Penticton

Penticton
Flag
Nickname:  The Peach City
Motto:  A Place to Stay Forever
Country	Canada
Province	British Columbia
Regional District	Okanagan-Similkameen
Incorporated as Town	1908
Incorporated as City	1948
Government
• Mayor	Dan Ashton
• Councillors	Dan Albas, Andrew Jakubeit, Garry Litke,Mike Pearce, Judy Sentes,John Vassilaki
• Penticton-Okanagan Valley MLA	Hon. Bill Barisoff British Columbia Liberal Party
• Okanagan--Coquihalla MP	Hon. Stockwell Day
Area
• City	42.02 km2 (16.22 sq mi)
• Metro	2,212.76 km2 (854.35 sq mi)
Elevation	385 m (1,263 ft)
Population  (2006)
• City	31,909
• Density	759.5/km2 (1,967/sq mi)
• Urban density	19.6/km2 (51/sq mi)
• Metro	43,313
	'Metro' defined by Statscan as "Census agglomeration"
Demonym	Pentictonite
Time zone	UTC-8 (PST)
Postal Code Span	V2A
Area code	250
Website	www.penticton.ca

Penticton is a city in the Okanagan Valley of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada between Okanagan Lake and Skaha Lake. Its 2006 population was 31,909 (43,313 in the greater area). It is the sister city of Ikeda, Hokkaido, Japan.

Name origin

The name Penticton is derived from a word in the Okanagan language. It is conventionally translated by the city's tourism promoters as "a place to stay forever" but is actually a reference to the year-round flow of the Okanagan River where it enters Skaha Lake. Differing accounts of the meaning are given in the British Columbia Geographical Names Information System entry for the city:

"Place where water passes beyond." (information from Isaac Harris, published in Vernon News, 18 July 1918); compare with: "Derived from the Okanagan dialect of the Salish tribe, the word Pen-tak-tin meaning 'a place of permanent abode where waters pass by'." (50th Anniversary booklet of Penticton, 1958)

From the Indian name Pente-hik-ton, "ever" or "forever" referring to the constant steady flow of the Okanagan River out of the lake.... applied by the Indians to the locality at the outlet of the lake, meaning that the stream ran on ever, or forever, in contrast to other streams which dried up during the summer (6th Report of the Okanagan Historical Society); compare with: "Derives from the Okanagan word Sin-peen-tick-tin, loosely translatable as 'permanent place'." (c1980 advice from Randy Bouchard, BC Indian Language Project).

Events

Penticton hosts many events annually, among them the Canadian Ironman Triathlon, the Okanagan Wine Festival, Fest-of-Ale BC, the Penticton Peach Festival, the Pentastic Hot Jazz Festival, and the "Elvis Festival" which was featured in the Summer 2006 issue of British Columbia Magazine.

Recreation

Penticton is home to recreational opportunities such as skiing at the Apex Mountain Resort ski area, boating and fishing on Skaha Lake and Okanagan Lake. Both lakes have beautiful beaches. There is golfing on the area's many courses, as well as hiking or biking the Kettle Valley Railway Trail, and rock climbing at Skaha Bluffs. Penticton is home to KIJHL team the Penticton Lakers, the BCHL hockey team Penticton Vees who play throughout the winter months, as well as the PCSL soccer team Penticton Pinnacles, who play from May until July.

In September 2006, residents voted 80.3% in favour of the construction of the South Okanagan Events Centre. The $73 million arena, sports complex and convention centre could possibly serve as a summer or early fall training facility for the Vancouver Canucks as well as the home of the BCHL's Penticton Vees, so named in honour of the senior hockey team that in 1955 won the Ice Hockey World Championships against Russia. The Centre has boosted the city's convention market and is a popular stop on concert tours and for other special events.

The Penticton Vees now play in the South Okanagan Events Center which opened in September 2008.

Penticton is the hub of wine tourism in the Okanagan Valley with access to 88 wineries within an hour's drive. Nearby Naramata now has 22 wineries, by the beginning of the 2009 Fall Wine Festival.

The Kettle Valley Railroad(KVR) Trail Network—with trail heads leading to more than 160 km of flat, railbed trails for hiking and biking adventures—can be accessed from Penticton. This trail is part of the Trans Canada Trail.

Education

Penticton is the location of the head offices of School District 67 Okanagan Skaha. There are two secondary schools, Penticton Secondary School and Princess Margaret Secondary School, as well as many elementary, three middle schools and L’école Entre Lacs, a French school (not french immersion). Penticton Christian School, a private school, offers kindergarten through Grade 12. Penticton is also home to the Okanagan Hockey Academy & School, with players from around the world enrolling at Penticton Secondary, while undergoing rigorous training during the academic terms with OHA staff 4-5 times per week. Players are required to meet specific academic as well as physical standards in order to maintain eligibility for the OHA.

Climate

A view of Penticton from a viewpoint overlooking Skaha Lake

Penticton has a temperate, semi-arid climate and averages slightly more than 300 mm (12") of precipitation annually. Penticton has very warm summers (daytime temperatures above 30 °C are commonplace, but humidity is low and nights are cool). Winters are brief with mean daily temperatures averaging just below freezing for about 8 weeks out of the year. The average daily maximum remains above zero the entire year. Penticton is sheltered from cold Arctic air in winter by the surrounding mountain ranges, making blizzards and freezing rainstorms very rare. In addition, the frost-free season averages more than 140 days a year, nights tend to be cool throughout the year but without bitter cold nights in winter.

Climate data for Penticton
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Source: Environment Canada

Transportation

The SS Sicamous sternwheeler is drydocked in Penticton

Penticton Regional Airport (YYF) was constructed during World War II to serve as an emergency landing strip, and was later lengthened to 1829 meters to accommodate Boeing 737 aircraft.

Air Canada Jazz provides air service to Vancouver, while Pacific Coastal Airlines formerly provided air service to Vancouver and Calgary after flights were terminated in January 2009.

Local bus service is provided by Penticton Transit.

Penticton was the location of the headquarters of the Kettle Valley Railway.

Notable residents

• George Bowering, poet, first ever Canadian Parliamentary Poet Laureate
• Brett Hull, NHL hockey player, graduate of Penticton High School
• Paul Kariya, hockey player
• Duncan Keith, hockey player
• Spencer Krug, musician from the band Wolf Parade
• Brendan Morrison, NHL hockey player, graduate of Penticton High School
• Andy Moog, hockey player
• Bob Nicholson, president and chief executive officer of Hockey Canada
• Blake Wesley, hockey player
• Alan Kerr, hockey player
• Cameron Phillips, radio broadcaster
• Justin Pogge, hockey player
• Mike Reno, musician from the band Loverboy
• Mark Allan Robinson, political activist
• Alexis Smith, actress
• Krystal Garib, actress, dancer, singer

Media

Radio stations

• AM 800 - CKOR, soft adult contemporary
• FM 93.7 - CBTP-FM, CBC Radio One
• FM 97.1 - CJMG-FM, hot adult contemporary
• FM 100.7 - CIGV-FM, country music

Sister City

• Ikeda, Hokkaidō, Japan

See also

• List of mayors of Penticton
• Penticton Indian Band

External links

• Tourism Penticton
• The City Of Penticton
• Template:Wikitravel
• PDSCL Penticton
• McNaughton Support Services