Good areas to live in Kelowna and surrounding areas

[Utour]

Hi there!
I wanted to post a question to Kelowna people.
As I posted in other threads I'm looking to moving to Kelowna with my family.
Right now we're on MLS.ca just looking thru houses and prices etc. I have no clue which areas are good and which once I should stay away form.

Can you guys recommend some? I am looking for something safe, good to raise a child in, with schools and good neighbors. Of course I would love to have a view too...

Thank you for your replies

[Palliser]

If I were you would look every where except Rutland and the North end of Kelowna meaning the older area close to downtown. I would also try to aviod the west side if you have to work on the Kelowna side as commuting across the bridge everyday can at times be difficult...but since you are able to work from home then the west side may be great for you as well as better prices for homes.

[ami2much4u]

I think it would mostly depend on what you can afford to buy or rent. I don't think there are any "bad" areas in Kelowna, although the "Rutland" area has a bad rap, as far as I know, what goes on there, pretty much goes on everywhere else.

[quagmaire]

I grew up in the 'mission' and in my opinion, that area is the best kept secret in the world:
It is touted (sp?) as a very desirable place to live but, you will find the property over valued, the people uber-snobby, the schools over-crowded, and the access (traffic) completely ridiculous.

I spent a decade in 'Ellison' (north Rutland). I LOVED the neighborhood, the people were friendly and helpful, the elementary school was fantastic, and the only real headache was the intersection at 'Rieds corner' (highway 97 and old Vernon rd).
I have never lived in Rutland, but know many people that do. There are good and bad areas, but all in all, most people I meet are friendly.

I now live in Joe Rich (I needed more room to park my 'treasures' (or 'junk' if you ask my wife )). This area is primarily rural acreages, and I really only know 1 neighbor, but everyone smiles and waves when you pass by. My only problem living out here is the impatient drivers on highway 33 risking my life trying to pass on the hills, double lines, etc. (The thought of letting my soon to be 17 yr old daughter out there alone is giving me cold sweats).

I hope that helps!

[banani]

I've lived in Winfield (North of Kelowna - about 15-20 mins) for 14 years, and I have no complaints. Kelowna is 20 minutes away, and Vernon is 30 minutes away - and it's not a bad drive either way.
It's a bit smaller and quieter here.. but it's growing. I'm not sure about the house prices here, but I'm sure they are comparable to Kelowna's.
And, honestly, Rutland ISN'T that bad.. sure, there might be certain parts that aren't so great, but it's like that in every city. IMO parts of Kelowna are WAY worse than Rutland (IE - Kelowna's North End, etc.) My friend's live in Rutland, and they like it a lot *shrug*

I suppose it all depends on how much you want to drive, where you are working, and how much land you want your house to be on

[National_Scar]

I have lived in rutland since 92..
Rutland is a great place to live! I grew up for the most part on hollywood rd by mission creek... not once since 92 have we ever been broken into, I can remember one time we got an egg on the window, (of cousre we knew who it was..lol). Rutland is an area comprised of homes that are predominantly built in the early 70's, well kept, and friendly! the neighborhood is what you make it!!

I now own a home smack in the middle of rutland and again have yet to be the recipient of any vandalism or theft, nor have I heard anything as such from my fellow neighbors!
There is one bad street in rutland called Hein road... if your looking at homes, you will notice that for there size, they will be considerably less in price both for sale and rent.. but for the most part they to have been cleaned up considerably in the past few years ( I imagine as a result of comunity pressure.

[Smuckers]

I grew up in the mission area - great place to live. Owned our first house in the North end - great place to live as well. Now live downtown, close to Bernard - again a great place to live. You can't really go too wrong anywhere. IMHO

[rekabis]

As the old saying goes, if you want to end up with a million in your bank account, come here with two million.

As for places, the severe rental crunch and the skyrocketing price of houses has largely cleared out the riff-raff from the Kelowna area. Yes, some places are still more desirable than others, but the bigger issue is if you can find an *affordable* rental unit to begin with, much less where it is.

And if you are looking to buy, don't. The Kelowna housing bubble is entering its unsustainable phase, and a crash is imminent. Some (like me) are predicting a "correction" back down to the 50-year trendline, which sits at $173K (for the "average" dwelling) and represents a 70% drop in prices (from its current high of $540K for an "average" dwelling). However, even half that would make any housing purchase within the next two years a very painful proposition, unless you are going to live in that place for another twenty.

Personally, my favorite places are the extreme north end (north of the industrial area... very nice and quiet, lots of retirees), the lower mission (between KLO and DeHart) and East Kelowna, up on the bench (KLO, McCulloch, Spiers & Saucier area).

On the other side of the lake, however, stay within West Kelowna Estates, Lakeview Heights and Sunnyside. Anything South-West of that tends to be Native land, with poor value for your dollar (99 year lease, anyone?), and beyond that, Westbank/Glenrosa tends to be a bit of a hole; though people there would probably disagree with me (I grew up in Lakeview, so I take a dim view of the arrogant, strong-arm tactics of my neighbors to the South-West... Johnson-Bently pool, anyone? I went there only ONCE, since the Parkinson Rec Center was closer).

Cheers and good luck.

[mekathy]

[LoneWolf_53]

Another vote for Winfield here.

[mekathy]

:ohmygod:

I am one of those that completely disagree with pretty well anything that comes out of Rekabis posts. Johnson Bentley is a great facility and if you have children it offers so much. Most of my friends that live in Kelowna actually come across the bridge for swimming lessons at Johnson Bentley.
Some people just can't let bygones be bygones and usually end up missing out on the better things in life based on grudges.
Westbank, Shannon Lake and Glenrosa have alot to offer. The prices tend to be reasonable, the properties are usually larger and the wilderness is at your back door. It takes 20 minutes to get to work in Kelowna (if you work there) and 5 minutes to get into the wilderness for hiking, quadding etc. There are beautiful areas in each community, just as there are pits in each community.

[Yellow Sprinkles]

And another vote for Winfield!

[rekabis]

and the wilderness is at your back door.

And so are the forest fires. I'll bet those in the Upper Mission weren't too pleased with the "forest at their back door" in '03, as they stood by watching their homes burn to the ground.

And the bears. Ever had one terrorize your neighborhood, trying to get into trash cans that other, more irresponsible residents have left outside? Especially when it is a sow with cubs -- and the accompanying hair-trigger rage? Betchya don't like it when you realize your kids are outside playing, only you don't know exactly where!!

And the coyotes carrying off your cat, toy poodle or other "puntable-class" animal. Bye-bye fluffy!

And the deer eating all of the new growth off of your fruit trees, so that you get no fruit at all within 12 feet of the ground. Or them eating the fruit off of it before it's even ripe.


Ya, there is a lot to be said about having a "forest at your back door".

[mekathy]

and the wilderness is at your back door.

And so are the forest fires. I'll bet those in the Upper Mission weren't too pleased with the "forest at their back door" in '03, as they stood by watching their homes burn to the ground.

And the bears. Ever had one terrorize your neighborhood, trying to get into trash cans that other, more irresponsible residents have left outside? Especially when it is a sow with cubs -- and the accompanying hair-trigger rage? Betchya don't like it when you realize your kids are outside playing, only you don't know exactly where!!

And the coyotes carrying off your cat, toy poodle or other "puntable-class" animal. Bye-bye fluffy!

And the deer eating all of the new growth off of your fruit trees, so that you get no fruit at all within 12 feet of the ground. Or them eating the fruit off of it before it's even ripe.

Ya, there is a lot to be said about having a "forest at your back door".

LOL.... Once again your post has proven to be very entertaining. A little of your typical sky is falling and over the top, but definitely entertaining.
Gotta say I love your posts for the sheer folly they present.

[new in town]

And so are the forest fires. I'll bet those in the Upper Mission weren't too pleased with the "forest at their back door" in '03, as they stood by watching their homes burn to the ground.

And the bears. Ever had one terrorize your neighborhood, trying to get into trash cans that other, more irresponsible residents have left outside? Especially when it is a sow with cubs -- and the accompanying hair-trigger rage? Betchya don't like it when you realize your kids are outside playing, only you don't know exactly where!!

And the coyotes carrying off your cat, toy poodle or other "puntable-class" animal. Bye-bye fluffy!

And the deer eating all of the new growth off of your fruit trees, so that you get no fruit at all within 12 feet of the ground. Or them eating the fruit off of it before it's even ripe.


Ya, there is a lot to be said about having a "forest at your back door".

Klowntown: 10 kph (komplaints per hour)