Kelowna is the largest city on
Okanagan Lake, which is the major tourist destination in the southern BC interior. With a population of about 120,000, it is about the size of all the rest of the cities and towns up and down the Okanagan Valley combined. Long a fruit growing region the Okanagan has, in recent years, ramped up grape production, at the expense of fruit production. The growers go where the money is, and wine is where the money is right now.
The
Kelowna area has become a very popular retirement area, due mainly to the mild, dry climate. Hot and dry in the summer, the winters are relatively mild. Snow amounts are highly variable, with several feet of snow in some winters and almost none in others. With the development of ski areas like
Big White,
Apex Mountain and
Silver Star, the Okanagan has also become a popular winter sports destination.