Penticton ( ) is a city in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada, situated between Okanagan and Skaha lakes. In the 2021 Canadian Census, its population was 36,885, while its census agglomeration population was 47,380.
Name origin The name Penticton is derived from the Okanagan word . It is conventionally translated as "a place to stay forever" but is actually a reference to the year-round flow of Okanagan Lake through Penticton where it enters Skaha Lake. Differing accounts of the meaning are given in the BC Geographical Names entry for the city:
History
The site of the city was first settled by the Syilx (Okanagan people), of the Interior Salish languages group,Breese-Biagioni (1998), p. 10 who initially named the community Phthauntac, meaning the "ideal meeting place", followed by Penticton, meaning a "place to stay forever", or officially "a place where people live year-round" in the Okanagan language. They settled around the city's two lakes: Skaha Lake and Okanagan Lake; the former was originally known as Dog Lake. Their descendants form the Penticton Indian Band, a First Nations government part of the Okanagan Nation Alliance situated near Penticton.
In 1866, Irishman Thomas Ellis and his family travelled to Penticton, and became the first white settlers. He started to develop a community by building a cattle empire, and planting fruit trees. The Penticton Hotel was established in 1892 by Ellis, who positioned it around the local government area, and its first road: Front Street. The sidewalks on the street were made from wood, with coal oil lamps being introduced to the sidewalk. Ellis and his relatives retired in 1892, and sold a portion of their land to property dealers. Around this time, a number of European fur traders travelled through Penticton and the surrounding communities.
The sternwheeler SS Aberdeen, which began service on Okanagan Lake in 1892, meant that more services could be shipped to the area. A group of residents formed their own local public government board for the community, by 1907, in the hopes of promoting the area. It was referred to as the Board of Trade, who attempted to specialize in arts, commerce, education, and recreation. Another sternwheeler was constructed at Okanagan Landing and launched that same year, the SS Okanagan, for use on Okanagan Lake, while other sternwheelers served Penticton and other communities on Skaha Lake.
Penticton was incorporated as a district municipality on December 31, 1908.Breese-Biagioni (1998), p. 11 Shortly after the district was incorporated, the fruit trees planted by Ellis, many of them apple trees, started to grow. Residents of the area packed fruit in boxes, so they could distribute it worldwide. In 1912, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) developed the Incola Hotel for the city, which operated for approximately 70 years. The Penticton Aquatic Club was a center of entertainment.
During World War I, the SS Sicamous came to the community, while the Kettle Valley Railway train service began operating, by moving specific passengers. In 1949, Penticton purchased the ship from the Canadian Pacific Railway. The Penticton Regional Airport was developed during World War II due to wartime military air transportation concerns, which acted as an emergency landing strip until its tarmac was completed.McGrath (1992) Its land was expropriated from the Penticton Indian Band in 1949 under the War Measures Act.
In 1948, a provincial highway opened between Hope and Princeton, which allowed access to Penticton, and created competition for the Kettle Valley Railway; headquarters for the railway were chosen to be in Penticton, in 1910, but the location burnt down in 1964. Much of the railroad's original route has been converted to a multi-use recreational trail, known as the Kettle Valley Rail Trail, which carries the Trans Canada Trail through this part of British Columbia.Langford (2002), p. 85 It was incorporated as a city on May 10, 1948, with the Governor General of Canada declaring this. Reeve Robert Lyon served Penticton as the first mayor, while Lord Alexander was made a freeman of the city.
During a series of church fires in 2021–thought to be associated with the outrage following the discovery of many purported burials at Canadian Indian residential school sites–Sacred Heart Mission Church in Penticton was burned on 21 June 2021. Sacred Heart Mission was one of two Catholic churches burned that day, the other roughly 40 minutes away on Osoyoos land.
Geography
Penticton is located at the geographical coordinates of and covers an area of , with a maximum north–south distance of wide between the Okanagan Lake to the north and Skaha Lake to the south; these lakes are part of the drainage system of the Okanagan River, a tributary of the Columbia River. Its borders are formed by Skaha Lake Road to the south and west, which changes to Highway 97 after city limits, Naramata Road to the east, and to the west, Highway 97. Penticton has an elevation of , and is situated five hours from Seattle, Washington, and Vancouver, British Columbia in another direction; and eight hours from Calgary, Alberta, by highway.
Topography Penticton is the largest city by area and population in, and the seat of, the Okanagan-Similkameen Regional District, which is part of the Okanagan as a whole, for which the city is the third largest in the region. It is the 21st largest settlement in British Columbia itself by population, while its metropolitan area, including the city plus Okanagan-Similkameen Electoral Area D, serves as the 71st largest in Canada; by area, Penticton ranks 20th in its province; statistics are based on the 2011 Canadian Census. It lies at the south bottom of Okanagan Lake, and north beginning of Skaha Lake. Between Okanagan Lake and Skaha Lake are a number of residential areas, farms, which grow orchard and wine products.
Pine and fir are commonly found in the mountains and high country around Penticton, which include the Okanagan Highland, and to its east, the Monashee Mountains. Apex Mountain Resort, which sits west of the city on the Thompson Plateau, is home to the tallest mountain peak in the Penticton area; ski services are offered. The Okanagan Highland is an intermediary plateau-like hilly country between the Okanagan Valley and the Monashee Mountains.
Climate
Penticton has a semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification: BSk). Penticton has low precipitation, hot summer days with cool nights, and moderately cool, mostly cloudy winters. With of annual precipitation, Penticton is the fourth driest city in Canada. It averages of snowfall per year. Penticton has the mildest winter of any non-coastal city in Canada.
The high daytime temperatures throughout the summer means that Penticton has on average the second most number of days in a year over (after Kamloops) and the city has the lowest amount of fog in Canada. Penticton experiences 1,923 sunshine hours annually, lower than one might expect in a dry climate. This is the result of temperature inversions during the winter that leave a layer of cloud cover at the top of the valley where warm moist air collides with the cooler dry air that fills the valley. During December and January, Penticton is one of the cloudiest places in Canada. By contrast, the summer months are some of the most cloud-free in the country. Overall the sun shines for 39 per cent of daylight hours, varying between a low of 13 per cent in December and January to 62.6 per cent in August.
Mean relative humidity hovers between 63–77 per cent in the morning throughout the year, but afternoon mean relative humidity is more uneven, ranging from 36 per cent in July to 69 per cent in January and December. The local and upcoming weather of Penticton is observed at the Penticton Regional Airport by Environment and Climate Change Canada. It typically experiences four distinct seasons annually, having hot summers, relatively mild winters, and little snow, according to the British Columbia government based on statistics from Environment and Climate Change Canada. Despite having a mild winter by Canadian standards, Penticton often sees moderate stretches of below freezing weather, typically confined to December and January.
The highest temperature ever recorded in Penticton was on June 30, 2021, and the lowest was on January 13, 2024.
Demographics
In the 2021 Canadian census conducted by Statistics Canada, Penticton had a population of 36,885 living in 17,361 of its 18,457 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 33,761. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.
In 2016. Penticton has a dwelling occupancy rate of 93.2 per cent. The median value of a private dwelling is $359,167, just under the national median of $374,975. The median age is 52.4, much higher than the national median age of 41.2. 29.0 per cent of residents are 65 years or older, compared to 16.9 per cent nationally. In 2024, the median value of a single family home is priced at $750,000 CAD.
Ethnicity As of 2021, 84.3 per cent of residents are white, while 8.9 per cent are visible minorities, and 6.8 per cent are Indigenous. The largest visible minority groups in Penticton are South Asian (3.2 per cent), Filipino (1.4 per cent), Chinese (1.0 per cent), and Black (0.7 per cent), and Japanese (0.5 per cent).
Panethnic groups in the City of Penticton (2001−2021)Panethnic group20212016201120062001 European 30,110 28,000 28,050 28,510 27,990 Indigenous 2,420 2,220 2,005 990 960 South Asian 1,130 920 710 990 755 East Asian 685 490 295 420 485 Southeast Asian 670 500 280 280 305 African 265 95 120 20 65 Latin American 175 105 100 75 175 Middle Eastern 120 55 75 25 20 Other/multiracial 150 100 75 85 0 Total responses 35,725 32,490 31,720 31,390 30,740 Total population 36,885 33,761 32,877 31,909 30,985
Language As of 2016, 86.4 per cent of residents spoke English as their first language. Other common mother tongues are German (2.2 per cent), Punjabi (1.8 per cent), French (1.8 per cent), Portuguese (0.7 per cent) and Tagalog (0.6 per cent).
Religion According to the 2021 census, religious groups in Penticton included: Irreligion (19,645 persons or 55.0 per cent) Christianity (14,575 persons or 40.8 per cent) Sikhism (750 persons or 2.1 per cent) Hinduism (170 persons or 0.5 per cent) Buddhism (155 persons or 0.4 per cent) Islam (90 persons or 0.3 per cent) Judaism (60 persons or 0.2 per cent) Indigenous Spirituality (45 persons or 0.1 per cent)
As of 2011, 52.9 per cent of residents were Christian. The largest denominations were Catholic (15.8 per cent), other Christian (14.5 per cent) United Church (8.6 per cent), Anglican (4.7 per cent), and Baptist (2.0 per cent) The largest minority religions were Sikhism, practised by 1.7 per cent of the population and Buddhism, practised by 0.5 per cent, while 43.5 per cent held no religious affiliation.
Architecture According to SkyscraperPage, there are eight notable buildings in Penticton, the largest of which are the Lakeshore buildings, which are 15 floors, with the building's construction by concrete completing in 2008. The building is associated with an engineering organization, construction company, and real estate agency, but was made for residential use. At ten stories each, The Athens Creek Tower and Alysen Place are tied for Penticton's second-tallest building. The third-largest building, Cherry Lane Towers, is eight floors, and is also residential.
Public spaces