[Robair]

All you BC folk, I need some opinions so mountain men and women lend me your ears.

I may have a line on a job in Penticton, this would be a huge relocation as I am currently in Kentucky.

I've spent time in Kimberley, have some friends from there, and have been on a number of houseboat trips on the Shushwap, but have not spent much if any time in the Kelowna/Penticton Okanagan area.

So I want to hear all about life in the area. What kind of cash do you have to make to afford living there first of all (looks like you need 300,000 to go house shopping?) I want to hear all opinions, the good bad and ugly.

Also, I am curiouse, when you live that close to such a kick arse lake, are you bound by law to own a boat?

Any input appreciated.

-R

[Robair]

Yea, I was checking that out earlier. We havn't discussed salary yet, but it looks like a trailer if I want to have money left at the end of the month for that boat.

250+ for a starter home with no land???? yikes

[usababe]

i found a house around 189 & another at 220..... just need to look around but 250 is probably a good estimate.

[ziggy]

Robair Robair:

All you BC folk, I need some opinions so mountain men and women lend me your ears.

I may have a line on a job in Penticton, this would be a huge relocation as I am currently in Kentucky.

I've spent time in Kimberley, have some friends from there, and have been on a number of houseboat trips on the Shushwap, but have not spent much if any time in the Kelowna/Penticton Okanagan area.

So I want to hear all about life in the area. What kind of cash do you have to make to afford living there first of all (looks like you need 300,000 to go house shopping?) I want to hear all opinions, the good bad and ugly.

Also, I am curiouse, when you live that close to such a kick arse lake, are you bound by law to own a boat?

Any input appreciated.

-R

Holy fack man,jump on the opportunity! The farther away from the lake the cheaper the lot. Dont think you need $300,000 though unless you want to live in town. Thats frikken God's country,peach festival,Creston corn,and peachy gals.

[RUEZ]

Well I can tell you about Vernon, which is about 90k or so north of Penticton. It's probably similiar but I think Penticton might be a better area. First off the weather is awesome. The last week was 33-35c perfect for swimming and boating if you like that thing, it does get a little to hot for my taste but that's me. The winters also are awesome not too cold not much snow except up in the ski hills which are also world class. Big White in Kelowna is getting like Whistler I believe they even have an elementary school up there now. The scenery when you leave town is beautifull mountains and trees everywhere, lakes galore for fishing although get there early they fill up quick. That is all the good I have to say, now the bad.

Penticton is probably similiar to Vernon in size which is small town. With the influx of people in the last few years they have not only driven up the price of housing which you have seen. They have filled the streets to maximum capacity. Driving at most times is taxing and at rush hour it's downright scary. And it's only going to get worse, there are housing developments going up like crazy, yet the public works is only starting to catch up with resizing roads to handle the traffic. The smog is out of control, I'm not sure where it's coming from but if you'd like to see some pictures I can post some it's harder to see the mountains behind the viel of blue. There are jobs a plenty but most employers here pay barely above minimum wage. You won't have to worry about that obviously but it's a huge concern to those trying to buy one of the overpriced houses here. Crime isn't terrible, that is to say it's probably no worse than any other city in Canada of that size, there is however a sizable homeless population due to the climate.

I will say many people love it here and if you were to talk to one of them you would get a very different perspective, I however as a labourer will never be able to buy a house here, which is a big downside to me. Perhaps someone else can shine a happier light on the Okanagan than I have.

[ziggy]

South of there is Osoyoos,Canada's only real desert is there as it's above sea level.

[Robair]

Thanks RUEZ, need hear the bad with the good. USABabe and I would have to walk around town before I made any leaps. What kind of labour? Alberta and Sask are both off the scale right now and if you can get a job in the patch, you could buy a nice house in a really small town for 100,000. And that would be a NICE house...

ziggy ziggy:

South of there is Osoyoos,Canada's only real desert is there as it's above sea level.

I've read about this, havn't seen it. I've also read that Osoyoos is home to Canada's warmest lake. Kinda neat.

Thanks for the input folks, the job is far from in the bag but they sound just as interested in me as I am in them.

I think, given a half decent offer, it would be hard for me to turn down the opportunity to try living by the Okanagan. I love getting in the water, enjoy downhill skiing and mountain biking and have a bit of a thing for log homes. Wanna build my own someday. So ya, that place has all kinds of stuff for me if I can handle the cost of living.

[RUEZ]

Robair Robair:

So ya, that place has all kinds of stuff for me if I can handle the cost of living.

That's it in a nutshell, if you have the money it's a nice place to live.

[SprCForr]

Grant you it's changed since I grew up there but the number one thing that affects everything in summer: Tourists. LOTS of tourists. They will come up on the radar starting in June and will stay there until Sept.

Still and all, like the others have said, beautiful weather, no real loads of rotten nasty insects (except wasps and black widow spiders). Great lakes and parks. Mild winters, good skiing. Close (couple hours) to the coast. All the expected amenties of other towns/cities their size. Pretty friendly people. The valley channels the usable land so urban development is a concern. This also impacts the road net in the valley when dealing with things like tourists in summer. I would imagine its very hard to have land taken out of the ALR (like the Fraser Valley). Good place if you like wine!

It can also be very cliquish i.e. local/tourist, established family/newly arrived, etc etc, but other places face the same crap. At the end of tourist season lots of places will shut down or offer very reduced services. It used to (again don't know about now) piss us kids off big time. As for the boat, you've got to store the thing, you might want to make friends with some who has one and let them deal with the problem.

I think you'll enjoy it.

P.S. Watch out for my sisters. They would be the blonde haired maniacs sipping latte's, admiring themselves in the rearview mirror while blasting down the street in their BMW's (wait, one got an Escalade ).


Ay caramba!

[Robair]

SprCForr SprCForr:

P.S. Watch out for my sisters. They would be the blonde haired maniacs sipping latte's, admiring themselves in the rearview mirror while blasting down the street in their BMW's (wait, one got an Escalade ).


Ay caramba!

Uh... thanks for the heads up, I guess.

I've been exposed to the local/tourist niche thing in Kimberley. I was staying with friends who are locals so I was included in the 'local' group. Still stung a bit when tourists walked by and ugly comments were made about 'flatlanders'.

[ziggy]

Robair Robair:

SprCForr SprCForr:

P.S. Watch out for my sisters. They would be the blonde haired maniacs sipping latte's, admiring themselves in the rearview mirror while blasting down the street in their BMW's (wait, one got an Escalade ).


Ay caramba!

Uh... thanks for the heads up, I guess.

I've been exposed to the local/tourist niche thing in Kimberley. I was staying with friends who are locals so I was included in the 'local' group. Still stung a bit when tourists walked by and ugly comments were made about 'flatlanders'.

Way different then the gorbys in the Okanagon. The Kimberlites are still playing catch up.

[Robair]

Whut's a gorby?

[ziggy]

Robair Robair:

Whut's a gorby?

A tourist.

[Richard]

The brokenogan is beautiful as mentioned you can go from desert to glacier in just a matter of hours. You can tube the canal in Penticton on warm days,used to race on their track years ago [url=/www.pentictonspeedway.com/]Penticton speedway[/url]The wine tour is good as is mountain biking on the old KVR line.

[Robair]

Handed in my letter of resignation this morning, boss had tears in his eyes.

So, come the middle of August, I'm Canadian again (and we start USABabes assimilation )