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Kelowna
City
City of Kelowna
From top, left to right: Downtown Kelowna from Knox Mountain Park, the peaks of Central Okanagan, Mission Hill Winery and Bell Tower, the William R. Bennett Bridge on Okanagan Lake, Okanagan Lake near Rotary Beach Park
Flag Coat of arms Logo
Nickname(s):  Orchard City,[1] K-Town,[2] Sun City
Motto:  "Fruitful in Unity"
Kelowna Location of Kelowna
Coordinates: 49°53′17″N 119°29′44″W / 49.88806°N 119.49556°W / 49.88806; -119.49556[3]
Country	Canada
Province	British Columbia
Regional district	Central Okanagan
Settled	1879
Incorporated	May 5, 1905
Government
• Type	Elected city council
• Body	Kelowna City Council
• Mayor	Tom Dyas
• MP	Dan Albas (CPC) Tracy Gray (CPC)
• MLAs	Norm Letnick (BCU) Renee Merrifield (BCU) Ben Stewart (BCU)
Area  (2021)[4]
• City	211.85 km2 (81.80 sq mi)
• Metro	2,904.86 km2 (1,121.57 sq mi)
Elevation	344 m (1,129 ft)
Population  (2021)
• City	144,576
• Density	680/km2 (1,800/sq mi)
• Metro	222,162
• Metro density	76/km2 (200/sq mi)
	[5]
Gross Metropolitan Product
• Kelowna CMA	CA$11.3 billion (2020)[6]
Time zone	UTC−08:00 (PST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−07:00 (PDT)
Forward sortation area	V1P, V1V – V1Z, V4T
Area code(s)	250, 778, 236, 672
GNBC Code	JAFUV[7]
Website	kelowna.ca

Kelowna (/kəˈloʊnə/ ^ⓘ kə-LOH-nə) is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the head office of the Regional District of Central Okanagan. The name Kelowna derives from the Okanagan word kiʔláwnaʔ, referring to a grizzly bear.^[8][9]

Kelowna is the province's third-largest metropolitan area (after Vancouver and Victoria). At the same time, it is the seventh-largest city overall and the largest in the Interior.^[10] It is the 20th-largest metropolitan area in Canada. The city proper encompasses 211.85 km² (81.80 sq mi),^[4] and the census metropolitan area 2,904.86 km² (1,121.57 sq mi).^[4] Kelowna's estimated population in 2020 is 222,748 in the metropolitan area and 142,146 in the city proper.^[11] After a period of suburban expansion into the surrounding mountain slopes, the city council adopted a long-term plan intended to increase density instead — particularly in the downtown core. This has resulted in the construction of taller buildings, including One Water Street — a 36-story building that is the tallest in Kelowna.^[12] Other high rise developments have already broken ground or been approved since then, including a 42-storey tower on Leon Avenue which will be the tallest building in the city, and among the tallest in B.C.^[13]

Nearby communities include the City of West Kelowna (also referred to as Westbank and Westside) to the west, across Okanagan Lake; Lake Country and Vernon to the north; Peachland to the southwest; and Summerland and Penticton to the south.

The exact dates of the first settlement in the Okanagan Valley are unknown, but a northern migration led to the habitation of this area some 9,000 years ago.^[14] The Indigenous Syilx people are the first known inhabitants of the region where they continue to live today.

In 1811, David Stuart travelled to the Okanagan Valley, becoming the first European to do so.^[15] Despite this, it was not until 1859 that Father Pandosy, a French Roman Catholic Oblate missionary, became the first European to settle there. Pandosy's settlement was located at l'Anse au Sable (Bay of Sand), which he named in reference to its sandy shoreline. Although the population remained small for the rest of the 19th century, sustenance fruit growing expanded in Kelowna during the 1870s, and by the 1890s, commercial agriculture had become firmly established.^[16]

Kelowna was officially incorporated on May 4, 1905, with a population of 600.^[17] The town's first mayor was Henry Raymer.^[15]

Although agriculture had become an important mark of Kelowna in the surrounding region, the town relied entirely on transportation over Okanagan Lake until 1925. In 1893, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) constructed the steamer SS Aberdeen on the lake, which served as the first significant transportation link between Kelowna and Penticton, greatly increasing the speed of Kelowna's growth.^[18] On September 11, 1925, CP was extended to Kelowna, ending the town's reliance on Okanagan Lake for transportation and trade.^[15]

In 1911, Chinese revolutionary Sun Yat-sen visited Kelowna for fundraising. At that time, approximately 15% of the population was ethnically Chinese.^[19]

On August 6, 1969, a sonic boom from a nearby air show broke a quarter million dollars worth of glass, injuring six people. The destruction was caused by a member of the United States Blue Angels during a practice routine for the Kelowna Regatta festival when the pilot accidentally broke the sound barrier while flying too low.^[20]

On November 25, 2005, the First Ministers and National Aboriginal Leaders signed the Kelowna Accord, which sought to improve the lives of Indigenous peoples.^[21]

Kelowna celebrated its centennial in May 2005. The same year, construction began on the five-lane William R. Bennett Bridge to replace the three-lane Okanagan Lake Bridge as part of a plan to alleviate traffic problems during the summer tourist season. The new bridge was completed in 2008.^[22]

On July 12, 2021, a crane suffered a catastrophic failure while being dismantled at a construction site located at St. Paul Street near Bernard Avenue in downtown Kelowna. Part of the crane struck a nearby office building and a seniors home. The city declared a local state of emergency, and the area's residents were evacuated. Five people were killed in the collapse: four construction workers and one person in the office building.^[23][24]

• 
  Henry Raymer, the first mayor of Kelowna
• 
  The SS Aberdeen (back) and a smaller steamship (the Kelowna, front) in the dock at Kelowna in 1906
• 
  Kelowna in 1909 as viewed from across Okanagan Lake
• 
  The centre of Kelowna during the 1920s

In Kelowna, many seasonal wildfires have occurred over the years. Some significant fires warranting evacuations and/or causing damage are listed below:

• In August 2003, a nearby wildfire destroyed 239 homes and forced the temporary evacuation of about 30,000 residents.^[25] Many trestles of the historic Kettle Valley Railway were destroyed. The trestles have been rebuilt to look like the originals but using smaller dimension beams. This fire consumed 25,000 hectares (62,000 acres) of land.
• In July 2009, wildfires destroyed hundreds of hectares of forest and several buildings in West Kelowna; 17,000 residents were evacuated.^[26]
• In July 2009, a 100 ha (250 acres) fire near Rose Valley caused the evacuation of 7,000 people. No structures were lost.
• In July 2009, a 9,200 ha (23,000 acres) fire behind Fintry caused the evacuation of 2,500 people. No structures were lost.
• In September 2012, a late-season, 200 ha (490 acres) fire destroyed seven buildings and caused the evacuation of 1,500 people in the community of Peachland.
• In July 2014, a 340 ha (840 acres) fire behind the West Kelowna subdivision of Smith Creek caused the evacuation of 3,000 people.
• In July 2015, a 560 ha (1,400 acres) fire near Shelter Cove caused the evacuation of 70 properties.
• In August 2015, a 130 ha (320 acres) fire burned near Little White Mountain, just south of Kelowna.
• In August 2017, a 400 ha (990 acres) fire in the Joe Rich area caused the evacuation of over 474 properties.^[27]
• In August 2023, a 6,800 ha (17,000 acres) fire was burning in the McDougall Creek area on the west side of Okanagan Lake, causing the evacuation order of over 2,400 properties; winds carried embers across the lake to Kelowna, spawning fires and the loss of city structures.^[28]

Kelowna's official flower is Balsamorhiza sagittata, commonly referred to as arrowleaf balsamroot.^[29]

Kelowna is classified as a humid continental climate or an inland oceanic climate per the Köppen climate classification system due to its coldest month having an average temperature slightly above −3.0 °C (26.6 °F) and below 0 °C (32 °F),^[30] with dry, hot, sunny summers and cool, cloudy winters, and four seasons.^[31][32] The official climate station for Kelowna is at the Kelowna International Airport, which is at a higher elevation than the city core, with slightly higher precipitation and cooler nighttime temperatures. Kelowna has the second mildest winter of any non-coastal city in Canada, after neighbouring Penticton.^[33] This is caused by the moderating effects of Okanagan Lake combined with mountains separating most of BC from the prairies; however bitter Arctic air masses can occasionally penetrate the valley during winter, usually for very short periods. The coldest recorded temperature in the city was −36.1 °C (−33.0 °F) recorded on December 30, 1968. The last time the lake completely froze over was in the winter of 1969.A partial lake freeze also took place in the winter of 1985-1986. Some winters pass without any significant surface ice.

An inversion layer of cloud created by Pacific low pressure system moving into or stalling over the southern interior give Kelowna and the Okanagan Valley near constant cloudy conditions during December and January, making it the cloudiest winter climate in Canada, outside of parts of Newfoundland. Since Okanagan Lake rarely freezes, the warmer air from the lake rises above the colder atmospheric air, leading to a temperature inversion that also contributes to the valley being enveloped by clouds. ^[34] This valley cloud has a low ceiling, and often bright sunshine can be experienced by driving approximately 20 minutes up into the nearby mountains. Summer days in Kelowna are very warm with periods of hot and sunny conditions. Temperatures typically reach the high 30s °C, or above for at least a few days each summer. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Kelowna was 45.7 °C (114.3 °F) on June 29, 2021.^[35] During summer, clear, dry air allows night-time temperatures to fall rapidly, however in the built-up city near lakeside, nights are somewhat warm on average by Canadian standards. The city averages about 380 mm (15 in) of precipitation per year, with about a fifth of the precipitation falling as snow, the bulk in December and January; however, June is the wettest month of the year, followed by a sharp drying trend through the remainder of summer.

While some smaller communities such as Blue River and Golden get less wind, Kelowna has the greatest percentage of "calm" wind observations for any major city in Canada (39% of the time).^[36][37] The four-year average wind measured at the airport has been less than 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) on average 10 to 12 months of the year between 2008 and 2011.^[38]Kelowna has an average high temperature that is above freezing every month of the year, rare for an inland Canadian city.

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Kelowna consists of ten sectors^[47] with multiple neighbourhoods within the sector boundaries.^[48]

Central City is a linear commercial sector along Harvey Avenue, from downtown to Highway 33. Major commercial developments include the Capri Centre Mall, the Landmark buildings, and the Orchard Park Shopping Centre. Commercial activity is mainly concentrated along or near Highway 97 (Harvey).

Dilworth Mountain is a relatively low, isolated mountain just over 2000 feet near the city's geographic centre. Adjoining Knox Mountain to the west, it is part of the eastern heights that form Glenmore Valley and rises about one thousand feet above the rest of the Okanagan Valley. It has been extensively developed in recent years, with scenic suburban-influenced neighbourhoods only minutes from Central City. Like many other Kelowna residential districts, Dilworth has gone from relative isolation and wilderness to a community hosting hundreds of homes, many of which are considered relatively high-end.

Central Kelowna is a tourist district alongside Okanagan Lake. It is officially defined as all land north of Highway 97, south of Clement Avenue, east of Okanagan Lake, and west of Richter Street. There are two main routes through the downtown core, along which attractions and commerce are concentrated. These include several parks and beaches, boardwalks and other walking trails, Kelowna Marina and Yacht Club, the Delta Grand Hotel and Casino, and Prospera Place arena. The other main route through downtown is Bernard Avenue from Richter Street to the lake, with more shops and restaurants designed for locals and tourists. Although Bernard Avenue continues east well past downtown, it is not part of downtown and is zoned residential. The commercial segment lies within its downtown section between Richter and Abbott streets, the latter of which is lake-adjacent.^[49]

Kelowna has declared a 1 km² (0.39 sq mi) downtown area a "red zone" of prolific drug trafficking, assaults and robberies.^[50] The red zone extends from Okanagan Lake to the west, Lake Avenue, Rowcliffe to Ethel and Ethel to Stockwell, Doyle and back to the lake.^[51] The red zone was identified in 1992 to reduce street crime. The RCMP conducts annual "spring sweeps" there, arresting low-level drug dealers.^[52][53] Kelowna was the second British Columbia city to declare a red zone.^[51][54]

Glenmore is a suburb primarily within Glenmore Valley, a subsection of the Okanagan Valley in the Kelowna area. It has been extensively developed in the past two decades, transforming from a small suburb with a rural character to large suburban neighbourhoods, including several elementary schools and a rapidly growing commercial hub. While most of its homes are on the relatively flat valley bottom, several large and more recent neighbourhoods, including the community of Wilden, are being built into the adjacent mountains.

The Midtown area, bordered by Enterprise Way on the north and Springfield and Baron Road on the south, is a popular shopping destination for locals. Orchard Park, the shopping complex in BC's interior, is here. Since most of Midtown consists of large, car-oriented big-box stores, it is often criticized for its plainness; its contributions to urban sprawl and the decline of the pedestrian-oriented Downtown; and its lack of green space, as the area was formerly a linear park and golf course.

Known locally as "the Mission" (or "Okanagan Mission") to differentiate it from the Lower Mainland city of Mission, this area was a separate jurisdiction before being amalgamated with Kelowna in the mid-to-late-20th century. It features a vibrant secondary commercial centre separate from the downtown, with low- to moderate-density residential areas between them. Its northern border is K.L.O. Road. It is often differentiated as Lower Mission and Upper Mission.

The Lower Mission contains most of the aforementioned commercial areas, such as shopping malls, grocery stores, coffee shops, and boutiques, and also has extensive recreational facilities. Mission Recreation Park has six softball diamonds, soccer fields, community gardens, playgrounds, and trails while neighbouring H2O is Kelowna's largest indoor recreation facility with a 50 m pool, water slides, diving boards, and surfing waves. Gyro Beach and Rotary Beach, two of Kelowna's most popular beaches, are also located in the Lower Mission.

The Upper Mission begins to extend into the foothills and higher terrain, and many parts of this area boast magnificent views of the city, mountains and Okanagan Lake. As a result, this part of town is widely regarded as luxurious and is indeed one of the most expensive neighbourhoods of Kelowna. It is not unusual to see homes worth one million dollars or more, the most costly of which can reach 5 million or even slightly above.

Rutland is Kelowna's largest neighbourhood by far. Although most of the area sits on the valley bottom and is therefore relatively flat, the fringes continue up into the hills and are thus built at higher elevations and possess more expansive views than the rest of the neighbourhood; these homes are correspondingly more expensive. This is the exception, however, as the majority of Rutland is among the most affordable of Kelowna housing. Additionally, the presence of numerous low-rise apartment buildings contributes to a higher population density compared to other areas of the town. Rutland was a town until it amalgamated with Kelowna in 1973,^[55] and this union has resulted in Rutland having a distinct commercial centre with many shops and restaurants. An improvement and gentrification effort has been ongoing for the past decade, with new parks, widened sidewalks, bike lanes, a renovated YMCA, a rebuilt high school, and many new shops and condominiums being added.

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 skiing and snowboarding are favourite activities at the nearby Big White and Silver Star ski resorts. Tourism in the Greater Kelowna Area has now become a $1-billion a year industry, as of 2016.^[56]

Kelowna produces wines that have received international recognition.^[57][58] Vineyards are common around and south of the city where the climate is ideal for the many wineries. At least two major wineries were damaged or destroyed (now rebuilt) in 2003 due to the Okanagan Mountain Park Fire. Kelowna is also the home of Sun-Rype, a popular manufacturer of fruit bars and juices.^[59]

Okanagan College and University of British Columbia are the predominant centres for post-secondary education. Over 8,745^[60] students attend Okanagan College and 8,718 students attend the University of British Columbia. In addition to vocational training and adult basic education, the college offers a highly regarded university transfer program. University of British Columbia's Okanagan campus has a student population of over 8,000 full-time students enrolled in diverse undergraduate and graduate programs.^[61]

Kelowna is the seat of the Regional District of the Central Okanagan, the third-largest metropolitan area in British Columbia after Vancouver and Victoria and the largest in the British Columbia Interior. With scenic lake vistas and a dry, mild climate, Kelowna has become one of the fastest-growing cities in North America. The appropriate management of such rapid development (and its attendant consequences) is a source of significant debate within the community. Kelowna is the fourth least affordable housing market in Canada, currently maintaining the classification of "Severely Unaffordable."^[62] Because of the Okanagan's climate and vineyard-filled scenery, it is often compared to Napa Valley, California.^[63]

• Fido, a comedy/horror/thriller movie about zombies, was filmed in Kelowna and debuted on September 7, 2006, at the Toronto International Film Festival.
• Part of the movie Mee Shee: The Water Giant was filmed in Kelowna.
• The movies Shred and Shred 2 were partially filmed at Big White, a ski hill near Kelowna.
• Flicka: Country Pride, released in 2012, was filmed in Kelowna at several locations, such as Mission Creek Ranch, Kelowna Secondary School, and Gemstone Equestrian Centre.^[64]

Due to its moderate population, Kelowna is often used as a market trial area where national businesses and organizations can test a new product. Examples include:

• The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority piloted new whole body imaging technology for passenger screening at the Kelowna International Airport from 2008 to 2009.^[65][66]
• Telus Mobility re-launched its Clearnet discount mobile phone brand in Kelowna and Red Deer, Alberta, in 2011.
• Kelowna was the first city in Canada to have a permanent flow-rider located at the H2O indoor water park.^[67]
• Peachwave opened its first Canadian store in Kelowna in 2013.
• Overwaitea Food Group opened its first Urban Fare location outside of downtown Vancouver in Kelowna.

In the 2021 Canadian census conducted by Statistics Canada, Kelowna had a population of 144,576 living in 62,209 of its 67,115 total private dwellings, a change of 13.5% from its 2016 population of 127,390. With a land area of 211.85 km² (81.80 sq mi), it had a population density of 682.4/km² (1,767.5/sq mi) in 2021.^[68]

At the census metropolitan area (CMA) level in the 2021 census, the Kelowna CMA had a population of 222,162 living in 94,335 of its 102,097 total private dwellings, a change of 14% from its 2016 population of 194,892. With a land area of 2,902.45 km² (1,120.64 sq mi), it had a population density of 76.5/km² (198.2/sq mi) in 2021.^[69]

In 2011, 48.4% of residents were male and 51.6% were female. The predominant language spoken in Kelowna is English.^{[citation needed]}

Children under five accounted for approximately 4.8% of the resident population of Kelowna. This compares to 5.2% in British Columbia and 5.6% for Canada. In mid-2001, 18.4% of the resident population in Kelowna were of retirement age (65 and over for males and females), compared with 13.2% in Canada; the average age is 41.1, compared to an average age of 37.6 in Canada.

Kelowna's population growth has been driven primarily by the movement of Canadians from BC and other provinces into this region, not by international immigration.^[70] Only 15.1% of the population is foreign-born.^[70] On February 10, 2016, Statistics Canada declared the 3.1% Kelowna census metropolitan area growth rate as being the highest in Canada.^[71]

According to the 2021 census, religious groups in Kelowna included:^[72]

• Irreligion (76,215 persons or 53.8%)
• Christianity (56,270 persons or 39.7%)
• Sikhism (3,665 persons or 2.6%)
• Islam (1,560 persons or 1.1%)
• Hinduism (1,090 persons or 0.8%)
• Buddhism (895 persons or 0.6%)
• Judaism (530 persons or 0.4%)
• Indigenous spirituality (95 persons or 0.1%)

As per the 2021 census, visible minorities comprise about 14% of the population of Kelowna. The largest group of visible minorities are, in order of size, South Asian (4.4%), Chinese (1.9%), Filipino (1.7%), Black (1.3%), Latin American (0.9%) Japanese (0.9%), Southeast Asian (0.7%), Korean (0.5%), West Asian (0.5%), and Arab (0.4%).^[72][70]

• Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses.

Kelowna had a historic Chinatown in the area between Harvey Avenue and Leon Avenue, east of Abbott and west of Highway 97 / Harvey Avenue.^[77] Historically, most residents of this Chinatown were males.^[78] In 1909, 15% of Kelowna's population was ethnic Chinese.^[77] In 1911, the percentage was the same. That year, Sun Yat-sen visited Kelowna for fundraising purposes.^[19] In 1978, the remaining traditional Chinese business ceased operations.^[77] By 2010, less than 1% of Kelowna's population was ethnic Chinese.^[19] A section of the façade of the rebuilt "Chinese Store" that was in Chinatown is now housed at the Kelowna Museum.^[79]

Women make up nearly half of Kelowna's homeless. In other Canadian cities, the overwhelming majority of homeless are males.^[80]

On May 12, 2003, the Kelowna Homelessness Networking Group conducted a limited census and enumerated 198 people: 54 individuals from the street and 144 individuals in shelters.^[81]

On February 24, 2016, as part of the Government of Canada's Homelessness Partnering Strategy, the Central Okanagan Foundation conducted a coordinated Point-in-Time (PiT) Count of Kelowna's homeless population.^[82] The survey found at least 233 people were homeless,^[83] and another 273^[84] were living in temporary housing.

Kelowna faces severe suburbanization and urban sprawl promoted by the popularity of low-density car-oriented developments. As of 2007, Kelowna has the highest car dependency rate in Canada and has the second highest per-capita road transportation carbon footprint in British Columbia.^[85] Despite having a metro population of about 230,000,^[86] the greater Kelowna area is slightly bigger than that of Metro Vancouver. Road transportation accounts for more than 65% of total greenhouse gas emission in the city.^[87]

The city is served by Highway 97 and Highway 33.^[88]

Kelowna Regional Transit System is operated by FirstGroup, providing public bus transportation services in Kelowna and its surrounding areas. Funding for the transit system is shared between the City of Kelowna, Central Okanagan Regional District, District of Lake Country and BC Transit.^[89]

Kelowna International Airport (IATA: YLW), north of the city core, is one of the busiest airports in Canada. There are regular flights to and from Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria, Cranbrook, Whitehorse, and Seattle, as well as seasonal service to Las Vegas, Phoenix, Montréal, Cuba and Mexico. Three major passenger airlines serve the airport; Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, and WestJet. The airport is also the main hub of cargo airline KF Cargo.

Emergency services are provided by the Kelowna General Hospital, the British Columbia Ambulance Service, Kelowna Fire Department, Central Okanagan Search and Rescue and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

• Prospera Place, a 6,800-seat indoor arena
• Apple Bowl, a 2,314-seat outdoor stadium
• Elks Stadium, a 1,250-seat outdoor baseball stadium
• Kelowna Art Gallery
• Centre of Gravity Festival in City Park
• Kettle Valley Railway (Myra Canyon Trestles)
• Big White Ski Resort
• Okanagan Wineries

• Westbank First Nation
• Kelowna Rockets – Major Junior hockey team in the Western Hockey League (Winners of the 2004 Memorial Cup)
• Kelowna Chiefs – Junior B hockey team in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League
• Okanagan Independent Film Festival^[90]
• Okanagan Sun – Canadian Junior Football League (Winners of the 1988 and 2000 Canadian Bowl)
• Okanagan Challenge – Pacific Coast Soccer League
• Kelowna Falcons – West Coast Collegiate Baseball League
• Okanagan All Stars Hockey Club^[91]
• World Community Film Festival

• University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus
• Okanagan College
• Focus College
• Justice Institute of British Columbia (Okanagan Campus)
• Sprott Shaw College (privately owned)
• The Centre for Arts and Technology (privately owned)
• VanWest College (privately owned)^[92]

Public schools in the Kelowna area are part of School District 23 Central Okanagan. (For a list of primary and middle schools, see the School District 23 Central Okanagan article)

• Secondary (grades 10–12 or 8–12):
  • Kelowna Secondary School (offers French immersion)
  • Rutland Senior Secondary School
  • Mount Boucherie Senior Secondary School
  • Okanagan Mission Secondary School
  • George Elliot Secondary School
  • Central School − Central Programs & Services: Alternative High School

The Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique operates one Francophone school: école de l'Anse-au-sable primary and secondary school.^[93]

• Aberdeen Hall Preparatory School Preparatory School (pre-school, K−12)
• Kelowna Christian School (Pre-12)
• Heritage Christian School (K−12)
• Studio 9 School of The Arts (preschool−11)
• Okanagan Adventist Academy (pre−12)
• Immaculata Regional High School (8–12)
• St. Joseph Elementary (K−7)
• Kelowna Waldorf School (pre−8)
• Okanagan Montessori School (preschool and kindergarten)
• Okanagan Montessori, preschool-grade 6, after-school care
• Willowstone Academy (pre-school, K–9)

• The Okanagan Regional Library has three branches in Kelowna^[94]
  • Kelowna Branch (Downtown)
  • Rutland Branch
  • Mission Branch
  • UBCO Branch

In February 2009, an RCMP gang task unit was approved to help deal with gang violence.^[95]

Most crimes in Kelowna are non-violent property crimes.^[96] In 2012, Kelowna had the highest reported crime rate in Canada: 8,875 per 100,000.^[97] Police focused on crime in 2014, and Kelowna moved into the number four position across the country.^[98]

In 2015, RCMP Superintendent Nick Romanchuk stated, "I am absolutely convinced that as our drug enforcement numbers increase, our overall crime rate will decrease."^[99] As of 2016, the crime rate had returned to second highest in Canada.^[100] In 2017, the property crime rate in Kelowna went up 6%, once again the highest rate in Canada, while the drug crime rate fell 2%.^[101]

In 2013, 446 victims of domestic violence were reported in Kelowna, earning the city the highest per-capita rate of domestic violence in British Columbia and the tenth-highest across Canada. This was a slight drop compared to 2011 when Kelowna reported the fourth-highest rate nationally and led the province in family violence.^[102]

In 2014, in Kelowna, there were 251 marijuana charges per 100,000 population, the highest per capita rate in Canada.^[103]

In 2012, Kelowna had the highest crime rate of any metropolitan area in Canada, mainly because of its property crime.^[104] This increase has, however, been attributed^[who?] mainly to the actions of a relative few known, prolific offenders. Illicit Drug use is high in the region. Between 2012 and 2016, Kelowna led the country in cannabis, cocaine, and heroin possession.^[105] As of 2016, the crime rate has declined to second highest.^[100] In 2017, Kelowna had the highest opioid overdose rate in Canada.^[106]

• W. A. C. Bennett, late Premier of British Columbia
• William R. Bennett, served as Premier of the province

• Charles Thomas, Vice Chief of the Defence Staff

• Steve Bozek, professional ice hockey player
• Aleisha Cline, cross skier, Winter X Games medallist
• Jason Crumb, professional football player
• Mike Crumb, professional football player
• Byron Dafoe, professional ice hockey player
• Scott Frandsen, Olympic rower
• Rob Friend, professional footballer
• Josh Gorges, professional ice hockey player
• Tij Iginla (born 2006), ice hockey player, picked 6th overall in 2024 NHL draft by Utah Hockey Club
• Darren Jensen, professional ice hockey player
• Conrad Leinemann, Olympic beach volleyball player
• Rory MacDonald, professional Mixed Martial Arts fighter
• Heather Mandoli, Olympic rower
• Axel Merckx, professional road cyclist
• Kees Nierop, professional race car driver
• Taylor Ruck, Olympic swimmer
• Justin Schultz, professional ice hockey player
• Kelsey Serwa, Gold medal Olympic ski cross athlete
• Tyler Shelast, professional ice hockey player
• Kierra Smith, Olympic swimmer
• Paul Spoljaric, professional baseball player
• Ryan Stewart, professional ice hockey player
• Christie Van Hees, professional racquetball player, former US Open & World Champion
• Danny Watkins, professional football player
• Jackson Whistle, professional hockey player
• Jerod Zaleski, professional football player
• Jeff Zimmerman, professional baseball player
• Jordan Zimmerman, professional baseball player

• Chad Brownlee, country music artist
• Conro, DJ and producer
• Datsik, DJ and producer
• Ryan Ellsworth, actor
• Excision, DJ and producer
• Jillian Harris, television personality
• Taylor Hickson, actress, singer-songwriter
• Janyse Jaud, actress/singer
• Paul Johansson, actor
• Taylor Kitsch, actor/model
• Evangeline Lilly, actress/model
• Julie Masi, vocalist, songwriter and musician (The Parachute Club)
• Lauren Glazier, actress
• Twistzz, professional Counter Strike: Global Offensive player for Team Liquid
• Lee Tockar voice actor
• Stutterfly
• Secret & Whisper
• Shreddy Krueger

• Fern G. Z. Carr
• Melonie Dodaro
• Alix Hawley
• Naben Ruthnum
• Jack Whyte

Kelowna has "sister city" agreements with the following cities:^[107]

• Kasugai, Aichi, Japan

The following People and Military Units have received the Freedom of the City of Kelowna.^[108]

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (October 2021)

• Brigadier General Harry Herbert "H.H." Angle DSO ED: January 7, 1946.
• Barbara Ann Scott OC OOnt: October 24, 1949.
• The Honourable W. A. C. Bennett PC OC: December 8, 1952.
• George Howard Dunn: April 4, 1955.
• Stanley Merriam Simpson: April 15, 1957.
• William John Knox OBE: January 3, 1961.
• Major General, The Honourable George Randolph Pearkes VC PC CC CB DSO MC CD OD: April 24, 1967.
• Richard Francis "Dick" Parkinson: January 5, 1970.
• Walter Frederick Anderson: September 28, 1981.
• Blair Horn: September 11, 1984.
• The Honourable William Richards "Bill" Bennett PC OBC: November 1, 1988.
• James H. Stuart: July 1, 2001.
• Benjamin "Ben" Lee: July 1, 2001.
• Senator, The Honourable D. Ross Fitzpatrick OBC: May 26, 2008.
• Walter Gray: April 25, 2015.
• Andre Blanleil: April 25, 2015.
• Robert Hobson: April 25, 2015.

• The British Columbia Dragoons: February 11, 1963.^[109]

• Orchard Park Shopping Centre
• Sunshine tax
• The Daily Courier
• WT Small House
• Tallest buildings in Kelowna

• Official website
• Kelowna travel guide from Wikivoyage

A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, concerts, and sports.

Casino is of Italian origin; the root casa means a house. The term casino may mean a small country villa, summerhouse, or social club.^[1] During the 19th century, casino came to include other public buildings where pleasurable activities took place; such edifices were usually built on the grounds of a larger Italian villa or palazzo, and were used to host civic town functions, including dancing, gambling, music listening, and sports. Examples in Italy include Villa Farnese and Villa Giulia, and in the US the Newport Casino in Newport, Rhode Island. In modern-day Italian, a casino is a brothel (also called casa chiusa, literally "closed house"), a mess (confusing situation), or a noisy environment; a gaming house is spelt casinò, with an accent.^[2][1][3]

Not all casinos are used for gaming. The Catalina Casino, on Santa Catalina Island, California, has never been used for traditional games of chance, which were already outlawed in California by the time it was built.^[4] The Copenhagen Casino was a Danish theatre which also held public meetings during the 1848 Revolution, which made Denmark a constitutional monarchy.^[5]

In military and non-military usage, a casino (Spanish) or Kasino (German) is an officers' mess.

The precise origin of gambling is unknown. It is generally believed that gambling in some form or another has been seen in almost every society in history. From Ancient Mesopotamia, Greeks and Romans to Napoleon's France and Elizabethan England, much of history is filled with stories of entertainment based on games of chance.

The first known European gambling house, not called a casino although meeting the modern definition, was the Ridotto, established in Venice, Italy, in 1638 by the Great Council of Venice to provide controlled gambling during the carnival season. It was closed in 1774 as the city government felt it was impoverishing the local gentry.^[6]

In American history, early gambling establishments were known as saloons. The creation and importance of saloons was greatly influenced by four major cities: New Orleans, St. Louis, Chicago and San Francisco. It was in the saloons that travelers could find people to talk to, drink with, and often gamble with. During the early 20th century in the US, gambling was outlawed by state legislation. However, in 1931, gambling was legalized throughout the state of Nevada, where the US's first legalized casinos were set up. In 1976 New Jersey allowed gambling in Atlantic City, now the US's second largest gambling city.^[7]

Most jurisdictions worldwide have a minimum gambling age of 18 to 21.^[8]

Customers gamble by playing games of chance, in some cases with an element of skill, such as craps, roulette, baccarat, blackjack, and video poker. Most games have mathematically determined odds that ensure the house has at all times an advantage over the players. This can be expressed more precisely by the notion of expected value, which is uniformly negative (from the player's perspective). This advantage is called the house edge. In games such as poker where players play against each other, the house takes a commission called the rake. Casinos sometimes give out complimentary items or comps to gamblers.

Payout is the percentage of funds ("winnings") returned to players.

Casinos in the United States say that a player staking money won from the casino is "playing with the house's money".

Video lottery machines (slot machines) have become one of the most popular forms of gambling in casinos. As of 2011^[update] investigative reports have started calling into question whether the modern-day slot-machine is addictive.^[9]

Factors influencing gambling tendencies include sound, odour and lighting. Natasha Dow Schüll, an anthropologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, highlights the decision of the audio directors at Silicon Gaming to make its slot machines resonate in "the universally pleasant tone of C, sampling existing casino soundscapes to create a sound that would please but not clash".^[10]

Alan Hirsch, founder of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago, studied the impact of certain scents on gamblers, discerning that a pleasant albeit unidentifiable odor released by Las Vegas slot machines generated about 50% more in daily revenue. He suggested that the scent acted as an aphrodisiac, causing a more aggressive form of gambling.^[11]

The following lists major casino markets in the world with casino revenue of over US$1 billion as published in PricewaterhouseCoopers's report on the outlook for the global casino market:^[12]

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This section has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages) This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message) This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (August 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Rank	Location	No. of casinos	Revenue (US$billion)[out of date]
			2009	2010 projected	2011 projected	2019	2020	2021
1	Macau	33	14.95	22.44	28.38	29	7.57 [13]	10.86
2	Las Vegas, Nevada	122	10.25	9.95	10.30	11.96	7.8	13.4 [14]
3	Singapore	2	2.12	2.75	5.48	-	-	1.67
4	France	189	3.96	3.91	3.96	11.46	10.36	11.48 [15]
5	Atlantic City, New Jersey	12	3.94	3.55	3.33	3.29	2.65	4.73
6	Australia	11	2.70	2.77	2.85	6.6 [16]	-	-
7	South Korea	17[17]	2.40	2.43	2.51	8.2	-	-
8	Germany	76	2.07	2.05	2.08	11.52	10.52	6.51 [18]
9	South Africa	36[19]	1.84 [20]	1.78	2.01	1.78	1.89	1.34
10	United Kingdom	141	1.21	1.19	1.21	17.22	15.4	17.09 [21]
11	Poland	36[22]	1.09	1.09	1.13	-	-	-
12	Niagara Falls, Ontario	2	1.10	1.11	1.20	4.8	4.27	2.18 [23]

According to Bloomberg, accumulated revenue of the biggest casino operator companies worldwide amounted to almost US$55 billion in 2011. SJM Holdings Ltd. was the leading company in this field, earning $9.7 bn in 2011, followed by Las Vegas Sands Corp. at $7.4 bn. The third-biggest casino operator company (based on revenue) was Caesars Entertainment, with revenue of US$6.2 bn.^[24]

While there are casinos in many places, a few places have become well known specifically for gambling. Perhaps the place almost defined by its casino is Monte Carlo, but other places are known as gambling centers.

Monte Carlo Casino, located in Monte Carlo city, in Monaco, is a casino and a tourist attraction.

Monte Carlo Casino has been depicted in many books, including Ben Mezrich's Busting Vegas, where a group of Massachusetts Institute of Technology students beat the casino out of nearly $1 million. This book is based on real people and events; however, many of those events are contested by main character Semyon Dukach.^[25] Monte Carlo Casino has also been featured in multiple James Bond novels and films.

The casino is mentioned in the song "The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo" as well as the film of the same name.

Casinò di Campione is located in the tiny Italian enclave of Campione d'Italia, within Ticino, Switzerland. The casino was founded in 1917 as a site to gather information from foreign diplomats during the First World War. Today it is owned by the Italian government, and operated by the municipality. With gambling laws being less strict than in Italy and Switzerland, it is among the most popular gambling destination besides Monte Carlo. The income from the casino is sufficient for the operation of Campione without the imposition of taxes, or obtaining of other revenue.^[26] In 2007, the casino moved into new premises of more than 55,000 square metres (590,000 sq ft), making it the largest casino in Europe.^[27] The new casino was built alongside the old one, which dated from 1933 and has since been demolished.^[26][28]

The archipelago of Malta is a particularly famous place for casinos, standing out mainly with the historic casino located at the princely residence of Dragonara. Dragonara Palace was built in 1870. Its name comes from the Dragonara Point, the peninsula where it is built. On 15 July 1964, the palace opened as a casino.

The former Portuguese colony of Macau, a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China since 1999, is a popular destination for visitors who wish to gamble.^[29] This started in Portuguese times, when Macau was popular with visitors from nearby Hong Kong, where gambling was more closely regulated. The Venetian Macao is currently the largest casino in the world. Macau also surpassed Las Vegas as the largest gambling market in the world.^[29]

Machine-based gaming is only permitted in land-based casinos, restaurants, bars and gaming halls, and only subject to a licence. Online slots are, at the moment, only permitted if they are operated under a Schleswig-Holstein licence. AWPs are governed by federal law – the Trade Regulation Act and the Gaming Ordinance.

The Casino Estoril, located in the municipality of Cascais, on the Portuguese Riviera, near Lisbon, is the largest casino in Europe by capacity.

During the World War II, it was reputed to be a gathering point for spies, dispossessed royals, and wartime adventurers; it became an inspiration for Ian Fleming's James Bond 007 novel Casino Royale.

There are four legal gaming zones in Russia: "Siberian Coin" (Altay), "Yantarnaya" (Kaliningrad region), "Azov-city" (Rostov region) and "Primorie" (Primorie region).

Singapore is an up-and-coming destination for visitors wanting to gamble, although there are currently only two casinos (both foreign owned), in Singapore. The Marina Bay Sands is the second most expensive standalone casino in the world, at a price of US$6.8 billion, and is among the world's ten most expensive buildings.^[30][31]

With currently over 1,000 casinos, the United States has the largest number of casinos in the world. The number continues to grow steadily as more states seek to legalize casinos. 40 states now^[when?] have some form of casino gambling. Interstate competition, such as gaining tourism, has been a driving factor to continuous legalization.^[32] Relatively small places such as Las Vegas are best known for gambling; larger cities such as Chicago are not defined by their casinos in spite of the large turnover.

The Las Vegas Valley has the largest concentration of casinos in the United States. Based on revenue, Atlantic City, New Jersey, ranks second, and the Chicago region third.

Top American casino markets by revenue (2022 annual revenues):^[33]

1. Las Vegas Strip $7.05 billion
2. Atlantic City $2.57 billion
3. Chicago region $2.01 billion
4. Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area $2.00 billion
5. Mississippi Gulf Coast $1.61 billion
6. New York City $1.46 billion
7. Philadelphia $1.40 billion
8. Detroit $1.29 billion
9. St. Louis $1.03 billion
10. Boulder Strip $967 million
11. Reno/Sparks $889 million
12. Kansas City $861 million
13. The Poconos $849 million
14. Lake Charles, Louisiana $843 million
15. Black Hawk/Central City $812 million
16. Downtown Las Vegas $731 million
17. Tunica/Lula $696 million
18. Cincinnati $655 million
19. Shreveport/Bossier City $646 million
20. Pittsburgh/Meadowlands $630 million

The Nevada Gaming Control Board divides Clark County, which is coextensive with the Las Vegas metropolitan area, into seven market regions for reporting purposes.

Native American gaming has been responsible for a rise in the number of casinos outside of Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

In Vietnam, the term "casinos" encompasses gambling activities within the country. Unofficially defined, a "casino" typically denotes a well-established and professional gambling establishment that is generally lawful but exclusively caters to foreign players. On the other hand, "gambling houses" or "gambling dens" are smaller, illicit gambling venues.^[34][35]

As of 2022, Vietnam has 9 operating casinos,^[36] including: Đồ Sơn casino (Hải Phòng), Lợi Lai casino, Hoàng Gia casino (Quảng Ninh), Hồng Vận casino (Quảng Ninh), Lào Cai casino (Lào Cai), Silver Shores casino (Đà Nẵng), Hồ Tràm casino (Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu), Nam Hội An casino (Quảng Nam), Phú Quốc casino in Kien Giang.^[37][38][39]

In a survey conducted by the Vietnamese Institute for Sustainable Regional Development and released on September 30, 2015, it was found that 71% of the respondents held the belief that allowing Vietnamese individuals to access casinos would result in an increase in the number of players. Furthermore, 47.4% of the participants expressed the view that engaging in rewarding recreational activities has a positive impact on job opportunities for residents. Additionally, 46.2% of the respondents believed that such activities contribute positively to Vietnam's ability to attract investments.^[40]

Given the large amounts of currency handled within a casino, both patrons and staff may be tempted to cheat and steal, in collusion or independently; most casinos have security measures to prevent this. Security cameras located throughout the casino are the most basic measure.

Modern casino security is usually divided between a physical security force and a specialized surveillance department. The physical security force usually patrols the casino and responds to calls for assistance and reports of suspicious or definite criminal activity. A specialized surveillance department operates the casino's closed-circuit-television system, known in the industry as the eye in the sky. Both of these specialized casino security departments work very closely with each other to ensure the safety of both guests and the casino's assets, and have been quite successful in preventing crime.^[41] Some casinos also have catwalks in the ceiling above the casino floor, which allow surveillance personnel to look directly down, through one way glass, on the activities at the tables and slot machines.

When it opened in 1989, The Mirage was the first casino to use cameras full-time on all table games.^[42]

In addition to cameras and other technological measures, casinos also enforce security through rules of conduct and behavior; for example, players at card games are required to keep the cards they are holding in their hands visible at all times.

Over the past few decades, casinos have developed many different marketing techniques for attracting and maintaining loyal patrons. Many casinos use a loyalty rewards program used to track players' spending habits and target their patrons more effectively, by sending mailings with free slot play and other promotions.^[43] Casino Helsinki in Helsinki, Finland, for example, donates all of its profits to charity.^[44][45]

Casinos have been linked to organised crime, with early casinos in Las Vegas originally dominated by the American Mafia^[46][47] and in Macau by Triad syndicates.^[48][49]

According to some police reports, local incidence of reported crime often doubles or triples within three years of a casino's opening.^[50] In a 2004 report by the US Department of Justice, researchers interviewed people who had been arrested in Las Vegas and Des Moines and found that the percentage of problem or pathological gamblers among the arrestees was three to five times higher than in the general population.^[51]

It has been said that economic studies showing a positive relationship between casinos and crime usually fail to consider the visiting population: they count crimes committed by visitors but do not count visitors in the population measure, which overstates the crime rate. Part of the reason this methodology is used, despite the overstatement, is that reliable data on tourist count are often not available.^[52]

Casinos are subject to specific regulations for worker safety, as casino employees are both at greater risk for cancers resulting from exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke^[53][54] and musculoskeletal injuries from repetitive motions while running table games over many hours.^[55] These are not the extent of the hazards casino workers may be exposed to, but every location is different. Most casinos do not meet the requirements for certain protective measures, such as protection against airborne metal dusts from coins or hearing protection against high noise levels, though these measures are still implemented when evaluated and determined necessary.^[56]

• 
  Italy's Casinò di Campione, near Lugano, is the largest casino in Europe.^[27]
• 
  The Empire at Leicester Square in London also includes a casino.
• 
  Entrance to the casino at Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore
• 
  The Galaxy Macau at night in Cotai, Macau
• 
  Wynn Las Vegas in Paradise, Nevada, United States
• 
  The Casino da Madeira in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
• 
  The Casino Helsinki at night in Helsinki, Finland
• 
  The Parisian Macao is a casino resort on the Cotai Strip in Cotai, Macau, which features a half-scale Eiffel Tower as one of its landmarks
• 
  View of the Marina Bay Sands in Marina Bay, Singapore
• 
  The casino in Genting Highlands, Malaysia owned by Genting Group
• 
  Wynn Palace, a luxury integrated resort from developer Wynn Resorts, located in Macau, China
• 
  View of the Monte Carlo Casino, Monaco
• 
  MGM Cotai owned by MGM Resorts International, located in Cotai, Macau
• 
  Slot machines at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States