Kelowna is #92

[Wally]

I dont get it eithet, Ive spent years in Regina and some time in Saskatoon, moose jaw, swift current, medicine hat and you couldnt pay me enough to go back to any of them when compared to the enjoyment of life in kelowna. Sure it took a bunch of years of hard work to start really enjoying all Kelowna has to offer but in the end there is really no comparison.
IMO

[delSol97]

You do realize this was done by "moneysense" not "retirementvillage".

Did any of you even look at the survey? It's all about unemployment rates, salaries and cost of living. Not skihills per capita...

[Glacier]

Who cares about ski hills per capita. I bet that 95% of Castanet posters haven't gone skiing once this winter. I get what you're saying though. This ranking is HIGHLY subjective. You could probably get any result you wanted to by tweaking which categories to include. One thing is for sure, people in Regina are going to rank Regina higher than people living elsewhere. Likewise, people living in Kelowna would rank Kelowna higher than people living elsewhere. This is the way it should be since you should always be happy with where you're living.

[Wally]

You do realize this was done by "moneysense" not "retirementvillage".

Did any of you even look at the survey? It's all about unemployment rates, salaries and cost of living. Not skihills per capita...

and here I thought it was about " The best place to live"..
Thanks.

[Grandan]

OK, so I think I get it. If you want to earn a great salary, pay no sales tax, buy a house for cheap and then have lots of coin to get away on a couple of holidays a year then St Albert or Calgary are going to suit you just fine. Since the ideal precipitation is 700 mm then Kelowna is not your place. Aww, wait a minute, we don't need all that precipitation because we have Irrigation Districts with water stored behind dams, what a concept! Apparently, how often you can park a new vehicle in your driveway is really important too and the more luxurious the better because we all know that these are things which really make a difference in a person's life. Now apples on the trees, fresh roadside peaches and wine tastings don't seem to account for much, that's for sure! Lack of mosquitos is one of the things I would place high on the list but there is no mention of it on the great master list.
The thing about these lists, drawn up by "money people" (you know, the guys who take your hard earned money and invest it for you and scim at least 2% off the top whether it makes you a profit or not) are based on dollar values which can be compared across the board in an "unbiased" manner.
This is why the Okanagan is Canada's best kept secret. Despite all this, people continue to arrive, build businesses, raise families and retire.
I have a daughter in Calgary and another one who has been in Slave Lake, Vermillion and Calgary over the past 10 years.
I don't like Calgary, I don't like the traffic, I don't like the "master plan" of having to drive 15 miles to some super centre to buy lumber or plants or WHY. I don't like the insane endless cul-de sacs, crescents and drives that is like a maze.
I don't like the climate, I don't like the altitude and I think the money grab has gone way too far. But I guess it is #2 for a reason, just glad I don't live there.

[jimmy4321]

Maybe try Googling "Best places in Canada to retire loaded" You might find Kelowna higher up in rankings - Or "best places to live in your parents basement"

[delSol97]

This is why the Okanagan is Canada's best kept secret. Despite all this, people continue to arrive, build businesses, raise families and retire.
I have a daughter in Calgary and another one who has been in Slave Lake, Vermillion and Calgary over the past 10 years.

So ... ask yourself why your kids aren't here?

[delSol97]

and here I thought it was about " The best place to live"..
Thanks.

I'll fix that for you, The Best Place to Live Large.

Your welcome.

[Captain Awesome]

Yeah, right. Living large in Kelowna is what passes for like middle class living in bigger cities.

[dg3]

retirement list by same outfit...

http://www.moneysense.ca/best-places-to-retire

[Woodenhead]

I agreed with the ranking.

I love how people get so upset / take this kind of thing personally. Hilarious.

[EdCase]

The ranking reflects the reality of what Kelowna is; "A playground for the rich and a prison for the poor."

As a retiree who has made his money, Kelowna isn't a bad place to live for part of the year but its two biggest assets are the Airport and the Connector that allow for a ready exit. However, for a young person looking for a career - not just a job - Kelowna has little to offer: they have to go elsewhere and maybe return when they've made their pile.

This is now openly acknowledged by City Hall and the Economic Commission who are actively promoting Kelowna as a dormitory community to the BC and Alberta oil patches. It was sickening to watch Gray and Fine rejoicing in the new WestJet service to Fort McMurray so that workers can now commute more easily; they should have been hanging their heads in shame that our young people have to do this. There is nothing wrong with the Okanagan being a supplier to the Fort, but it should be in the form of specialty goods and professional services that add value to this community, not just as a source of itinerant labour.

The world economy is rapidly changing and Kelowna isn't even attempting to keep pace: instead we see this smug complacency that the world wants to live here because of ski hills and golf courses.

[EdCase]

Note that Kelowna's 92nd place 2014 ranking is a drop from 76th place in 2013.

One can argue the validity of the methodology - and City Hall certainly does - but the trend is hard to argue with.

[the truth]

The ranking reflects the reality of what Kelowna is; "A playground for the rich and a prison for the poor."

As a retiree who has made his money, Kelowna isn't a bad place to live for part of the year but its two biggest assets are the Airport and the Connector that allow for a ready exit. However, for a young person looking for a career - not just a job - Kelowna has little to offer: they have to go elsewhere and maybe return when they've made their pile.

This is now openly acknowledged by City Hall and the Economic Commission who are actively promoting Kelowna as a dormitory community to the BC and Alberta oil patches. It was sickening to watch Gray and Fine rejoicing in the new WestJet service to Fort McMurray so that workers can now commute more easily; they should have been hanging their heads in shame that our young people have to do this. There is nothing wrong with the Okanagan being a supplier to the Fort, but it should be in the form of specialty goods and professional services that add value to this community, not just as a source of itinerant labour.

The world economy is rapidly changing and Kelowna isn't even attempting to keep pace: instead we see this smug complacency that the world wants to live here because of ski hills and golf courses.

great post 100/100

[delSol97]

great post 100/100

An intelligent post on here.. Amazing. He summed it up perfectly.