Penticton

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Penticton

Penticton

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Nickname(s): The Peach City
Motto: A Place to Stay Forever
Penticton is located in British Columbia
Penticton
Location of Penticton in British Columbia
Coordinates: 49°29′28″N 119°35′19″W / 49.49111°N 119.58861°W / 49.49111; -119.58861
Country Canada Flag of Canada.svg
Province British Columbia Flag of British Columbia.svg
Region South Okanagan
Regional District Okanagan-Similkameen
Incorporated as Town 1908
Incorporated as City 1948
Government
 - Mayor Dan Ashton
 - Councillors Dan Albas, Andrew Jakubeit, Garry Litke,Mike Pearce, Judy Sentes,John Vassilaki
 - Penticton-Okanagan Valley MLA Hon. Bill Barisoff British Columbia Liberal Party
 - Okanagan--Coquihalla MP Dan Albas
Area
 - City 42.02 km2 (16.2 sq mi)
 - Metro 2,212.76 km2 (854.4 sq mi)
Elevation 385 m (1,263 ft)
Population (2010)
 - City 37,721
 - Density 759.5/km2 (1,967.1/sq mi)
 - Urban density 19.6/km2 (50.8/sq mi)
 - Metro 46,000
  'Metro' defined by Statscan as "Census agglomeration"
Demonym Pentictonite
Time zone PST (UTC-8)
Postal Code Span V2A
Area code(s) 250
Twin Cities
 - Ikeda Japan
Website www.penticton.ca

Penticton is a city in the Okanagan Valley of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, situated between Okanagan and Skaha Lakes. Its 2010 population was 37,721 (46,000 in the greater area).

Contents

Name origin

The name Penticton is derived from a word in the Okanagan language. It is conventionally translated by the city's tourism promoters as "a place to stay forever" but is actually a reference to the year-round flow of the Okanagan River where it enters Skaha Lake. Differing accounts of the meaning are given in the British Columbia Geographical Names Information System entry for the city:

"Place where water passes beyond." (information from Isaac Harris, published in Vernon News, 18 July 1918); compare with: "Derived from the Okanagan dialect of the Salish tribe, the word Pen-tak-tin meaning 'a place of permanent abode where waters pass by'." (50th Anniversary booklet of Penticton, 1958) From the Indian name Pente-hik-ton, "ever" or "forever" referring to the constant steady flow of the Okanagan River out of the lake.... applied by the Indians to the locality at the outlet of the lake, meaning that the stream ran on ever, or forever, in contrast to other streams which dried up during the summer (6th Report of the Okanagan Historical Society); compare with: "Derives from the Okanagan word Sin-peen-tick-tin, loosely translatable as 'permanent place'." (c1980 advice from Randy Bouchard, BC Indian Language Project).

Events

Penticton hosts many events annually, among them the Canadian Ironman Triathlon, the Valley First Granfondo Axel Merckx Okanagan, the Okanagan Wine Festival, the Okanagan Children's Festival, Fest-of-Ale BC, the Penticton Peach Festival (commonly known as "Peachfest"), the Pentastic Hot Jazz Festival, and the "Elvis Festival" which was featured in the Summer 2006 issue of British Columbia Magazine.

Recreation

Penticton is home to recreational opportunities such as skiing at the Apex Mountain Resort ski area, boating and fishing on Skaha Lake and Okanagan Lake. Both lakes have beautiful beaches. There is golfing on the area's many courses, as well as hiking or biking the Kettle Valley Railway Trail, and rock climbing at Skaha Bluffs. Penticton is home to KIJHL team the Penticton Lakers, the BCHL hockey team Penticton Vees who play throughout the winter months, as well as the PCSL soccer team Penticton Pinnacles, who play from May until July.

In September 2006, residents voted 80.3% in favour of the construction of the South Okanagan Events Centre. The $73 million arena, sports complex and convention centre could possibly serve as a summer or early fall training facility for the Vancouver Canucks as well as the home of the BCHL's Penticton Vees, so named in honour of the senior hockey team that in 1955 won the Ice Hockey World Championships against Russia. The Centre has boosted the city's convention market and is a popular stop on concert tours and for other special events.

The Penticton Vees now play in the South Okanagan Events Centre which opened in September 2008.

Penticton is the hub of wine tourism in the Okanagan Valley with access to 88 wineries within an hour's drive. Nearby Naramata now has 22 wineries, by the beginning of the 2009 Fall Wine Festival.

The Kettle Valley Railroad (KVR) Trail Network — with trail heads leading to more than 160 km of flat, railbed trails for hiking and biking adventures—can be accessed from Penticton. This trail is part of the Trans Canada Trail. Penticton is currently building the Penticton Aquatic Centre to replace the Community Centre pool. This project is expected to be completed in Spring 2011.

Education

Penticton is the location of the head offices of School District 67 Okanagan Skaha. There are two secondary schools, Penticton Secondary School and Princess Margaret Secondary School, as well as 11 elementary schools, Wiltse Elementary School, Uplands Elementary School, Giant's Head Elementary School, Carmi Elementary School, West Bench Elementary School, Queen's Park Elementary School, Parkway Elementary School, Kaleden Elementary School, Columbia Elementary School, Naramata Elementary School and Trout Creek Elementary School, three middle schools, KVR Middle School (English and French Immersion), Skaha Lake Middle School, McNicoll Park Middle School and Summerland Middle School (also English and French Immersion), and L’école Entre Lacs, a French school (not french immersion). Penticton Christian School, a private school, offers kindergarten through Grade 12. Penticton is also home to the Okanagan Hockey Academy & School, with players from around the world enrolling at Penticton Secondary, while undergoing rigorous training during the academic terms with OHA staff 4-5 times per week. Players are required to meet specific academic as well as physical standards in order to maintain eligibility for the OHA. Penticton is also home to a campus of Sprott-Shaw Community College, a private post-secondary institution.

Climate

A view of Penticton from a viewpoint overlooking Skaha Lake

Penticton has a cold winter/ warm summer Semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). Precipitation averages slightly more than 330 mm (13") annually. Penticton has warm summers with daytime temperatures above 30°C commonplace, but humidity is low and summer nights are warm. Winters are brief with mean daily temperatures averaging just below freezing for about 8 weeks out of the year. The average daily maximum remains above zero the entire year. Penticton is sheltered from cold Arctic air in winter by the surrounding mountain ranges, making blizzards and freezing rainstorms very rare. In addition, the frost-free season averages more than 140 days a year, nights tend to be cool throughout the year but without bitter cold nights in winter.

Climate data for Penticton
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 15.7
(60.3)		 16.6
(61.9)		 21.7
(71.1)		 29.6
(85.3)		 33.9
(93)		 37.7
(99.9)		 40.6
(105.1)		 38.9
(102)		 36.6
(97.9)		 28.9
(84)		 19.4
(66.9)		 14.4
(57.9)		 40.6
(105.1)
Average high °C (°F) 0.9
(33.6)		 4.3
(39.7)		 10.1
(50.2)		 15.6
(60.1)		 20.5
(68.9)		 24.5
(76.1)		 28.1
(82.6)		 27.6
(81.7)		 21.9
(71.4)		 14.3
(57.7)		 6.3
(43.3)		 1.4
(34.5)		 14.6
(58.3)
Daily mean °C (°F) -1.7
(28.9)		 0.7
(33.3)		 4.7
(40.5)		 9
(48)		 13.6
(56.5)		 17.4
(63.3)		 20.4
(68.7)		 20.1
(68.2)		 14.9
(58.8)		 8.7
(47.7)		 3.1
(37.6)		 -1.1
(30)		 9.2
(48.6)
Average low °C (°F) -4.3
(24.3)		 -3
(27)		 -0.7
(30.7)		 2.7
(36.9)		 6.7
(44.1)		 10.3
(50.5)		 12.7
(54.9)		 12.5
(54.5)		 7.8
(46)		 3
(37)		 -0.2
(31.6)		 -3.7
(25.3)		 3.6
(38.5)
Record low °C (°F) -26.7
(-16.1)		 -26.7
(-16.1)		 -17.8
(-0)		 -7.2
(19)		 -5.6
(21.9)		 0
(32)		 2.2
(36)		 2.9
(37.2)		 -3
(27)		 -14.5
(5.9)		 -22.3
(-8.1)		 -27.2
(-17)		 -27.2
(-17)
Precipitation mm (inches) 26.8
(1.055)		 22.5
(0.886)		 22.3
(0.878)		 26.6
(1.047)		 37.3
(1.469)		 38.9
(1.531)		 27.9
(1.098)		 30.7
(1.209)		 24.7
(0.972)		 19.7
(0.776)		 27.1
(1.067)		 28.4
(1.118)		 332.7
(13.098)
Sunshine hours 39.5 78.8 143.5 195.9 237.4 246.1 295.2 275 211.9 141.6 55 36.2 1,956.1
Source: Environment Canada

Sports

Club League Sport Venue Established Championships
Penticton Lakers
KIJHL
 Ice hockey Okanagan Hockey School Training Centre
2009
0
Penticton Vees
BCHL
 Ice hockey South Okanagan Events Centre
1961
25
Penticton Pinnacles
PCSL
 Soccer Kings Park
1997
0
Penticton Upperdek Vees
SNIH
 Ice Hockey South Okanagan Events Centre
2008
0

Transportation

The SS Sicamous sternwheeler is drydocked in Penticton

Penticton Regional Airport (YYF) was constructed during World War II to serve as an emergency landing strip, and was later lengthened to 1829 meters to accommodate Boeing 737 aircraft. Air Canada Jazz provides air service to Vancouver, while Pacific Coastal Airlines formerly provided air service to Vancouver and Calgary after flights were terminated in January 2009.

Local bus service is provided by Penticton Transit System.

Penticton was the location of the headquarters of the Kettle Valley Railway.

Notable residents

  • Andy Bell, Pro Freestyle Motocross Champion, host of MTV's Nitro Circus
  • George Bowering, poet, first ever Canadian Parliamentary Poet Laureate
  • Krystal Garib, Broadway actress, dancer, singer
  • Brett Hull, NHL hockey player, graduate of Penticton High School
  • Duncan Keith, NHL hockey player, graduate of Penticton Secondary School
  • Alan Kerr, hockey player
  • Shane Koyczan, Spoken word poet
  • Spencer Krug, musician from the band Wolf Parade
  • Andy Moog, hockey player
  • Brendan Morrison, NHL hockey player, graduate of Penticton High School
  • Bob Nicholson, president and chief executive officer of Hockey Canada
  • Cameron Phillips, radio broadcaster
  • Justin Pogge, hockey player
  • Mike Reno, musician from the band Loverboy
  • Mark Allan Robinson, political activist
  • Alexis Smith, actress
  • Blake Wesley, hockey player
  • Terry David Mulligan, Canadian actor and television personality
  • Paul Kariya, retired NHL superstar, Japanese graduate of Penticton Secondary School

Media

Radio stations

  • AM 800 - CKOR, soft adult contemporary
  • FM 93.7 - CBTP-FM, CBC Radio One
  • FM 97.1 - CJMG-FM, hot adult contemporary (Sun FM)
  • FM 100.7 - CIGV-FM, country music

Sister city

  • Japan Ikeda, Hokkaidō, Japan

See also

  • List of mayors of Penticton
  • Penticton Indian Band
  • Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory

  1. ^ a b 2006 Community Profiles - Census Subdivision
  2. ^ a b 2006 Community Profiles - Census Metropolitan Area/Census Agglomeration
  3. ^ "Penticton (City)". BC Geographical Names. http://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/38678.html. 
  4. ^ Okanagan Fest-of-Ale | April 9th & 10th, 2010 | 1-800-663-1900
  5. ^ École Entre Lacs de Penticton
  6. ^ Penticton Christian School - Homepage
  7. ^ Okanagan Hockey Academy
  8. ^ Environment Canada—Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  9. ^ Googlwe Books: Cycling the Kettle Valley Railway
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Coordinates: 49°29′28″N 119°35′19″W / 49.49111°N 119.58861°W / 49.49111; -119.58861

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