Time to leave the Okanagan?

[GordonH]

I know an Aberta couple my age who couldn't stand living in Kelowna so they moved to Salmon Arm.

Yep, next to another big lake.

[Jlabute]

Kelowna population is growing so competition is stiff. People move all the time for various reasons. I have a buddy that moved to SanFran for work earning towards $220K/yr. Much more than what he had in K-town, but SanFran is expensive. I've another buddy working remotely to SanFran with a US tech job making $120K+ US. Others have gone east, a few have gone west. If the Okanagan is a silicon vineyard as it is called, it is about a hobbyist size. The pandemic has been tough on most people. Those who can work isolated from home are less affected. Moving to a small region sounds appealing. Slower lifestyle, less crime... usually less work opportunities too. One can either look for work and move to where it is, or, make their own work by being their own boss.

The thought of moving because of fire hadn't crossed my mind if that is what the conversation is about. Some places have rain for 30 days straight, some places winter begins in august, some places have no streams or lakes or mountains, there are pros and cons to all places.

We've hired many young people who are tech geniuses.

[Rejigger]

This comes from a time when I was taking a walk in a northwest area and I overheard one young person say to another. “Well I guess I’m going to have to quit cleaning toilets for (an air b and b type property management company) and head out to (you guessed it) so I can find myself a real job. I’m just not getting enough money and hours in to stay here.”

I was born in BC and I graduated from OK College Kelowna campus. I would have stayed in the Kelowna-area after graduation (most likely living with my folks until I got on my feet) if I could have found work in my field of studies. I tend not to be sympathetic to those who complain that they aren't able to stay in Kelowna, based on my own experience. I most definitely benefitted from moving away from Kelowna and returning years later when in a better position to do so. I suspect I appreciate it more now then I otherwise would have. I believe I have more insight for having the experience of living outside of the Okanagan bubble.

That said, the junkies and the crime have really gotten under my skin in the last 5 years. Every city has its 'ugly side', but it's very spread-out here - it's almost completely unavoidable if you have errands to run, for example. If you want to enjoy the beaches and parks, you have to take the very bad with the good a lot of the time. If I think about it for too long, I start to wonder, what's so great about this place? But then when I'm out on the lake, I'm reminded again. Not sure how long that will last, though (probably until retirement age, if I'm being honest).

~

[Catri]

I suspect for every 1 who leaves, 2 or 3 move into Okanagan.

True enough, the population is still growing so obviously there are more moving in than moving out, but the exodus does seem to be accelerating. When I first felt I wanted to leave Kelowna, about 8 years ago, I didn't see a lot of people doing it. Two years ago when I actually left, I was the last of my close friends and family to do so. I loved growing up in Kelowna, I loved it being my hometown, I was fine with growth, because most of us who lived there came from somewhere else, but over the years I noticed a change in the place, in the people, in the unrealistic expectation that Kelowna is some grand urban centre, not the smallish city that it actually is and once excelled at being, where there have always been haves and have nots, but the wealth gap was never as dividing as it is now and the sense of community was so much stronger across socio-economic lines in years past. The turnover in the population drives that and I think there are a lot of people who live in Kelowna now who have no memory of how it used to be and that's okay, it's just not for me and I am grateful to them for driving the housing market to a level that made it easy for me to get out comfortably. Kelowna will always have a place in my heart, both my parents are buried there, I have the memories of 39 years living there and I'll always care what happens to my old hometown...which is why I'm still on these forums...but I don't miss it at all.

[bidwell2]

We left 1 year ago. Definitely glad we didn't have to go through the heat and smoke this summer. We have friends who were 'never leavers' but now they are thinking of moving. We went back for a couple days recently. The thing that struck us again was how busy it is everywhere all day long. It's like, where's everyone going? Oh yeah, and the guy stumbling across the street near our hotel at 8am, then falling down and rolling around in the traffic while mumbling gibberish. Those guys were everywhere. No thanks.

[alanjh595]

I have been here for over 20 years, and the city has just outgrown my needs.

I no longer have the need or desire for 1/4 of what this city has to offer anymore.
I don't need:
Pools
Libraries
schools
traffic
people
restaurants
fast food or coffee shops.

All I really need is a grocery store, gas station, beer store (sometimes), a hardware store/lumber yard would be nice.
Kelowna is beautiful, but I just don't need everything that comes with it both negative and positive.

With COVID, I have learned that there are solutions to many obstacles that I have overcome.

[wanderer]

I suspect for every 1 who leaves, 2 or 3 move into Okanagan.

True enough, the population is still growing so obviously there are more moving in than moving out, but the exodus does seem to be accelerating. When I first felt I wanted to leave Kelowna, about 8 years ago, I didn't see a lot of people doing it. Two years ago when I actually left, I was the last of my close friends and family to do so. I loved growing up in Kelowna, I loved it being my hometown, I was fine with growth, because most of us who lived there came from somewhere else, but over the years I noticed a change in the place, in the people, in the unrealistic expectation that Kelowna is some grand urban centre, not the smallish city that it actually is and once excelled at being, where there have always been haves and have nots, but the wealth gap was never as dividing as it is now and the sense of community was so much stronger across socio-economic lines in years past. The turnover in the population drives that and I think there are a lot of people who live in Kelowna now who have no memory of how it used to be and that's okay, it's just not for me and I am grateful to them for driving the housing market to a level that made it easy for me to get out comfortably. Kelowna will always have a place in my heart, both my parents are buried there, I have the memories of 39 years living there and I'll always care what happens to my old hometown...which is why I'm still on these forums...but I don't miss it at all.

Well said Catri, I have many of those same thoughts and great memories from 40 years of living here. I will still hang in for awhile but when I hear the "spin" that Kelowna is some grand urban centre now or will be in the future it makes me sad because I just don't see it.

[Lady tehMa]

Lumby is nice, some areas of the Shuswap, Carmi . . . at retirement we'll be headed out of the city. Too expensive to keep living here on the pensions we'll have. I think I'm tired of the noise too, I yearn for quieter areas.

The Kootenays are lovely. One of my friends moved to the Maritimes and is loving it.

I moved here to go to school, stayed here because I got married, then raised a family. We do love Rutland, but I think I'm tired of the noise of city living - I yearn for quieter areas.

[eires37]

Good ol' Gramma Freddy (RIP and bless her heart) had us wishful thinking about Grand Forks, but with family in other parts of the continent we still wanted to be close to the airport.

And then, 'Mr. Bears', Bill Mathison kept us curious about Beaver Dell with is weather forecasts . . ..

Awe the local yocals are weeping over the "past"

[butcher99]

I was getting my hair cut the other day. While we bantered about the smoke, my stylist made the purely anecdotal observation that she was surprised at the number of customers that have told her that this summer was the last straw and they are planning to leave the Okanagan and move East.

What say you?

adios. Would clear up a lot of problems. Rents would drop. Housing prices would stabilize. Lineups at Costco would drop. Businesses would no longer need more employees that just do not seem to be available.

[workingclasshero]

the people that I know that are leaving are selling because of the high selling prices and are moving to other communities outside the Okanagan Valley. there are people selling to capitalize on the high prices and are down sizing in Kelowna.
properties are selling quickly on Black Mountain, the neighborhood is changing, we are seeing some new children playing on the street which is great, unfortunately we have no parks on Black Mountain.
we have found the heat, smoke, covid, homelessness, and restrictions are making us spend more time away from Kelowna.
we now only plan to spend spring, early summer and fall in Kelowna.
we don't know how long we will stay in Kelowna as we feel like strangers here even after being here for 15 years.
thank God that we have good neighbors.

[Randall T]

I was getting my hair cut the other day. While we bantered about the smoke, my stylist made the purely anecdotal observation that she was surprised at the number of customers that have told her that this summer was the last straw and they are planning to leave the Okanagan and move East.

What say you?

adios. Would clear up a lot of problems. Rents would drop. Housing prices would stabilize. Lineups at Costco would drop. Businesses would no longer need more employees that just do not seem to be available.

Nah, the ones leaving will be much fewer in numbers than the ones coming in. The place is being sold as a playground for the Okanagan lifestyle. The cities of Kelowna and West Kelowna are drooling over rezoning and providing as many short term rental units crammed into any available space that's on the borderline of being physically possible. All the talk about housing shortages and affordable housing is just window dressing. Rents will not drop, housing prices will continue to soar. You need to think about who is buying into the area and how much they are willing to spend.

[butcher99]

adios. Would clear up a lot of problems. Rents would drop. Housing prices would stabilize. Lineups at Costco would drop. Businesses would no longer need more employees that just do not seem to be available.

Nah, the ones leaving will be much fewer in numbers than the ones coming in. The place is being sold as a playground for the Okanagan lifestyle. The cities of Kelowna and West Kelowna are drooling over rezoning and providing as many short term rental units crammed into any available space that's on the borderline of being physically possible. All the talk about housing shortages and affordable housing is just window dressing. Rents will not drop, housing prices will continue to soar. You need to think about who is buying into the area and how much they are willing to spend.

Mine was sarcasm as much as anything. Torontonians and Vancouverites are flooding here for the "cheap housing"

[AlienSoldier]

Nah, the ones leaving will be much fewer in numbers than the ones coming in. The place is being sold as a playground for the Okanagan lifestyle. The cities of Kelowna and West Kelowna are drooling over rezoning and providing as many short term rental units crammed into any available space that's on the borderline of being physically possible. All the talk about housing shortages and affordable housing is just window dressing. Rents will not drop, housing prices will continue to soar. You need to think about who is buying into the area and how much they are willing to spend.

Mine was sarcasm as much as anything. Torontonians and Vancouverites are flooding here for the "cheap housing"

Isn't there a "foreigners tax" for those outside of BC?

[Bsuds]

Isn't there a "foreigners tax" for those outside of BC?

Not if it will be their principal residence.