PlaceDossier / BC places / Okanagan-Similkameen
Okanagan-Similkameen, Electoral Area B
An electoral area of the Okanagan-Similkameen Regional District. 1,151 people lived here in 2021, up 9.9% from 2016, on 242 km² of land. It takes in Cawston.
BC place · electoral area
How Area B compares with BC's other rural areas
- Wildfire: the most land burned since 1996 of BC's 159 rural electoral areas. 50% of its land, compared with 2% in a typical rural area.
- Summers: tied for the 4th most hot days of BC's 100 rural electoral areas with a climate station nearby. 32 days a year over 30 °C, compared with 7 in a typical rural area.
Typical for its size No scheduled buses, 1 licensed child care provider, the nearest fire hall 6 km away and a 24-hour emergency department 16 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.
Hazards Stands out
Wildfire: the most land burned since 1996 of BC's 159 rural electoral areas. 50% of its land, compared with 2% in a typical rural area.
- Burned by wildfire since 1996
- 50% typical rural area: 2%
- Years with a mapped wildfire since 1917
- 40, the latest 2023
- Evacuation events since April 2017
- no order to leave, 5 with alerts only; the latest August 2023
- Radon: homes tested at or above the guideline in its health region
- 17% in Okanagan (BC: 7.9%)
More on hazards
Its land, ranked in BC
| Here | Rank in BC | |
|---|---|---|
| In the farmland reserve (ALR) | 17% | 89th of 267 (tied) |
| Burned by wildfire since 1996 | 50% | 3rd of 215 |
| Years with a mapped wildfire since 1917 | 40 | most recent 2023 |
| Under mineral, placer or coal titles | 3.9% | 161st of 219 (tied) |
| Land area | 242 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, 5 wildfires of 1,000 ha or more burned in Area B, together 10,873 ha, 45% of its land (ground that burned twice counts once). The most here was unnamed fire K51238 in 2018, 7,737 ha.
- 2023Crater Creek wildfire44,325 ha in BC · 6% of it here2,551 ha here
- 2023Eagle Bluff wildfire7,107 ha in BC · 13% of it here895 ha here
- 2018Unnamed fire K5123819,226 ha in all · 40% of it here7,737 ha here
- 2015Testalinden Creek wildfire5,202 ha in all · 1% of it here76 ha here
- 1994Unnamed fire K501232,703 ha in all · 14% of it here368 ha here
Smaller mapped fires since 2016
Since 2016, the BC Wildfire Service mapped 8 smaller fires (under 1,000 ha) that reached Area B, newest first.
- 2022Richter Mountain wildfire79 ha in all79 ha here
- 2021Nighthawk wildfire1.1 ha in all1.1 ha here
- 2020Unnamed fire K5004916 ha in all16 ha here
- 2019Unnamed fire K50271508 ha in all508 ha here
- 2019Richter Mountain wildfire387 ha in all387 ha here
- 2018Unnamed fire K510392.2 ha in all2.2 ha here
- 2017Cawston wildfire112 ha in all · 64% of it here72 ha here
- 2017Unnamed fire K506301.2 ha in all1.2 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, Area B's land is 73% NDT4 (burned often and lightly, every 4 to 50 years), 24% NDT3 (burned in large fires about every 100 to 150 years) and 3% NDT5 (alpine tundra and subalpine parkland). Its main biogeoclimatic zones are Interior Douglas-fir (38%), Bunchgrass (18%), Ponderosa Pine (17%), Engelmann Spruce–Subalpine Fir (16%) and Montane Spruce (10%). 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 3 wildfire events with an evacuation order or alert over Area B, alerts only. The latest: Gillanders Creek and Crater Creek, August 2023.
- 2023Gillanders Creek and Crater CreekAugust 2023 · evacuation alert · Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen
- 2018Cattle Removal West Side Similkameen ValleyAugust 2018 · evacuation alert · Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen
- 2018Snowy Mtn WildfireJuly 2018 · evacuation alert · Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen291 homes
Listed when an order or alert area covered at least 5% of the land in Area B, or lay mostly in Area B 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 Area B. 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
Since April 2017, the Province's record holds 2 flood events with an evacuation order or alert over Area B, alerts only. The latest: Similkameen Flooding, December 2021.
- 2021Similkameen FloodingDecember 2021 · evacuation alert (flood) · Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen37 homes
- 2018Electoral Area "B" (Cawston)May 2018 · evacuation alert (flood) · Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen356 homes
Listed when an order or alert area covered at least 5% of the land in Area B, or lay mostly in Area B 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 Area B. 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.
5 landslides are recorded inside Area B in the Preliminary Canadian Landslide Database (version 14.0): 3 debris flows and 2 rock slides. The latest with a date of its own: a debris flow, 3 May 2023 (listed under “Robert Creek (Snowy Mountain Fire - K51238- 2018)”). 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 maps about 3.8 km of dikes in Area B, along Similkameen River; the longest are the Similkameen River Keremeos Creek to Beecroft Road dike, the Similkameen River, Lower Keremeos Creek dike and the Similkameen River Keremeos to Keremeos Creek dike. All of it is orphaned, with no local authority responsible. A dike lowers the chance of a flood behind it, not to nothing; a report names the dikes within 1 km of a lot and who maintains them. Dikes in BC, by place.
The Province lists 2 dams in Area B, none classed High or above for the harm a failure would do downstream. One of them is 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.
No Water Survey of Canada gauge with 5 or more years of yearly peaks stands in Area B. Just outside it, Testalinden Creek In Canyon had its highest peak, 0.9 m³/s, in 1972 (11 years on record). 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.
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)
- $500,000
- Median monthly rent (2021)
- $750
- Speculation and vacancy tax
- doesn't apply here
More on cost to own
Property tax
In Area B, the Province collects the property tax. At 2026 rates every home here pays at least $3.76 per $1,000 of assessed value: about $3,762 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 $2.92 per $1,000 each; which ones cover a given lot is on its tax notice.
- Regional district (the electoral area's share) $1.20
- Regional hospital district $0.23
- School (set by the Province) $1.72
- Provincial rural tax $0.39
- Police tax $0.19
- Other $0.04
On $500,000: at least about $1,881 a year; on $1,000,000: at least about $3,762, 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).
Area B 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 Cawston, nearest first.
| Listing | Asking price | Size | Per acre | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 696 Lowe DriveCawston, listed 220 days ago | $1,089,000 | 6.1 acres | $178,525 an acre | 700 m |
| 1969 Osprey LaneCawston, listed 58 days ago | $899,000 | 4 acres | $224,750 an acre | 800 m |
| 2025 Surprise DrCawston, listed 76 days ago | $1,999,000 | 12.8 acres | $156,172 an acre | 900 m |
| 1911 Osprey LnCawston, listed 33 days ago | $740,000 | 5 acres | $148,000 an acre | 1.3 km |
| 2185 Newton RoadCawston, listed 163 days ago | $899,900 | 4.75 acres | $189,453 an acre | 1.3 km |
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
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 Area B (list in force from June 1, 2026).
- In the farmland reserve (ALR)
- 17% typical rural area: 4%
More on what you can build
In Area B, a zone limited to detached houses must allow at least one secondary suite or detached accessory home (a garden suite or carriage house) next to a house. A floor of 3 or 4 homes applies on rural land only inside an urban containment boundary drawn in a regional growth strategy, and most rural land is outside one. None of it applies on land in an Islands Trust local trust area or under a rural land use bylaw, and in the Agricultural Land Reserve the Commission's limits come first. How many homes you can build on a lot.
The Province's principal residence requirement doesn't apply in Area B (list in force from June 1, 2026), so the provincial rule doesn't limit short-term rentals to the host's home. Local bylaws, including the zone's own rules, can be stricter. Hosts anywhere in BC register each unit with the provincial registry. Short-term rental rules in BC.
Reports for lots in Area B can't name the zone: we have no open zoning map for it (see the places covered).
Ask the Okanagan-Similkameen Regional District for a lot's zone and what it allows.
The federal boundaries put 5 reserves of Lower Similkameen in or beside Area B. On reserve land the First Nation decides land use, not the local zoning bylaw; a report says when a lot is on reserve land or within 500 m of it. Reserve land in BC, by place.
The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen's building inspection doesn't cover Area B (Building Bylaw No. 2805, 2018): it issues no building permits there and nobody inspects new building for the BC Building Code. The BC Building Code applies everywhere all the same. Our reading of the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen's own page, checked 2026-10-07. Do you need a building permit on rural land?
Check one lot: is it in the ALR? · is the soil good for farming? · is it in a community watershed?
Source: Agricultural Land Reserve polygons, Agricultural Land Commission (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).
Living here Typical for its size
No scheduled buses, 1 licensed child care provider, the nearest fire hall 6 km away and a 24-hour emergency department 16 km away.
- Homes with 50/10 Mbps internet or faster
- 96% typical rural area: 81%
- Homes with LTE mobile coverage
- 99.6%
- Nearest emergency department open around the clock
- Oliver, 16 km in a straight line
- Fire halls
- none in the place; the nearest 6.1 km from Cawston
- Buses
- no scheduled buses
- Licensed child care
- 1 (1 group facility, 0 family homes)
- Crime, weighted for how serious it is
- no police service of its own in Statistics Canada's figures: those of the South Okanagan-Keremeos RCMP detachment (rural) are under More
More on living here
Internet
95.9% of homes in Area B have 50/10 Mbps or faster recorded, wired or fixed wireless, against 97.6% across BC. 1.4% have nothing at 25/5 Mbps or faster.
| Share of homes here | BC | |
|---|---|---|
| 50/10 Mbps or faster, wired or fixed wireless | 95.9% | 97.6% |
| 50/10 Mbps or faster over a wired line | 93.6% | 96.2% |
| 50/10 Mbps or faster over fixed wireless | 89% | 87% |
| Nothing at 25/5 Mbps or faster | 1.4% | 1.4% |
| LTE mobile coverage | 99.6% | 99.1% |
| Homes counted (2021) | 512 | 2,170,255 |
| Rank in BC, homes without 50/10 Mbps | 134th 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 South Okanagan General Hospital, Oliver, about 16 km in a straight line from Cawston. The nearest emergency department on HealthLink BC's list is Interior Health's emergency department in Keremeos, about 6.6 km away; hours on HealthLink BC's list: Mon to Sat 08:00 to 17:00. Physician on-call after hours. Call ahead to confirm availability. Closed statutory holidays. The nearest open 24 hours is that hospital. 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 Area B, 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 Okanagan-Similkameen Regional District which department responds, if any. The Province's list (updated 2026-09-11) has no fire hall in Area B. The nearest to Cawston is Keremeos Fire Department, about 6.1 km 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).
Child care
The Province lists 1 licensed group child care facility in Area B. By the ages their operators list, 1 takes preschool children. It takes part in the fee reduction (CCFRI). Family child care homes are counted but not named or mapped, since they are private homes. Many operators list no ages, and the list holds the licensed facilities the Province funds, so a licensed one without that funding isn't on it. A report on a lot names its nearest group facility and counts those within 1 and 2 km; ask each facility about spaces and its wait list.
Source: Child Care Map Data, Child Care Programs and Services (listed 2026-10-11) (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); placed by us in the 2021 census boundary 2026-10-11. Licensed child care in every BC place.
Crime
The South Okanagan-Keremeos RCMP detachment (rural) reported a crime severity index of 78 in 2025, below BC's 92; up 4% since 2015 (BC unchanged).
| Crime severity index, 2025 | 78 (BC 92) |
|---|---|
| Violent / non-violent index | 115 / 65 (BC 98 / 91) |
| Crime severity index, 2015 | 76 (BC 93) |
| Change since 2015 | Up 4% (BC unchanged) |
| Break and enter, per 100,000 people, 2025 | 187 (BC 281) |
| Theft of a vehicle, per 100,000 people, 2025 | 504 (BC 138) |
| Theft from a vehicle, per 100,000 people, 2025 | 131 (BC 441) |
| Violent crime, per 100,000 people, 2025 | 2,092 (BC 1,531) |
| All Criminal Code offences (not traffic), per 100,000 people, 2025 | 6,106 (BC 6,943) |
Inferred: the nearest RCMP rural detachment Statistics Canada publishes figures for, about 15 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
423 water-supply wells on record; half are deeper than 12 m, and the median tested yield is 227 L/min.
- Water-supply wells on record
- 423; half deeper than 12 m; median tested yield 227 L/min
- Rank in BC for well depth
- 229th of 245 (tied)
More on water
Mapped aquifers
3 mapped aquifers lie in Area B, most wells first.
- 1Aquifer 259: Similkameen River Aquiferunconfined sand and gravel (large river system)593 wells · high productivity
- 2Aquifer 258: Richter Passunconfined sand and gravel (alluvial or colluvial fan)8 wells · moderate productivity
- 3Aquifer 1113: Mount Kobaufractured crystalline bedrock2 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 Area B. 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
One sampled lake lies in Area B.
- 1Frank Lake13.8 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 Stands out
Summers: tied for the 4th most hot days of BC's 100 rural electoral areas with a climate station nearby. 32 days a year over 30 °C, compared with 7 in a typical rural area.
- January mean temperature
- -2 °C* typical rural area: −1.2 °C
- July mean temperature
- 20.9 °C*
- Yearly precipitation
- 325 mm*
- Yearly snowfall
- 69 cm* typical rural area: 88 cm
- Days a year over 30 °C
- 32 days* typical rural area: 7
Winter sun
About 5 h of possible direct sun on December 21 at Cawston, against 8 h 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 10 min against 12 h; on June 21, 14 h 10 min against 16 h. Our estimate from the terrain around the point, ground at about 396 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 50th of 310 (tied). How winter sun is read.
More on climate and sun
| 1981-2010 normals | Rank in BC | |
|---|---|---|
| January mean temperature | -2 °C* | Not ranked* |
| July mean temperature | 20.9 °C* | Not ranked* |
| Yearly precipitation | 325 mm* | |
| Yearly snowfall | 69 cm* | Not ranked* |
| Days a year over 30 °C | 32 days; 3.9 days over 35 °C* | Not ranked* |
| Wettest day in the station's record to 2010 | 45.8 mm of rain and melted snow, May 26, 1998 | |
| Most snow in a day in the station's record to 2010 | 37 cm, February 21, 1937 | |
| Deepest snow on the ground in the station's record to 2010 | 40 cm, January 23, 1982 | |
| Heating degree days, below 18 °C | 3,345 a year* | |
| Growing degree days, above 5 °C | 2,383 a year; 1,319 above 10 °C* |
Normals for 1981-2010 at the Keremeos 2 station, about 6 km from Cawston (of the communities here with a station within 30 km, the one with the most addresses); ECCC has no fuller 1991-2020 set for it. Its normals don't include the frost-free period or days with snow on the ground, so those are left out. * Based on at least 15 of the 30 years, short of the World Meteorological Organization's standard: treat as a rougher guide. The records are single days measured at the station: the most rain, snow and wind it saw in its record up to 2010 (ECCC's 1981-2010 sets give records over the station's whole history, so some dates are older than 1981). Each is one event, not what to expect in a year, and the lot can get more or less than the station. Elevation matters a lot in BC: a hillside lot can be much colder and snowier than the station.
Plant hardiness zone: most homes here are in zone 6b (96%), on Natural Resources Canada's 2025 map. Higher numbers are milder winters. What the zones mean.
Solar panels: a south-facing panel tilted at the latitude would make about 1,080 kWh a year for each kW of panels at Cawston, about 43 of it in December (estimated from Natural Resources Canada's 1998-2022 sunshine map). An open sky is assumed: the hills, trees and buildings around a lot cut it, and a report sets the lot's own skyline beside it. What solar panels would make in BC.
By the 2050s (2041-2070) at Cawston, climate models project about 20 more days over 30 °C a year, a longest frost-free run about 40 days longer and about 16 percentage points less of winter's precipitation falling as snow, each against the same models' 1971-2000 (model projections under SSP2-4.5, a middle path for emissions). The models work on a grid of about 9 by 6 km, which averages valley floors with the slopes around them, so their own figures can sit well off a station's normals and aren't comparable with them. Their own figures there: about 29 days over 30 °C a year in 2041-2070 (range 22 to 50 across the models), against about 9 days in 1971-2000; a longest frost-free run of about 190 days (range 165 to 215), against about 150; and about 58% of winter's precipitation falling as snow (range 46% to 62%), against about 74%. The ranges run from the 10th to the 90th percentile of the models' 2041-2070 figures. The 2050s across BC.
Light at night within 1 km of Cawston: faint, as around Wells or Lytton (our reading), and darker than about 90% of BC's homes (2024 satellite record). A lot away from the centre can be much darker. How dark are BC's nights?
Lightning: around Cawston, a cloud-to-ground flash within 10 km on about 9 days a year and 0.19 flashes per km² a year, more than at 3 in 4 BC homes (the Canadian Lightning Detection Network, 1998-2025 average, on a grid of about 11 by 7 km).
Source: Canadian Climate Normals 1991-2020 and 1981-2010, Environment and Climate Change Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Plant hardiness zones of Canada (2025 map), Natural Resources Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Medium Resolution Digital Elevation Model (MRDEM-30), Natural Resources Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Solar position: General Solar Position Calculations (NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory; Spencer, 1971) (Public domain); Daily average solar irradiance on tilted surfaces for all of Canada (1998-2022), Natural Resources Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Photovoltaic Potential and Solar Resource Maps of Canada (performance ratio), Natural Resources Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Statistically downscaled climate indices from CMIP6 global climate models (CanDCS-M6), Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium, via the Canadian Centre for Climate Services (Open Government Licence – Canada); VIIRS Nighttime Lights, 2024 annual composite, Earth Observation Group, Payne Institute for Public Policy, Colorado School of Mines (Elvidge et al. 2021, Remote Sensing 13(5):922), via Hengl, OpenGeoHub, Zenodo doi 10.5281/zenodo.7750174 (CC BY 4.0); Canadian Lightning Detection Network cloud-to-ground flashes (CanCPLDv1), Environment and Climate Change Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada).
Land use around
No major project in assessment or approved in or near Area B on the Environmental Assessment Office's register; 3.9% 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
- 3.9%
- Who holds them
- No company holds a title here; private individuals hold titles over 100% of it, on the Province's record as of October 29, 2026.
More on land use around
Major projects in Area B
No major project in assessment or approved is placed in Area B or within 5 km of it on the Environmental Assessment Office's register.
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 2.2 km of active oil and gas pipeline in Area B, 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 4 active waste discharge authorizations in Area B; the commonest kinds: vehicle dismantling and recycling yard (2), fruit or vegetable processing plant (1) and fuel storage or distribution site (1). Of these, 1 may discharge effluent to water or 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 Area B is 21% private, 14% Crown land with a parcel drawn (11% with no title), 3% federal; no parcel is mapped over 62%, 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 9 active Crown range tenures (9 grazing) reaching into Area B, over 69% of its area, licensed for about 7,050 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 3 registered traplines over nearly all of the area and 2 guide outfitter territories over 91% in Area B. 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.
Area B lies in wildlife management units 8-2 (50%), 8-3 (49%): the Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis sets seasons and closed areas by unit. Hunting and shooting on your own property.
BC Parks maps 2 parks and protected areas (Snowy Protected Area; and South Okanagan Grasslands Protected Area) reaching into Area B, over 42% of its land. 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
1,151 people in 2021, up 9.9% from 2016; the median age is 50.4.
| Here | BC | |
|---|---|---|
| Population, 2021 | 1,151 | 5,000,879 |
| Change since 2016 | +9.9% | +7.6% |
| Median age | 50.4 | 42.8 |
| Under 15 | 12.1% | 14.3% |
| 65 and over | 26.8% | 20.3% |
| Median household income (2020) | $66,000 | $85,000 |
| Homes owned by the people living in them | 79.8% | 66.8% |
| Single-detached houses | 91.5% | 42.4% |
| Movable dwellings (mobile homes and the like) | 6.4% | 2.5% |
| Built before 1961 | 22.3% | 12.5% |
| Needing major repairs | 11.7% | 5.8% |
| Median home value (owners' estimate) | $500,000 | $785,000 |
| Median monthly rent | $750 | $1,370 |
| Worked from home | 40.2% | 22.6% |
| Unemployment rate | 7.2% | 8.4% |
Bars: the dark bar is this place, the red mark is BC.
Who lives here
| Here | BC | |
|---|---|---|
| Indigenous identity | 8.5% | 5.9% |
| Immigrants | 17.9% | 29.0% |
| Visible minority | 16.7% | 34.4% |
| No religion or a secular outlook | 57.3% | 52.1% |
Census figures, shown for context like the others. We don't rank or score places on these.
More on people
Census figures are from 2021; the next census results start in 2027. Area boundaries are Statistics Canada's census subdivisions, which follow municipal and electoral area lines. The places named at the top are the official place names in the area (BC Geographical Names) with the most 2021 homes nearer them than any other name, on ISED's home points: our reading.
Source: Census of Population 2021, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence); BC Geographical Names, Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Pseudo-Household Demographic Distribution (2021), Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada).