Kelowna
History & Facts
Kelowna
Kelowna, city, southern British Columbia, Canada. It lies 80 miles (129 km) north of the U.S. (Washington) border, on the east shore of Okanagan Lake (there bridged), 284 miles (457 km) east-northeast of Vancouver. Kelowna originated around a mission established about 1859 by Father Charles Pandosy, of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, who planted trees and formed the basis for an apple industry.
The city is now the focal point for one of Canada’s largest fruit-growing districts. Lumbering, fruit packing and canning, tree nurseries, wine making, and machine-shop working are the economic mainstays. An international regatta has been held each summer since 1906, and tourism is an increasingly important source of income. The name Kelowna is a corruption of an Indian word for “grizzly bear.” Inc. city, 1905. Pop. (2011) 117,312; (2021) 144,576.
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