Okanagan 584562 224059022 2008-07-07T03:20:36Z Plasticup 2666389 minor tidying (please [[User_Talk:Plasticup|tell me]] about errors!), Replaced: &sup2; → ² (2) using [[Project:AutoWikiBrowser|AWB]] {{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]] [[af:Okanagan]] [[fr:Okanagan]] [[nl:Okanagan]] [[ro:Okanagan]] [[fi:Okanagan]] [[sv:Okanagan]]