The Okanagan Country, also known as the Okanagan Valley, is a region located in the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. state of Washington (where it is spelled the Okanogan Country), defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Okanagan River. With an estimated 400,000 residents, the Okanagan Country spans from the Thompson Plateau near Grindrod, British Columbia in the Okanagan to the Okanagan Highland near Douglas County, Washington in the Okanogan. The largest city in the Canadian portion is Kelowna, with a metropolitan population of 222,162 residents as of 2021, while the largest city in the American portion is Omak, with 4,860 residents as of 2020. The region took its current name in honor of the Okanagan term, ukʷnaqín. The mild climate and close proximity to lakes, rivers and mountainous regions make the Okanagan Country an outdoor recreational destination. The region's economy is dominated by the primary sector industries of agriculture and forestry, although economic diversification has also occurred with retirement communities and recreational tourism. The U.S. portion is considered to be more remote than the Canadian division, with approximately 10 percent of the population.
Geography
The Shuswap Highland and Thompson Plateau, coming out of the unincorporated community of Grindrod, defines the northern border of the region; the terrain here is mountainous and hilly. The southern border is defined by Chelan, Douglas and Grant counties, although portions of these counties lie within the Okanagan Country. The Canada–United States border, which features an official crossing into Osoyoos from Oroville, separates the Okanagan and Okanogan subregions from each other. The Okanagan Highland and Okanagan Basin define the main geographic features, serving as plateau-like hilly areas. The Okanagan River and Okanagan Lake are the most prominent water features in the Okanagan Country, with a combined area of . According to Statistics Canada and the United States Census Bureau, the divided region comprises a total area of more than , larger than Belgium and Taiwan. The extended region within Chelan, Douglas and Grant divisions make a larger area. The largest municipality by area in the Okanagan Country is Spallumcheen, covering , making it larger than Seattle by land area. The southernmost community is Electric City, in Grant County. Other geographic features include Alta Lake, Columbia River, Cascade Mountains, Kalamalka Lake, North Gardner Mountain, Mahoney Lake, Mara Lake, McIntyre Bluff, Omak Lake, Osoyoos Lake, Similkameen River, Shuswap River, Skaha Lake, Swan Lake, Tuc-el-nuit Lake, Vaseaux Lake and Wood Lake.
Climate Like most of southern British Columbia and central Washington, the Okanagan Country experiences a semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSk), with little precipitation, hot summers and moderate winters. Northern communities have more precipitation and receive cooler temperatures. The city of Kelowna is generally considered to be a transition point between the semi-arid south and the somewhat wetter north, accompanied by a change in climate classification to humid continental (Dfb). Vegetation ranges from cactus and sagebrush in the southern portion, to cedar and hemlock trees in the northern portion. The region was affected by 1872 North Cascades earthquake, the state's largest historical earthquake, on December 14, 1872. The center of the earthquake was located at Omak Lake. The earthquake had a magnitude between 6.5 and 7.0 and was followed by an aftershock.
Municipalities
NameTypeRegionPopulation(2020)PercentArea (2011)Density (2011)(Pop./km2)IncorporatedArmstrong City North Okanagan 5,323 0% 920.0 1913Barney's Junction Designation Ferry County 114 % 1,452.7 Barstow Designation Ferry County 66 % 272.7 Boyds Designation Ferry County 34 % 452.4 Brewster City Okanogan County 1,983 0% 769.0 1910Bridgeport City Douglas County 2,141 % 885.8 1910Chelan City Chelan County 4,222 % 238.8 1902Conconully Town Okanogan County 193 % 261.5 1908Coldstream District North Okanagan 11,171 % 155.6 1906Coulee Dam Town Okanogan County 1,211 % 588.8 1959Curlew Designation Ferry County 105 % 403.0 Curlew Lake Designation Ferry County 512 % 274.2 Disautel Designation Okanogan County 47 % 54.0 Electric City City Grant County 956 % 219.8 1950Elmer City Town Okanogan County 239 % 437.6 1947Enderby City North Okanagan 3,028 % 690.0 1905Grand Coulee City Grant County 972 % 320.6 1935Inchelium Designation Ferry County 431 0% 6.0 Kaleden Designation Okanagan-Similkameen 1,186 % 283.6 Keller Designation Ferry County 229 % 63.7 Kelowna City Central Okanagan 144,576 % 553.8 1905Lake Country District Central Okanagan 15,817 % 95.8 1995Loomis Designation Okanogan County 161 % 72.0 Lumby Village North Okanagan 2,063 % 301.6 1955Malott Designation Okanogan County 464 % 685.0 Methow Designation Okanogan County 92 % 260.2 Naramata Designation Okanagan-Similkameen 1,628 % 206.2 Nespelem Town Okanogan County 236 % 479.6 1935Nespelem Community Designation Okanogan County 283 % 4.2 North Omak Designation Okanogan County 651 % 23.7 Olalla Designation Okanagan-Similkameen 415 0% 826.3 Oliver Town Okanagan-Similkameen 5,094 % 990.0 1945Okanagan Falls Designation Okanagan-Similkameen 2,266 % 840.0 Okanogan City Okanogan County 2,379 % 505.3 1907Omak City Okanogan County 4,860 % 545.4 1911Orient Designation Ferry County 75 % 689.4 Oroville City Okanogan County 1,795 % 396.9 1908Osoyoos Town Okanagan-Similkameen 5,556 % 553.1 1946Pateros City Okanogan County 593 % 525.6 1913Peachland District Central Okanagan 5,789 0% 330.2 1909Penticton City Okanagan-Similkameen 36,885 % 780.9 1908Republic City Ferry County 992 % 260.5 1900Pine Grove Designation Ferry County 129 % 697.2 Riverside Town Okanogan County 329 % 111.5 1913Spallumcheen District North Okanagan 5,307 % 19.8 1892Summerland District Okanagan-Similkameen 12,042 % 152.3 1906Tonasket City Okanogan County 1,103 % 498.1 1927Torboy Designation Ferry County 43 % 137.0 Twin Lakes Designation Ferry County 99 % 5.4 Twisp Town Okanogan County 992 % 300.7 1909Vernon City North Okanagan 44,519 % 398.4 1892West Kelowna City Central Okanagan 36,078 % 250.1 2015Winthrop Town Okanogan County 504 0% 161.8 1924
Government Population estimates from 2021 and 2020 released by Statistics Canada and United States Census Bureau indicated that there were over 400,000 residents. The American portion covers 10 percent of the population. Federally, the Canadian portion of the Okanagan Country is part of the British Columbia Southern Interior electoral district, while the American portion is part of Washington's 4th congressional district. The Okanagan Country is part of the North Okanagan, Central Okanagan, Okanagan-Similkameen regional districts, and the Okanogan and Ferry counties; however, minimal portions of Grant and Douglas counties also lie within the divided region.
References
External links Okanogan Country