Kelowna Facts

• Population est. of 2006 Regional District 162,276. City of Kelowna 106,707.
• The official flower is the Okanagan Sunflower.
• Okanagan Lake is:
• On average 249 feet deep with max. depth of 755 feet
• On average 3.2 kms wide with max. of 5 km wide
• 135 km long and runs between Vernon to the North and Penticton to the South

 

• Lake Okanagan is rumoured to hold a secret: Ogopogo, its own version of the Loch Ness Monster. Ogopogo is envisioned as an aquatic serpent, hiding within the depths of Lake Okanagan. There are still occasional reports of Ogopogo sightings.

• In August 2003 the Okanagan Mountain Park Fire destroyed over 25,000 hectares of forest and park land, forcing the evacuation of more than 27,000 people and destroying 239 homes.

• The Okanagan Lake Bridge was opened July 19, 1958 and is the only floating structure of its kind in Canada. The pontoon section of the bridge is 2100 feet in length with each section being 200 feet long, 50 feet wide, and 15 feet deep. Each pontoon has two anchors, one on each side. They weigh 70 tons each and are embedded 25 feet into the lake bottom.