Okanagan
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{{dablink|This article is about the region in Canada. For other uses of the term, see [[Okanogan]].}}
[[Image:Okanagan Valley, overlooking Skaha Lake.jpg|thumb|250px|A view overlooking [[Skaha Lake]] in the Okanagan Valley.]]
[[Image:OkanaganBC2.PNG|thumb|250px|The [[List of British Columbia Regional Districts|regional districts]] that include the Okanagan are shown in red.]]
{{Infobox Wine Region
| name = Okanagan Valley
| image =
| official name = Okanagan Valley
| other name =
| type =
| year = 1989
| wine years = 19
| country = Canada
| part of =
| similar =
| sub regions =
| season = April-October
| climate region = West Coast
| heat units = Identical to Bordeaux
| precipitation = <12 inches
| soil =
| total size =
| planted = 2,400 hectares
| vineyards = 200+
| grapes =
| varietals = Pinot Noir, Chardonnay & others
| wineries = 120
| wine produced =
| designation =
| comments =
}}
The '''Okanagan''' ({{pronEng|oʊkəˈnɑːɡən}}), also known as the '''Okanagan Valley''' and sometimes as '''Okanagan Country''' is a [[List of regions of Canada|region]] located in the [[Provinces and territories of Canada|Canadian province]] of [[British Columbia]] defined by the basin of [[Okanagan Lake]] and the [[Canada|Canadian]] portion of the [[Okanogan River|Okanagan River]]. As of 2001, the region's population is approximately 297,601. The primary city is [[Kelowna]]. The name derives from an [[Okanagan language]] word ''S-Ookanhkchinx'' meaning "Transport toward the head or top end".{{Fact|date=August 2007}} The region is known for its dry, sunny climate, arid landscapes and lakeshore communities and particular lifestyle. The economy is retirement and commercial-recreation based, with outdoor activities such as boating and watersports, snow skiing and hiking, and in agriculture has long been important orcharding and, much more recently, the wine industry.
== History ==
The Okanagan Valley is home to the [[Okanagan people|Okanagan Nation]], an Interior [[Salish]] people who live in the valley from the head of [[Okanagan Lake]] downstream to near the river's confluence with the [[Columbia River]] in present-day [[Washington]], as well as in the neighbouring Similkameen Valley,though the traditional territory encompasses the entire Columbia River watershed. They were [[hunter-gatherer]]s, living off wild game and berries and roots for the most part but travelling north or south to fish [[salmon run]]s or to trade with other nations.Today the member bands of the Okanagan Nation Alliance are sovereign nations, with vibrant natural resource and tourism based economies. The annual August gathering near Vernon is a celebration of the continuance of Okanagan life and culture.
In 1811 the first non-natives came to the Okanagan Valley, a [[fur trade|fur trading]] expedition voyaging north out of [[Fort Okanogan]], a [[Pacific Fur Company]] outpost at the confluence of the Okanagan and Columbia rivers. Within fifteen years, fur traders established a route through the valley for passing goods between the [[Thompson River]] region and the Columbia River for transport to the Pacific. The trade route lasted until 1846, when the [[Oregon Treaty]] laid down the border between [[British North America]] and the [[United States]] west of the [[Rocky Mountains]] on the 49th parallel. The new border cut across the valley. To avoid paying [[tariff]]s, British traders forged a route that bypassed Fort Okanogan (by then in the hands of the [[Hudson's Bay Company]], which had merged with the [[North West Company]], which had bought the Pacific Fur Company) via the [[Fraser Canyon]], following the Thompson, Nicola, Coldwater and [[Fraser River|Fraser]] rivers to [[Fort Langley]] instead. The Okanagan Valley did not see many more outsiders for a decade afterward.
In 1859, the first European settlement was established when Father [[Charles Pandosy]] led the making of an [[Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate|Oblate mission]] where Kelowna is now. In the decades that followed, hundreds<!--??--> of ranchers came to settle on Okanagan Lake. The [[Fraser Canyon Gold Rush]] of 1858 eventually encouraged more settlement as some prospectors from the United States took the [[Okanagan Trail]] route on their way to the [[Fraser Canyon]], although at the height of the rush the American adventurers who used the route did not settle because of outright hostilites from the [[Okanagan people]], whom a few of the parties traversing the trail had harassed and brutalized. A few staked claims around the South Okanagan and Similkameen valleys and found [[gold]] and [[copper]] in places. A [[mining]] industry began in the southern Okanagan region, and more farmers, as well as a small service industry, came to meet the needs of the miners.<!--in Osoyoos only until the establishment of [[Fairview, British Columbia]] later (near Oliver)-->
[[Image:Okanagan.jpg|thumb|250px|left|View of the Okanagan valley from the hills above [[Kelowna]]]]
Fruit production is a hallmark of the Okanagan Valley today, but the industry began with difficulty. Commercial orcharding of [[apple]]s was first tried there in 1892, but a series of setbacks prevented the major success of commercial fruit crops until the 1920s.<!-- exegesis needed here about pre-war British-gentry orcharding society). --> But until the 1930s, the demand for shipping fruit and other goods did drive a need for the sternwheeler [[steamboat]]s that serviced Okanagan Lake: the S.S. ''Aberdeen'' from 1886 and then the S.S. ''Sicamous'' and S.S. ''Naramata'' from 1914. The ''Sicamous'' and ''Naramata'' survive as a tourist attraction in [[Penticton, British Columbia|Penticton]].
While the last half-century has grown several resource-based enterprises in the region, for instance forestry in [[Princeton, British Columbia|Princeton]], the fastest-growing industries in the Okanagan today are [[real estate]], [[tourism]] and [[retirement]] accommodation as well as the ripping up of orchards and their replacement by wineries and vinyards. Favoured by its sunny climate, lakes, and [[winery]] attractions, the valley has become a hot destination for vacationers and retirees. The area is a seasonal magnet for itinerant fruit-picking labourers, primarily from [[Quebec]] and [[Mexico]] who are housed in migrant-worker camps.
== Geography ==
[[Image:Okanagan Panorama.jpg|thumb|600px|A panoramic view of the Okanagan, near [[Penticton]].]]
As defined for census purposes by [[Statistics Canada|StatsCan]], the region has a total area of 20,829 [[square kilometer|km²]] (8,042 [[square mile|mi²]]) which is roughly two-thirds the size of [[Belgium]].
Geographic features include:
*[[Monashee Mountains]]
*[[Okanagan Highland]]
*[[Thompson Plateau]]
*[[Okanagan Lake]]
*[[Skaha Lake]]
*[[Kalamalka Lake]]
*[[Swan Lake, British Columbia|Swan Lake]]
*[[Wood Lake, British Columbia|Wood Lake]]
*[[Shuswap River]]
*[[Mahoney Lake]]
=== Major highways ===
*<!-- Image with inadequate rationale removed: [[Image:Bc97.png|20px]] -->[[British Columbia provincial highway 97|Highway 97 (Okanagan Highway)]]
*<!-- Image with inadequate rationale removed: [[Image:Bc3.png|20px]] -->[[Crowsnest Highway|Highway 3 (Crowsnest Highway)]]
*<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Bc97c.png|20px]] -->[[British Columbia provincial highway 97C|Highway 97C (Okanagan Connector)]]
*<!-- Image with inadequate rationale removed: [[Image:Bc33.png|20px]] -->[[British Columbia provincial highway 33|Highway 33]]
*<!-- Image with inadequate rationale removed: [[Image:Bc6.png|20px]] -->[[British Columbia provincial highway 6|Highway 6]]
*<!-- Image with inadequate rationale removed: [[Image:Bc97a.png|20px]] -->[[British Columbia provincial highway 97A|Highway 97A]]
=== Adjacent regions ===
*[[Thompson Country]] - Northwest
*[[Shuswap Country]] - North
*[[Boundary Country]], [[Arrow Lakes]], [[Slocan Valley]] and [[Kootenay|West Kootenay]] - East
*[[Similkameen Country]] and [[Nicola Country]] - West
*[[Okanogan County]], [[Washington]], [[United States of America|USA]] - South
==Communities==
*[[Armstrong, British Columbia|Armstrong]]
*[[Coldstream, British Columbia|Coldstream]]
*[[Enderby, British Columbia|Enderby]]
*[[Kaleden, British Columbia|Kaleden]]
*[[Kelowna, British Columbia|Kelowna]]
**[[Rutland, British Columbia|Rutland]]
**[[Okanagan Mission, British Columbia|Okanagan Mission]]
*[[Lake Country, British Columbia|Lake Country]]
**[[Oyama, British Columbia|Oyama]]
**[[Winfield, British Columbia|Winfield]]
**[[Carr's, British Columbia|Carr's]] (Carr's Landing)<!--?-->
**[[Okanagan Centre, British Columbia|Okanagan Centre]]
*[[Lavington, British Columbia|Lavington]]
*[[Lumby, British Columbia|Lumby]]
*[[Naramata, British Columbia|Naramata]]
*[[Okanagan Falls, British Columbia|Okanagan Falls]]
*[[Olalla, British Columbia|Olalla]]<!--Ollala?-->
*[[Oliver, British Columbia|Oliver]]
***[[Fairview, British Columbia|Fairview]]<!--ghost town-->
*[[Osoyoos, British Columbia|Osoyoos]]
*[[Peachland, British Columbia|Peachland]]
*[[Penticton, British Columbia|Penticton]]
*[[Spallumcheen, British Columbia|Spallumcheen]]
*[[Summerland, British Columbia|Summerland]]
*[[Vernon, British Columbia|Vernon]]
*[[Westside, British Columbia|Westside]]
**[[Lakeview Heights, British Columbia|Lakeview Heights]]
**[[West Kelowna, British Columbia|West Kelowna]]
**[[Westbank, British Columbia|Westbank]]
The Indian reserves of the Okanagan people also form identifiable communities:
*[[Osoyoos Indian Reserve]]
*[[Pneticton Indian Reserve]]
*[[Westbank Indian Reserve]]
<!--er, not sure of the others...-->
== Demographics ==
The population of the region was 297,601 as of the 2001 Census. There were 154,010 Females (51%) and 143,590 Males (49%). The population is relatively older with a median age of 42.5, compared with the provincial average of 39.[http://www.ouc.bc.ca/avpfinance/ir/demographics/Census/Okanagan2001.PDF]
== External links ==
*[http://www.okanagan.org/culture.htm Regional culture]
*[http://www.okanaganhistoricalsociety.org/ Okanagan Historical Society]
*[http://www.owfs.com/ Okanagan Wine Festivals]
*[http://www.okanaganwines.ca/ Okanagan Wines]
*[http://www.totabc.com/ Thompson-Okanagan Tourism Association]
*[http://www.city.kelowna.bc.ca/ City of Kelowna]
{{commons|Okanagan}}
{{Subdivisions of British Columbia|regions=yes}}
{{Historical geographic regions of British Columbia}}
[[Category:Wine regions of Canada]]
[[Category:Divided regions]]
[[Category:Interior of British Columbia]]
[[Category:Okanagan Country]]
[[Category:Valleys of British Columbia]]
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