high quality of life overall. It is a peaceful community. Because of the massive demand for housing, it is a good time to sell. On the other hand, as the area’s popularity continues to grow, this is also a good time to invest in Kelowna property.
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