Kelowna (May 16, 2006 census population 106,707, metropolitan population of 165,596) is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada. Its name derives from a native term for "grizzly bear". Kelowna ranks as the 22nd largest metropolitan area in Canada.
Nearby communities include West Kelowna to the west across Okanagan Lake, Lake Country and then Vernon to the north, as well as Peachland to the southwest and, further...
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Kelowna (May 16, 2006 census population 106,707, metropolitan population of 165,596) is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada. Its name derives from a native term for "grizzly bear". Kelowna ranks as the 22nd largest metropolitan area in Canada.
Nearby communities include West Kelowna to the west across Okanagan Lake, Lake Country and then Vernon to the north, as well as Peachland to the southwest and, further to the south, Summerland and Penticton.
Father Charles M. Pandosy, a French Roman Catholic Oblate missionary, arriving in 1859 was the first European to settle at Kelowna, a place named "L'anse au sable" (Bay of Sand) in reference to the sandy shoreline.
Kelowna was officially incorporated in 1905.
The service industry employs the most people in Kelowna, the largest city in the tourist-oriented Okanagan Valley. In summer, boating, golf, hiking and biking are popular, and in winter, both Alpine skiing and Nordic skiing are favourite activities...
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