PlaceDossier / BC places / Central Okanagan

Central Okanagan West

An electoral area of the Central Okanagan Regional District. 2,897 people lived here in 2021, up 45.5% from 2016, on 1,255 km² of land. It takes in Killiney Beach, Fintry, Wilson Landing, Traders Cove and 1 more.

BC place · electoral area

How Central Okanagan West compares with BC's other rural areas

Wildfire: the 14th most land burned since 1996 of BC's 159 rural electoral areas. 26% of its land, compared with 2% in a typical rural area.
Evacuations: 3 orders to leave since April 2017 (fire). The latest order in August 2026. One of 65 of BC's 159 rural electoral areas with one.
Growth: the fastest-growing of BC's 125 rural electoral areas with 1,000 people or more in 2016 and 2021. +45.5% from 2016 to 2021, compared with +6.3% in a typical rural area.

Typical for its size No scheduled buses, no licensed child care on the Province's list, 2 fire halls and a 24-hour emergency department 18 km away.

How we compare

Each figure is set against BC's places of the same kind: cities of 50,000 or more, towns of 10,000 to 50,000, towns of 2,000 to 10,000, villages and towns under 2,000, or rural electoral areas. A figure stands out when it's among the top tenth of its kind at the end that matters to a buyer and clearly off the typical one, the middle place of that kind. Where fewer than 15 places of its kind have the figure, it's set against all BC places with it. A figure only counts when its source speaks for the place: a climate or air station within 15 km and 300 m of its ground, the place's own police service, at least 1,000 people for census figures and 25 homes for internet. A point that stands out has an ochre bar on its left, its section's stamp is filled ochre, and a dot in the bar at the top of the page marks that section; "Typical for its size" is a plain outline and "Nothing on record" a dotted one. In each strip a tick is one place, the tall tick the typical one, the dot this place, and the end that matters on the right. Facts that matter at any size (an evacuation order, emergency care far away, little mobile coverage) are said whatever the size, and mark a section as standing out only when they too are in the top tenth of its kind. A section is marked typical only where a figure in it is set against the typical one and none sits far from it (outside the middle half of its kind, or clearly off the typical one), and "nothing on record" only where it shows nothing.

Central Okanagan West outlined. Zoom in to see its lots; tap one for its report.

Hazards, something here stands out
Cost to own
What you can build
Living here
Water
Climate and sun
Land use around
People, something here stands out

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Hazards Stands out

Wildfire: the 14th most land burned since 1996 of BC's 159 rural electoral areas. 26% of its land, compared with 2% in a typical rural area.

Evacuations: 3 orders to leave since April 2017 (fire). The latest order in August 2026. One of 65 of BC's 159 rural electoral areas with one.

Burned by wildfire since 1996: 26% typical rural area: 2%
Years with a mapped wildfire since 1917: 45, the latest 2025
Evacuation events since April 2017: 3 with an order to leave, 5 with alerts only; the latest August 2026, an order
Poor-air days at the nearest air station: 8 days a year (median), 18 km away
Radon: homes tested at or above the guideline in its health region: 17% in Okanagan (BC: 7.9%)

Its land, ranked in BC

	Here	Rank in BC
In the farmland reserve (ALR)	5.7%	159th of 267 (tied)
Burned by wildfire since 1996	26%	19th of 215
Years with a mapped wildfire since 1917	45	most recent 2025
Under mineral, placer or coal titles	20%	47th of 219 (tied)
Land area	1,255 km²

Shares of the land area, worked out from the Province's maps. Fire perimeters before the 1950s are less complete. A title or a past fire somewhere in the area says nothing about a given lot: a property report checks the parcel itself.

Large fires (1,000 ha or more) since 1990

Since 1990, 7 wildfires of 1,000 ha or more burned in Central Okanagan West, together 31,746 ha, 25% of its land (ground that burned twice counts once). The most here was the White Rock Lake wildfire in 2021, 9,919 ha.

2026Quilpituk Creek wildfire1,278 ha in all1,278 ha here
2023McDougall Creek wildfire13,970 ha in all · 69% of it here9,664 ha here
2023Glen Lake wildfire1,116 ha in all · 84% of it here937 ha here
2021White Rock Lake wildfire83,047 ha in all · 12% of it here9,919 ha here
2018Unnamed fire K512641,790 ha in all · 21% of it here383 ha here
2017Unnamed fire K520242,224 ha in all · 38% of it here836 ha here
2009Terrace Mountain wildfire9,277 ha in all9,277 ha here

Smaller mapped fires since 2016

Since 2016, the BC Wildfire Service mapped 25 smaller fires (under 1,000 ha) that reached Central Okanagan West, newest first. This season's are as mapped by November 9, 2026.

2026Unnamed fire K5137026 ha in all26 ha here
2026Unnamed fire K512145.2 ha in all5.2 ha here
2026Unnamed fire K503931.5 ha in all1.5 ha here
2025Unnamed fire K52192383 ha in all · 97% of it here372 ha here
2025Unnamed fire K408281.7 ha in all1.7 ha here
2024Unnamed fire K510155.9 ha in all · 97% of it here5.7 ha here
2024Spring Lake wildfire2.5 ha in all2.5 ha here
2024Unnamed fire K522331.3 ha in all1.3 ha here

And 17 more

2023Pigeon Creek wildfire34 ha in all34 ha here
2023Unnamed fire K518403.6 ha in all3.6 ha here
2023Unnamed fire K520660.8 ha in all0.8 ha here
2022Esperon Lake wildfire38 ha in all38 ha here
2022Jack Creek wildfire7.9 ha in all7.9 ha here
2021Unnamed fire K51924871 ha in all871 ha here
2021Mount Miller wildfire3.4 ha in all3.4 ha here
2021Unnamed fire K509740.7 ha in all0.7 ha here
2018Unnamed fire K5124723 ha in all23 ha here
2018Unnamed fire K510911.2 ha in all1.2 ha here
2018Unnamed fire K518261 ha in all1 ha here
2017Unnamed fire K515505 ha in all5 ha here
2017Unnamed fire K503141.9 ha in all1.9 ha here
2016Bear Creek wildfire60 ha in all60 ha here
2016Unnamed fire K5038513 ha in all13 ha here
2016Unnamed fire K503752.6 ha in all2.6 ha here
2016Unnamed fire K504181.4 ha in all1.4 ha here

Small fires that were never mapped as a perimeter aren't listed: the BC Wildfire Service maps an outline for only some of the fires it records. Past fire is history, not a forecast. The chance of fire on a lot today depends on what the record doesn't show: the forest and grass around it, the slope, what has been thinned or burned since, and how far it is from a fire hall. Every BC season and large fire since 1990.

Sources: BC Wildfire Fire Perimeters – Historical, BC Wildfire Service; BC Wildfire Fire Perimeters – Current, BC Wildfire Service; BC Wildfire Fire Incident Locations – Historical, BC Wildfire Service; BC Wildfire Fire Locations – Current, BC Wildfire Service (Open Government Licence – British Columbia), as published on November 10, 2026; 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence). Outlines simplified and places measured by PlaceDossier.

How the land burned

On the Province's ecosystem map, Central Okanagan West's land is 56% NDT3 (burned in large fires about every 100 to 150 years) and 44% NDT4 (burned often and lightly, every 4 to 50 years). Its main biogeoclimatic zones are Montane Spruce (41%), Interior Douglas-fir (34%) and Engelmann Spruce–Subalpine Fir (13%). In the dry forest and grassland of NDT4, a century of putting fires out has let many stands fill in, building up fuel that can carry a crown fire instead of a light surface fire. This is how the land burned before fires were put out, not its fire risk today. A report names the type over a lot. Every place's natural fire regime.

Source: BEC Map (biogeoclimatic zones and natural disturbance types), Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia), read 2026-10-12; areas worked out on the census boundaries.

Evacuations since April 2017

Since April 2017, the Province's record holds 8 wildfire events with an evacuation order or alert over Central Okanagan West, 3 with an order. The latest order: Quilpituk Creek Wildfire, August 2026.

2026Quilpituk Creek WildfireAugust 2026 · evacuation order and alert · Regional District of Central Okanagan1,536 homes
2026K51370August 2026 · evacuation alert · Regional District of Central Okanagan224 homes
2026Bald Range WildfireAugust 2026 · evacuation alert · Regional District of Central Okanagan3 homes
2026La Casa WildfireJuly 2026 · evacuation alert · Regional District of Central Okanagan483 homes
2023Glen Lake WildfireSeptember 2023 · evacuation alert · Regional District of Central Okanagan75 homes
2023McDougall Creek WildfireAugust 2023 · evacuation order and alert · Regional District of Central Okanagan1,837 homes
2021White Rock Lake WildfireAugust 2021 · evacuation order and alert · Regional District of Central Okanagan2,293 homes
2021Brenda Creek WildfireJuly 2021 · evacuation alert · Regional District of Central Okanagan3 homes

Listed when an order or alert area covered at least 5% of the land in Central Okanagan West, or lay mostly in Central Okanagan West and held at least 5% as many homes as the 2021 census counted there. An order means people were told to leave; an alert, to be ready to leave. Homes are the record's own counts, area by area, shown where the areas lie mostly in Central Okanagan West. The Province's record starts in April 2017: earlier evacuations aren't in it. A lot's report checks every order and alert over the lot itself, and any in effect now.

Sources: Historical Orders and Alerts, Emergency Management and Climate Readiness (Open Government Licence – British Columbia), as published on November 2, 2026; 2021 census subdivision boundaries and dwelling counts, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence). Each order and alert area placed in the municipalities and electoral areas it covers by us.

Evacuations for floods, landslides and other hazards since April 2017

None of the flood, landslide or other non-fire evacuation orders or alerts in the Province's record since April 2017 covered 5% or more of the land or homes in Central Okanagan West.

33 landslides are recorded inside Central Okanagan West in the Preliminary Canadian Landslide Database (version 14.0), including 14 debris flows, 6 earth slides and 3 debris avalanches. The latest with a date of its own: a debris flow, 1 Apr 2025 (listed under “Okanagan Lake Resort debris flow”). The database lists slides known to have happened, mapped from inventories, satellite images and lidar. It isn't a hazard map, and some parts of BC are mapped in far more detail than others. Landslides near a given lot.

The Province lists 31 dams in Central Okanagan West, 17 of them classed High or above for the harm a failure would do downstream: Big Horn Reservoir Dam (Very High), Peachland Lake Dam (Very High) and Tadpole Lake North Dam (Very High) among them. Of these, 3 are recorded as breached (failed). The class rates what a failure would do, not how likely one is; a report names the dams within 1 km of a lot. Dams in BC, by place.

9 Water Survey of Canada gauges in Central Okanagan West have 5 or more years of yearly peak flows: Greata Creek near the Mouth peaked highest at 2.5 m³/s in 1997 (50 years on record), Whiteman Creek above Bouleau Creek peaked highest at 33.3 m³/s in 2017 (46 years on record) and Trepanier Creek near Peachland peaked highest at 25.1 m³/s in 1997 (35 years on record), among others. 1 set its record in the last 10 years. A gauge's record is the river where it stands, not a flood line; a report gives the nearest gauge on a river by the lot. River gauges in BC, by place.

Poor-air days: at the Vernon Science Centre air monitoring station, 18 km from North Westside, fine particles passed the level of BC's 24-hour objective (25 µg/m³) on a median of 8 days a year over the 11 years with a full record, 2015 to 2025; the most was 32 days in 2017, most of them in August. Most of these days fell from June to September, the wildfire season (our reading: mostly wildfire smoke). How smoky it gets across BC.

Radon

In the Okanagan health region, 19 of the 109 homes tested (17%) in Health Canada's 2009–2011 survey were at or above the 200 Bq/m³ guideline; across BC, 143 of 1,817 (7.9%).

The survey tested about a hundred volunteer homes per health region, with one long-term test each. That gives a rough regional picture: it isn't a map, and a region where few or none tested high can still have homes above the guideline. The only way to know is to test the home: radon and buying a home in BC.

Source: Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Concentrations in Homes (2009–2011), Health Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Health Service Delivery Area Boundaries, Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia).

Check one lot: has it burned? · is it on a floodplain map? · is it behind a dike? · is there a dam nearby? · landslides nearby? · contaminated sites nearby? · radon? · how much is too steep?

Source: Agricultural Land Reserve polygons, Agricultural Land Commission (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Fire perimeters – historical, BC Wildfire Service (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Mineral, placer and coal tenures, Mineral Titles Branch (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Preliminary Canadian Landslide Database, version 14.0 (May 2026), Brideau et al. (CC BY 4.0); 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).

Cost to own Typical for its size

Homes: the typical home costs 7.6 years of a typical household's income, compared with 7.1 years in a typical rural area.

Typical home value against typical household income: 7.6 years of income typical rural area: 7.1 years
Median home value (owners' estimate, 2021): $645,000
Median monthly rent (2021): $960
Speculation and vacancy tax: doesn't apply here

Property tax

In Central Okanagan West, the Province collects the property tax. At 2026 rates every home here pays at least $2.83 to $3.21 per $1,000 of assessed value: about $2,826 to $3,214 a year on a $1,000,000 home, before the home owner grant. Local service areas (fire protection, recreation, street lighting, water and others) cover parts of the area and add to that, up to $1.91 per $1,000 each; which ones cover a given lot is on its tax notice.

Regional district (the electoral area's share) $0.77
Regional hospital district $0.21
School (set by the Province) $1.31
Provincial rural tax $0.39
Police tax $0.12
Other $0.04

Where each $1,000 of assessed value goes, 2026, before local service areas; the lowest of the area's rates, as it spans tax jurisdictions or school districts. Buildings also pay $0.04 per $1,000 of their value.

Price or assessed value$

On $500,000: at least about $1,413 to $1,607 a year; on $1,000,000: at least about $2,826 to $3,214, at 2026 rates, before the home owner grant.

Your bill uses BC Assessment's value for the property, which can differ from its price, and may also include parcel taxes and utility fees (water, sewer, garbage) that aren't rates on value. The home owner grant takes up to $570 off the bill of a home its owner lives in ($770 in the Province's northern and rural area in 2026, and up to $845, or $1,045 there, for seniors, veterans and people with a disability), for homes assessed at $2,075,000 or less in 2026; above that it shrinks by $5 for each $1,000. From 2027 the northern and rural extra ends and the regular grant is $570 everywhere. The owner applies each year, and must pay at least $350 in tax ($100 for the higher grant) after it. Our summary of the Province's page, read 2026-10-04. Rural rates aren't ranked: what a home pays depends on the service areas it's in. Confirm with the Province's Surveyor of Taxes. How property tax works in BC.

Source: The Surveyor of Taxes' rural tax rates, 2026, Province of BC (the rates only: facts set in public bylaws, not open data); Home owner grant, Province of BC (summarised in our words, read 2026-10-04).

Central Okanagan West is outside the Province's speculation and vacancy tax area, so the tax doesn't apply to a home here. Our summary of the Province's pages, read 2026-10-04. Where the tax applies, and who pays.

The typical home here is the median value owners gave the 2021 census, and the typical household's income is the median for 2020: a home that costs 7.6 years of income took that many years of a typical household's whole income. "Typical" for places its size is the middle of BC's rural electoral areas.

Land for sale nearby

The 5 nearest listings on AcreScout within 25 km of the middle of the area's addresses at North Westside, nearest first.

Listing	Asking price	Size	Per acre	Away
9415 Hodges RoadVernon, listed 11 days ago	$648,000	Not given	–	100 m
9534 Hodges RoadVernon, listed 150 days ago	$315,000	Not given	–	400 m
9404 Westside RoadVernon, listed 184 days ago	$165,000	0.54 acres	–	600 m
583 Moody CrescentVernon, listed 126 days ago	$85,000	0.49 acres	–	900 m
9564 Keithley RoadVernon, listed 126 days ago	$289,900	0.88 acres	–	900 m

Distances are straight lines to the listing's pin. Where AcreScout places a listing only roughly, no distance is given, only the place it's near. Per acre is left out under about an acre. Asking prices are what sellers ask, not what land sells for.

Listings: AcreScout, a Buretto site; active listings as of 2026-11-15. Asking prices set by the sellers; not a valuation.

Source: Census of Population 2021, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).

What you can build Typical for its size

On a lot zoned for a house, the zoning must allow at least a secondary suite or a garden suite (the provincial minimum).

Homes allowed on a house lot (provincial minimum): a house and a secondary suite or garden suite
Short-term rentals: The Province's principal residence requirement doesn't apply in Central Okanagan West (list in force from June 1, 2026).
In the farmland reserve (ALR): 5.7% typical rural area: 4%

Living here

No scheduled buses, no licensed child care on the Province's list, 2 fire halls and a 24-hour emergency department 18 km away.

Homes with 50/10 Mbps internet or faster: 99% typical rural area: 81%
Homes with LTE mobile coverage: 99.9%
Nearest emergency department open around the clock: Vernon, 18 km in a straight line
Fire halls: 2 on the Province's list; the nearest 700 m from the middle of the area's addresses at North Westside
Buses: no scheduled buses
Licensed child care: none on the Province's list
Crime, weighted for how serious it is: no police service of its own in Statistics Canada's figures: those of the Kelowna RCMP detachment (rural) are under More

Internet

99% of homes in Central Okanagan West have 50/10 Mbps or faster recorded, wired or fixed wireless, against 97.6% across BC. 0.4% have nothing at 25/5 Mbps or faster.

	Share of homes here	BC
50/10 Mbps or faster, wired or fixed wireless	99%	97.6%
50/10 Mbps or faster over a wired line	93.8%	96.2%
50/10 Mbps or faster over fixed wireless	78%	87%
Nothing at 25/5 Mbps or faster	0.4%	1.4%
LTE mobile coverage	99.9%	99.1%
Homes counted (2021)	1,852	2,170,255
Rank in BC, homes without 50/10 Mbps	158th of 248 (tied)

This is the service providers report to the federal government (ISED), counted over each area's homes in the 2021 census. It isn't a promise for any address: ask providers whether they serve it and what it costs to connect. Satellite service, which needs only a clear view of the sky, isn't counted. Data released May 2026. What internet can a given lot get?

Source: National Broadband Data (May 2026) and Pseudo-Household Demographic Distribution (2021), Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).

Nearest hospital

The nearest hospital on the Province's list (updated 2026-10-01) is Vernon Jubilee Hospital, about 18 km in a straight line from the middle of the area's addresses at North Westside. Its emergency department's hours on HealthLink BC's list: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Roads are longer than these straight lines, and a small town's emergency department can close for a shift when it's short of staff: the health authority posts these as service changes. In an emergency, call 9-1-1. How far is the nearest hospital from a property?

Source: Hospitals in BC, HealthLinkBC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Emergency Rooms in BC, HealthLinkBC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia).

Fire protection

In Central Okanagan West, a fire department answers calls only inside the fire protection area its service bylaw sets, so a hall nearby doesn't by itself mean a lot is covered: ask the Central Okanagan Regional District which department responds, if any. The Province's list (updated 2026-09-11) has two fire halls in Central Okanagan West: North Westside Road Volunteer Fire Department and Wilson's Landing Fire Department. The nearest to the middle of the area's addresses at North Westside is North Westside Road Volunteer Fire Department, about 700 m away in a straight line. Home insurers ask the road distance to the hall that responds, which can be far longer than the straight line. How far is the nearest fire hall, and what insurers ask

Source: First Responders (fire halls and ambulance stations), GeoBC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia).

Crime

The Kelowna RCMP detachment (rural) reported a crime severity index of 110 in 2025, above BC's 92; up 12% since 2015 (BC unchanged).

Crime severity index, 2025	110 (BC 92)
Violent / non-violent index	104 / 113 (BC 98 / 91)
Crime severity index, 2015	98 (BC 93)
Change since 2015	Up 12% (BC unchanged)
Break and enter, per 100,000 people, 2025	371 (BC 281)
Theft of a vehicle, per 100,000 people, 2025	261 (BC 138)
Theft from a vehicle, per 100,000 people, 2025	449 (BC 441)
Violent crime, per 100,000 people, 2025	1,968 (BC 1,531)
All Criminal Code offences (not traffic), per 100,000 people, 2025	9,556 (BC 6,943)

Inferred: the nearest RCMP rural detachment Statistics Canada publishes figures for, about 21 km away. BC's police boundaries aren't open data, so the detachment that actually polices this place may be another.

The crime severity index weighs each offence by how serious it is (one assault counts for more than several thefts), with Canada in 2006 set at 100. Rates are per 100,000 people living in the police service's area, so places with many visitors, commuters or seasonal homes read high, and in small places a few incidents swing the figures a lot. These are crimes reported to police, not all crime.

Source: Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0063-01, Crime severity index and weighted clearance rates, police services in British Columbia (Statistics Canada Open Licence); Statistics Canada, Table 35-10-0184-01, Incident-based crime statistics, by detailed violations, police services in British Columbia (Statistics Canada Open Licence).

Water

162 water-supply wells on record; half are deeper than 68 m, and the median tested yield is 38 L/min.

Water-supply wells on record: 162; half deeper than 68 m; median tested yield 38 L/min
Rank in BC for well depth: 38th of 245 (tied)

Mapped aquifers

10 mapped aquifers lie in Central Okanagan West, most wells first.

1Aquifer 1020: East face of Sugarloaf Mountainfractured crystalline bedrock35 wells · low productivity
2Aquifer 938: Hayman Mountain, south of Lambly Creekfractured crystalline bedrock27 wells · low productivity
3Aquifer 861: Lower Peachland Creek watershedflat-lying to gently-dipping volcanic bedrock16 wells · low productivity
4Aquifer 939: Wilson Landingfractured crystalline bedrock15 wells · high productivity
5Aquifer 863: North Trepanier Creek Valley north of Peachlandfractured crystalline bedrock15 wells · low productivity
6Aquifer 864: Trepanier Creek and Jack Creek, north of Peachlandconfined sand and gravel (glacial)11 wells · moderate productivity
7Aquifer 941: West side of Okanagan Lake; near Ceasarsfractured crystalline bedrock7 wells · low productivity
8Aquifer 358: Fintry Fan, Short Creekunconfined sand and gravel (alluvial or colluvial fan)6 wells · high productivity
9Aquifer 940: Hayman Mountain, north of Lambly Creekfractured crystalline bedrock4 wells · low productivity
10Aquifer 1019: Fintry Provincial Parkunconfined sand and gravel (late glacial outwash)4 wells · moderate productivity

An aquifer is listed for each place that holds at least a twentieth of it, so a sliver of one at the edge can be left out. Wells and productivity are for the whole aquifer, which can reach well beyond Central Okanagan West. The province maps aquifers mostly in settled valleys, so a lot outside every outline can still have groundwater. Every mapped aquifer in BC · sampled lakes.

Sampled lakes

2 sampled lakes lie in Central Okanagan West (one only partly), largest first.

1Okanagan Lake350 km² · 21% of it hereclarity 4.6 m (2012–2025)
2Unnamed lake in the Okanagan River watershed (sampled as “McDonald Lake”)5.8 hatoo few readings to judge

A lake is listed for each place that holds at least a twentieth of it or 100 ha of it. Clarity is the median summer Secchi depth; the nutrient class is our reading of Carlson's index from phosphorus or chlorophyll, not a provincial rating. Either is given only for a lake with at least 10 summer readings from open water, spread over at least 3 different years, since 2012. Most lakes have never been sampled, so a lake missing here may simply have no record. Every sampled lake in BC.

Source: Groundwater wells (GWELLS), Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Ground Water Aquifers, Water Protection and Sustainability Branch, Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); BC Environmental Monitoring Data System (EnMoDS) results, Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).

Climate and sun

January averages −0.5 °C and July 20.7 °C, with 69 cm of snow a year, at the Okanagan Centre station, 15 km from North Westside (1981-2010 normals).

January mean temperature: -0.5 °C* typical rural area: −1.2 °C
July mean temperature: 20.7 °C*
Yearly precipitation: 425 mm*
Yearly snowfall: 69 cm* typical rural area: 88 cm
Days a year over 30 °C: 18 days* typical rural area: 7

Winter sun

About 6 h 10 min of possible direct sun on December 21 at the middle of the area's addresses at North Westside, against 7 h 50 min on open ground; a lot on a slope or bench can differ by hours: open any lot's report for its own.

On March 21, 9 h 40 min against 12 h; on June 21, 13 h 10 min against 16 h 10 min. Our estimate from the terrain around the point, ground at about 364 m, seen from head height: trees, buildings and cloud aren't counted. On BC's least winter sun ranking (December sun as a share of open ground) it is 118th of 310 (tied). How winter sun is read.

The skyline from the middle of the area's addresses at North Westside, from NRCan's elevation model every 5°, and the sun's path on December 21, March 21 and June 21: solid where the sun clears the hills, dotted where they hide it. Angles are drawn true to scale.

Land use around

No major project in assessment or approved in or near Central Okanagan West on the Environmental Assessment Office's register; 20% of its land is under mineral, placer or coal titles.

Major projects in assessment or approved, in or within 5 km: none on the register
Under mineral, placer or coal titles: 20%
Who holds them: Largest company holders: Ximen Mining Corp (31% of the land under title), Glenrosa Gold Mining Corp. (16%), Glencore Canada Corporation (11%); private individuals hold titles over 21% of it, on the Province's record as of October 29, 2026.

Major projects in Central Okanagan West

No major project in assessment or approved is placed in Central Okanagan West or within 5 km of it on the Environmental Assessment Office's register.

Not assessed or closed: 2 projects found to need no assessment, withdrawn, terminated, refused, expired or not reviewable

Vintage Landing Resort and Wellness Village (golf resort, reviewed Nov 3, 2005: no assessment needed; about 1.6 km outside)
Mount Kathleen Wind Park (power plant, withdrawn 2016; about 3.2 km outside)

Major projects are those large enough to need a provincial environmental assessment: mines, power plants, pipelines, transmission lines, highways, ports and resorts. The register places each at one point; a mine, pipeline or line can reach well past it, so check the project's own page for its maps. A property report lists those within 10 km of a lot; every project in BC by place.

Source: Environmental Assessment Office project points (EPIC), Province of BC, as of 2026-11-02 (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).

The BC Energy Regulator maps about 4.2 km of active oil and gas pipeline in Central Okanagan West, permitted to FortisBC Energy Inc. A report lists any pipeline within 200 m of a lot, and flags one within 30 m, where digging needs the permit holder's agreement. Pipelines in BC, by place.

The Province lists 8 active waste discharge authorizations in Central Okanagan West; the commonest kinds: sewage treatment or discharge site (5), composting site (1) and landfill, transfer station or other solid waste site (1). Of these, 6 may discharge effluent to water or land and 1 refuse to land. A report lists any within 2 km of a lot, and flags one whose point is on it. Permitted discharges in BC, by place.

On ParcelMap BC, the land in Central Okanagan West is 4% private, 8% Crown land with a parcel drawn (5% with no title); no parcel is mapped over 88%, likely most of it untitled Crown land, with lakes and road allowances. A report says who owns the land along a lot's line. Crown land next to a property, and every place's land by owner.

The Ministry of Forests maps 10 active Crown range tenures (10 grazing) reaching into Central Okanagan West, over 63% of its area, licensed for about 50,291 animal unit months of grazing a year in all. Outside a pound district, keeping livestock off a lot is the owner's fence to build. A report lists any tenure within 1 km of a lot. Open range and grazing in BC, by place.

The Province maps 9 registered traplines over 93% of the area and one guide outfitter territory over 88% in Central Okanagan West. The maps are drawn over titled land too, but traplines are registered on Crown land: on titled land, anyone but the owner or occupier needs their written permission to trap. A report says whether either takes in a lot. Traplines and guiding territories in BC, by place.

Central Okanagan West lies in wildlife management units 8-11 (55%), 8-8 (34%), 8-21 (10%): the Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis sets seasons and closed areas by unit. Hunting and shooting on your own property.

BC Parks maps 5 parks and protected areas (Bear Creek Park, a provincial park; Eneas Lakes Park, a provincial park; Fintry Park, a provincial park; Fintry Protected Area; and 1 more) reaching into Central Okanagan West, over 5% of its land. Recreation Sites and Trails BC lists 11 sites there. A report names the nearest park and recreation site within 25 km of a lot. Parks and recreation sites in BC, by place.

Check one lot: is there a mineral claim? · power lines nearby? · pipelines nearby? · a gravel pit nearby? · a landfill or plant nearby? · logging planned nearby? · cattle on open range? · is there a trapline? · can I hunt on it? · a park nearby? · Crown land next door?

Source: Mineral, placer and coal tenures, Mineral Titles Branch (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).

People Stands out

Growth: the fastest-growing of BC's 125 rural electoral areas with 1,000 people or more in 2016 and 2021. +45.5% from 2016 to 2021, compared with +6.3% in a typical rural area.

	Here	BC
Population, 2021	2,897	5,000,879
Change since 2016	+45.5%	+7.6%
Median age	54.8	42.8
Under 15	10.9%	14.3%
65 and over	25.0%	20.3%
Median household income (2020)	$85,000	$85,000
Homes owned by the people living in them	89.1%	66.8%
Single-detached houses	96.1%	42.4%
Movable dwellings (mobile homes and the like)	1.9%	2.5%
Built before 1961	3.5%	12.5%
Needing major repairs	4.7%	5.8%
Median home value (owners' estimate)	$645,000	$785,000
Median monthly rent	$960	$1,370
Worked from home	21.9%	22.6%
Unemployment rate	11.6%	8.4%

Bars: the dark bar is this place, the red mark is BC.

Who lives here

	Here	BC
Indigenous identity	8.9%	5.9%
Immigrants	12.9%	29.0%
Visible minority	2.4%	34.4%
No religion or a secular outlook	53.4%	52.1%

Census figures, shown for context like the others. We don't rank or score places on these.

	1981-2010 normals	Rank in BC
January mean temperature	-0.5 °C*	Not ranked*
July mean temperature	20.7 °C*	Not ranked*
Yearly precipitation	425 mm*
Yearly snowfall	69 cm*	Not ranked*
Days a year over 30 °C	18 days; 1.4 days over 35 °C*	Not ranked*
Wettest day in the station's record to 2010	43.7 mm of rain and melted snow, July 26, 1955
Most snow in a day in the station's record to 2010	41 cm, February 20, 1937
Deepest snow on the ground in the station's record to 2010	35 cm, December 31, 1996
Heating degree days, below 18 °C	3,285 a year*
Growing degree days, above 5 °C	2,274 a year; 1,234 above 10 °C*