Kelowna

You probably should have stopped at Vernon instead.

When you have a city and area the size of Kelowna there is always something true, but it
is not that big a deal, mostly petty crime and there is a central local area that is most of the
trouble, in and around Leon Avenue so stay away from there. I have never had a problem.
Speaking of things going on, this week while I was at a parts store, and police car ran into
the rear of another vehicle turning left. Some people make it sound like the gangs are in
fact running the streets, and this is not the case, in fact a lot of the crime rate figures went
down slightly. In the mainstream the crime rate is much higher in the summer, and the
responses reflect that in crimes reported and responded to. While I was at city hall, last
week to deliver the state of the tree fruit industry address I sat through the police report
delivered just ahead of me. For those who want a good view of what is going on, on a
daily basis click into castenet.net. it is an on line news outlet that talks about the kelowna
with connections to all parts of the Valley pretty much.
Kelowna I remember back as far as 1951 it was a sleepy little place, and once the bridge
went across the lake and the Rogers Pass highway was built the city changed forever
like most cities do

I was in Vernon earlier in the week. Had a few pints at that Sports bar. Nice town.

Where do you live? Or did I ask you that already?

I'm in Campbell River. I have family in Vernon.

I used to know it well, lived in Courtenay for 7 years and lived a year in Sayward.

Kelowna is a unique place in Canada. The winters here compared to the prairies are like April in Saskatchewan. If you think they are harsh visit Fort Mac Murray in the winter. The economy is agriculture and some light manufacture, but mostly tourism. If you can work with that you will find work. From a family prospective there are water sports and winter sports in abundance. If you like anything to do with the outdoors Kelowna is a great city. There is crime and drugs, depends on how you do the statistics reports. Compared to large cities it’s not bad, at least we don’t get body parts floating up on the beaches such as found on the coast. Taxi drivers will go anywhere in the city and racial strife is non-existent. There may be some things wrong with " the valley" but compared to much of Canada it’s quite easy to take. I guess its what you’re expecting and what you need that drives the decision on where you want to live

Oh the drama of crime, yes there is crime here, but a lot of the stats, come from the influx
of visitors during the summer. There is a drug Problem but I can take you to any community
including the Bible Belt and you will find drugs in the society.
Jobs depends, right now not the best place to come, but even in winter insulation installers
are working and some of the trades are operational it is weather dependant though.
Schools yes and very good schools, Great Doctors some of the best in Canada, trouble is
finding a family Doctor but that is not impossible either. It is expensive to live here, but the
facilities for sports are second to none Golf, winter sports the best of ski hills and arenas,
and swimming pools year round.
I have lived here on and off most of my life and I don't like the rapid growth but then if there was
no work our grandchildren would have to leave to make a living. Growth happens like it or not
so get used to it. I also like Lake Country the community to the north of us, close to town and
its a little slower not much but a little. It also depends where you live in Kelowna. I live in North
Glenmore semi rural and only about 5 to 10 minutes from downtown or the Mall so its a great
place. The Mission is upper end, Downtown is an older area some is great other areas have
more crime. Rutland is the Working Class area by and large and the immigrant population also
lives there along with a lot of long time families. I like Rutland and sometimes it gets a bad rap
really. The Hillsides of East and South Kelowna, semi rural and bring a lot of money.
Kelowna is a great place weather wise not to cold and lots of sun in the summertime.
Today temperature is 0 at noon and cloudy lack of sun in winter here anyway. some flurries but
no big deal tonight will likely see temps drop to about -4 or 5.
Some people hate this town for traffic but all in all its not a bad place at all.

I never been to Kelowna but I'm taking a job transfer there later this year. I currently live downtown Toronto and have for the past 28 years. I love the outdoors and getting out of Toronto has become mission-impossible. I have to admit I giggle when I read all this talk about traffic, crime and such. Try 45 mins for 2km trip during afternoon rush. Cyclists are the winners in Toronto. Anyhow, I'm extremely excited for the change in pace. If it takes and hour to get across Kelowna, I say wow thats fast.

Too bad the job is not in Vernon (33 miles north)................much nicer city!

As someone who lives in Kelowna, if your coming bring money,
this town has all the crime we can handle and rentals are very
expensive, so it food and almost everything else. If you like to
golf and you can afford it there are a lot of courses to enjoy,
Many of the old tourist attractions are gone, turned into condos
for out of town rich people.
I live at the edge of town but in town here on the farm. I try to
never go to town unless I have to. I don't recommend the place
anymore though its not what it used to be.