Pros and Cons to Living in Kelowna BC

Here are 5 pros of living in Kelowna and 5 cons of living in Kelowna from the perspective of a long-time Kelowna resident and realtor.
Having lived in Kelowna, BC for essentially my entire life, and selling real estate in the Okanagan since 2010, I have a true understanding of not only what it is to live in our growing city but also a ton of experience helping new people to the Kelowna area discover their new home and lay down new roots.
CHAPTERS:
0:00 - Intro
0:30 - Pro1
1:30 - Pro 2
6:44 - Pro 3
8:08 - Pro 4
9:36 - Pro 5
10:10 - Con 1
10:47 - Con 2
11:32 - Con 3
12:12 - Con 4
12:52 - Con 5
13:35 - Bonus
14:20 - Outro
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📲 I love helping people find their new place to call home here to Kelowna, BC! If you are thinking about moving to a new home, buying your first home or relocating here to the Kelowna area, I can make that transition so much easier on you!
Reach out Day/Nights/Weekends whenever is convenient for you!
Contact here!
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📲 Email: [e-mail]
Matt Ranger - REALTOR®
RE/MAX Kelowna
100-1553 Harvey Ave.
Kelowna, BC
👨‍💻 Website: livinginkelowna.ca/
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About Kelowna, BC:
🟢www.castanet.net/
🟢www.kelownanow.com/
🟢en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelowna

[@AlexSuperTramp-]

Would Kelowna be good for remote tech workers? How is internet access outside of downtown?

[@livinginkelownabc5419]

Hi Alex. Unless you’re looking pretty remote outside of Kelowna you’ll have no problem getting solid internet. Kelowna is affectionately called the Silicone Vineyard due to the growing IT industry and many tech workers from Vancouver actually live here because of the push for remote work and availability of flights from YLW. Telus also offers fibre in many of the neighbourhoods in town but regardless of that you can get high speed internet in any of Kelowna’s neighbourhoods and there are plenty of internet providers. Hope this helps and let me know if you have any other questions I can help you with!

[@AlexSuperTramp-]

@@livinginkelownabc5419 That helps a lot! Your videos are great, thank you. Currently a tech worker in DT Van looking to move into Silicone Vineyard. Haha

[@livinginkelownabc5419]

@@AlexSuperTramp- you’re very welcome. If you’re thinking of buying a place and you’d like me to get you set up to receive listings and sales of what you’d be looking for I’ve attached my contact info below. And if you’re looking to rent a place check out Castanet and of course Marketplace on Facebook. Happy to help in any way I can! C: 250.317.9410 E: [e-mail]

[@adaptercrash]

Nah man if you wanna somehow make 5000 a month i didn't like it and all these people dying they just kill each other for fun I was getting all these underground news feeds

[@jefflabute2946]

Come on guys, silicone is for breast implants, and silicon is used in chips ;-) Not sure what a silicone vineyard is, but sure sounds interesting. lol. You can have internet access up to 3gbps in most areas.

[@timsretirementjourney8323]

I was only in Kelowna once (moved from southern Ontario to Vancouver about 3 years ago) when my family and me drove up there to get some fresh fruit in the autumn. We stayed at a hotel there overnight and went down by the waterfront as you showed in your video at night. What a beautiful place. I could easily live there permanently, .... however costs of living on the west coast had us make the decision to head for the Philippines for a less expensive retirement. We may be back at some point if we think we can afford life in BC but that's a discussion for my wife and I at some point in the future as health care in Canada of course is much better. One thing you forgot to mention is the smoke and wildfire seasons. ;) Still I think Kelowna might be one of the nicest cities in Canada.

[@hf5642]

Nearing 30 years in this wonderful city. Has grown quickly. So many positives that you covered and many more positives that could add. I like your honesty about the “Cons”. Unfortunately over time the Cons have become more serious. Mainly the increasing homeless, drug users, crime etc. Also with a growing population comes an increase in traffic. Those would be the three major cons, but the pros certainly outweigh those problems.

[@nojghaitummings7443]

BigUp Kelowna me G. Im a farm worker and this place here is wonderful, even though i havent really gotten a chance to see the night life or the town per say but the little i got to enjoy made me feel like this is a really nice place to be at. The weather is nice not too hot or cold. im from Jamaica so im accustomed to the heat, but its ok here. the people are fun too. the few people ive met were really cool and i had alot of fun with them. Id advise anyone to visit Kelowna.

[@KenDavies-qv3fs]

Vancouver was my home and for 15 years now Kelowna is by home. Kelowna is the very very best place to live and play.

[@various-typical-classic-ar3614]

Wow you are so humble and kind much love see you there from Israel.

[@joannejohnson7006]

Nice work 😊

[@robertrobidoux3725]

Thanks for your honnesty❤

[@AP-nx6xo]

Thanks! Very helpful video. I need to get out of Calgary lol

[@ronvanwyk9193]

Arriving first week of November. excited 😆

[@JanBee1122]

Looks like you might reside in Glenmore, like I do :) Great video, you covered it all.

[@yogaandernostlich1007]

Good work, could u make videos of rest of the BC

[@GenuineGents]

Can't wait to move back... Grew up there and finally being given the opportunity to return in the next 90 days ❤️🎉

[@Day0992]

Me gustaría trabajar allá 😍 algún día viviré allí ❤

[@eulinejames2776]

Am ready to move to Kelowna ❤😅🇦🇬

[@BotanyJess]

"even when your dead inside, like me.." 🤣

[@romanmoskalenko3531]

Great video. Thanks

[@livinginkelownabc5419]

Glad you like it Roman. If you ever have any questions I can help you with don’t hesitate to reach out!

[@iyankadharmasena4038]

❤❤❤❤

[@holdenbaldassi3697]

Moving to kelowna in 2 weeks! Can’t wait.

[@livinginkelownabc5419]

Congrats Holden and welcome to Kelowna! I hope the move goes smoothly for you. If you have any questions about our town I can help you with don’t hesitate to ask!

[@johnwicked4982]

Hey how was it? Expenses and everything?

[@maxstephenson7032]

I've been living in Kelowna all my life! Great place, although housing can be expensive.

[@jeffersontuquero5165]

Is Kelowna worth it to live?

[@garretts3619]

@@jeffersontuquero5165 You just need a good paying job and it’s worth it. Otherwise you’re paycheck to paycheck. However, there is lots to do that’s totally free and amazing.

[@sgill4833]

I like the sound of Kelowna, but I'm fortunate think I have everything I need here in Burlington On. Fortunately I bought a home 10 yrs ago. So housings not an issue. My major consideration is travel duration. Flight time to European destinations and Florida is quite a bit more.

[@andrewbryan1444]

Not any more. The number of new airlines coming in is huge. Seems like there's new routes added every month. Population is growing and the airport is building a huge new terminal almost 4X the size of the old.

[@originaltommy]

I'm up for a cool job there. I hope I get it!!!!

[@tanyagwenn]

My husband and I are thinking about making the move from the east coast to the west coast and Kelowna is our top pick right now! Thank you for this video, it was incredibly helpful!

[@andrewbryan1444]

You won't regret it. Its Amazing!

[@sylon7717]

We made the move from Nova Scotia. You would fit in well here. Lots of similarities to the east coast. Lots of water, good weather (for Canada), friendly people.

[@user-yl1ug3gg2w]

Is heating and cooling a good business in Kelowna?

[@learningchanneldailylifema4944]

Will it be easy to find construction engineering related job? As heard that the Canadian Company would only be interested to employ those with Canada experience which is my consideration if it is suitable for the new immigrants from HK

[@johnwicked4982]

Hi im thankful i run in to your video. Just went to Kelowna once last year 2022 but not able to explore the whole downtown and the opportunities for nurses like me. I am planning to relocate there and wasn’t be able to pull the trigger yet. Aside form KGH are there any numbers of retirement homes, Long term care homes,hospitals and clinics etc are in the area near downtown? Im from Toronto Ontario

[@andrewbryan1444]

Lots of all those things. Kelowna is the main Interior Healthcare centre. People come from outside Kelowna for treatment. There is also a large retired population (mostly wealthy) in the city.

[@kyleellis1825]

Kelowna has about 20% of it's population working for interior health in some manor (including janitors and stuff). It has a big senior population, the only issue is getting new seniors into these homes due to the waiting lists currently.

[@hazeflame142]

just wondering is drinking beer by the beach legal? I’m a tourist here, I really want to know

[@jamesnyers1721]

Yes legal now on most beaches.

[@stephenellis2866]

Must rank as the most stupid question as the person didn’t want to know!

[@uni-ted3223]

Calgary's winter is it until june? Are There 6 month of winter or more? I like the activities I could get there inside of the city. Do I need money for to do those a activities ? For example : bike skiing hiking trails explore the nature I'm a adventure person ,then I liked so much skating in the ice. But The weather in kelowna sounds very tentend

[@timh1187]

Jan feb is usually cold but may and June are usually quite nice with the odd cold ish day. Day to day is a little cheaper. Depends on what you want to do.

[@uni-ted3223]

@@timh1187 quite nice comments. Thanks ...

[@timh1187]

@@uni-ted3223 no problem I’ve lived in both places and travel between them frequently. The only thing personally that I like More in Kelowna then in Calgary is the lake.

[@uni-ted3223]

@@timh1187 I guest Kelowna it's more to go holidays or something. or if for you is most important a short winter.

[@theinnernatureproject]

Is Kelowna possible without a car? Especially for someone who enjoys hikes?

[@danieljones9223]

Sadly public transit is pretty bad. Most good hiking spots woukd require some travel to get to. The cities infrastructure is too small and outdated for the growth. There is a newer trail that goes from kelowna all the way to vernon and beyond. The rail trail. Very popular. Last fews years though has seen a fairly large homelessness problem along the trails sadly.

[@teoteo9212]

I live in Canmore for the past 7 years. I hate the winter. I just can’t stand it but I love the summer coz I hike a lot like 4/5 times a week. Unfortunately summer in the Rockies is very short and sometimes by mid September winter is already here. Is there any hikes in Kelowna?

[@andrewbryan1444]

LOTS! Endless.

[@lenBrill1971]

Canmore is beautiful. Kelowna is going through some serious growing pains. Too many people are moving here, but the infrastructure wasn't designed for this many people. Traffic has become a nightmare.

[@mathewhall8019]

There's tons of hiking in the Okanagan but not a ton of scrambling. The mountains are just different. You're not going to get the crazy alpine views in the Okanagan but if walking around is your thing there is a ton of options.

[@LuckySingh-hi5wj]

Kelowna is the best or penticton is the best

[@FM-db3ft]

What about fires?

[@livinginkelownabc5419]

Fires are a problem some years but the concern isn’t about houses burning down as much as it is with dealing with the smoke. A lot of lessons were learned from the Okanagan Mountain Park fire in 2003 and now any fire that is close to the city is aggressively put out. Last summer was clear of fires in the valley but we did have a little smoke at times from fires in other regions. Unfortunately smoke from fires even in California can find it’s way here but the smoke doesn’t just go to the Okanagan of course and can be found even on Vancouver Island. I typically expect we will have a week of smoke somewhere along the way during the summer here but some years are better and some are worse. Hope this helps!

[@FM-db3ft]

@@livinginkelownabc5419 yes, thanks. Thinking of going out there in next 3-5 years.

[@ediddysmith2500]

Too man homeless and lots and lots of drugs and crime

[@kyleellis1825]

If you're low-middle income... The Okanagan really isn't a good place to live. The Okanagan is very expensive and has a pretty big homeless problem the city can't do anything about. Not enough homes for anyone paying 1500 a month or less. If you're under 1500 a month rent. I seriously do not recommend moving here.

[@livinginkelownabc5419]

Thank for the comment Kyle. Kelowna can be a difficult place to get established if you are just getting started. It’s true that the cost of living here is higher than most other Canadian cities and that is simply due to supply and demand. Because Kelowna (and the OK Valley) are sought after destinations the prices are higher here relative to other cities. The good news is is that Kelowna has become a much stronger economic hub in the last decade and continues to grow in that direction; meaning better and higher paying jobs. My hope is that the city promotes more development of all types of construction so that there are more homes available to meet the demands of people wanting to move here and subsequently make housing more affordable by increasing the housing supply. Time will tell but that appears to be the direction the city is planning on taking. As far as homelessness yes we do have a homeless population that typically is found downtown but that is not a problem unique to our city and is seen even in small cities like Trail BC. Kelowna is a great place to call home but like all destination cities it comes with its costs. Anyone moving here should ideally come financially prepared and/or have a quality work opportunity.

[@kyleellis1825]

@@livinginkelownabc5419 I'm not trying to discourage everyone away. Just trying to warn the people who may be thinking Kelowna is warm enough to winter as a homeless person/the minimum wage people just thinking it's a nice area and don't have anything lined up. Because as someone in the 600-1500 a month rent range, I see a lot of people in my situation moving here for those reasons. Everything you said is all great advice for anyone who does have stuff lined up already though. It's awesome for college students/working proffesionals.

[@livinginkelownabc5419]

@@kyleellis1825 I totally agree with you! I think that the city needs to do a lot more to make affordable options that people would be actually proud to call home. I don’t pretend like that’s an easy thing to tackle but it’s an important thing Kelowna will need to address sooner or later. You need an constant influx of younger workers and families to keep a community healthy and successful. In the meantime you’re right: You shouldn’t move to Kelowna on a whim because it’s a very competitive place to get established. Have a plan!

[@kyleellis1825]

@@livinginkelownabc5419 We have a lot of housing projects starting/trying to start. But it's going to be about 5-7 years before the living space for the low income people catches up. If you just want to move to the Okanagan for the weather and are lower income right now. Vernon/Penticton/Kamloops, or any of the Lake Countries/Peachlands/Osoyoos are far better choices for the next few years. (30 minutes-2 hours away)