Considering relocating to Kelowna

[Sammymydog1]

We made this exact move back in 2006....moved family (wife & two young kids) to Kelowna from Calgary. A little background.....my wife & I are both from BC & had lived in Calgary for 15+ yrs. We both have family in Kelowna and none in Calgary. We had travelled to Kelowna & vacationed there many times over the years so had a pretty good idea of what we were getting into. Although we both work professionally, the main reasons for the move were lifestyle, climate & family.

There have been many posts in this thread in support of both locations and most come down to personal preferences and really, what one becomes used to as their normal & known lifestyle. We saw it as a new adventure & embraced the move. Most of the posts in this thread are neither right nor wrong, they are just personal preferences.

The positives we enjoyed were obviously the lake & climate. It really is nice when spring starts in March & you can golf while Calgary still has a couple more months of winter before the rainy season begins. We love heat so 30-35 degrees in the summer & the warm evenings were always welcome....A/C is a must. Wineries & golf courses are a plus when one has time to take advantage. We also have a great relationship with family so it was nice to have some close. Never ending house guests in the summer are both good & bad!

As with anything, comes some negatives. The winter is really dreary. It can get 'socked in' for days & -10C in Kelowna is a lot colder than the same temp in Calgary. Bright blue skies go along way for me personally. The two winters of 2006 & 2007 were the most snow I have shoveled in years (we were on a hill above the town). All the years in Calgary hailstorms my vehicle was never damaged & first year in Kelowna my vehicle was blasted! Of course, the locals said they have never seen such a storm. The constant threat of forest fire & smoke in the summer were never a concern for us personally, but were a regular occurrence.

As for the cost of living in Kelowna vs Calgary, I think many are uninformed. Real estate in Kelowna may be slightly less than Calgary (especially right now), but it is not a drastic difference. Without repeating many opinions in this thread, the cost of most everything is higher in Kelowna. Groceries, property tax, home/ auto insurance, gas @ .20 cents a litre higher, property transfer fee etc etc. Add the PST & the cost of Kelowna might surprise you if money is a concern. Add to this that both my wife & I earn higher salary in Calgary and pay less tax, the difference is meaningful.

Although a city, Kelowna feels quite small & clicky. Many people move to retire so the young vibe for families is not obvious. If you are used to city living & Calgary as we became, you will miss many of the amenities that the city offers. NHL & CFL games, zoo, science center, heritage park, calaway, street festivals, concerts/ theaters, extensive shopping. Seems that kids have a lot more choices in Calgary.

One of the biggest things we never considered that much was our social circle & friends. You cannot underestimate the impact of life long friends, and of course , family.

In case you haven't guessed in reading this post, we stayed only two years in Kelowna & couldn't wait to move back to Calgary in 2008. I was actually ready to move sooner but it took my wife just a bit longer to come to the same conclusion. While we enjoyed the adventure, we missed the amenities, social circle & sunny skies. Our prime earning years will be in Calgary as will many post secondary opportunities for the kids. If I were to retire to kick back & golf, Kelowna would be a great option, just not right now. We don't regret the move to Kelowna, and certainly not the move back to Calgary. In speaking with others, it is surprising how many have moved to & away from Kelowna over the years. For us, it is a nice place to visit, which will always be the same, but I can't imagine that we will ever live there again.

My .02 cents!

[HockeyPuck]

^^^^fantastic post. Thanks for the insight.

[normtwofinger]

Originally Posted by Sammymydog1

One of the biggest things we never considered that much was our social circle & friends. You cannot underestimate the impact of life long friends, and of course , family.

This. It is very difficult moving away from lifelong friends and family that you can never replace. Take that into consideration when thinking about moving anywhere.

[darklord700]

Originally Posted by normtwofinger

This. It is very difficult moving away from lifelong friends and family that you can never replace. Take that into consideration when thinking about moving anywhere.

I often wonder how people retire to Mexico or some far flung places. Going to a new place not knowing anyone in your 60s is a scary thought to me.

[Fozzie_DeBear]

Imagine you are 80 years old...what advice would you give
Yourself?

[Northendzone]

so whuich way are you leaning hockeypuck?

[bc-chris]

Originally Posted by troutman

Fire on Mount Boucherie:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/britis...owna-1.2707994

that fire yesterday was going crazy for a bit! i've got a radio scanner so i heard the initial call come in and the westside fire dept immediately called for pretty much every available apparatus and personal on the westside to respond. right after that they called for support from forestry and mutual aid (apparatus and personal from other local fire departments). a great number of lessons were learned in 2003 about initial attack on wild fires

a couple pics from my deck, looking to the westside...

Spoiler!

although the fires suck, the smoke makes for some pretty amazing sunsets....

[Chill Cosby]

Originally Posted by Fozzie_DeBear

Imagine you are 80 years old...what advice would you give

Yourself?

"Avenge me."

[troutman]

Originally Posted by bc-chris

that fire yesterday was going crazy for a bit! i've got a radio scanner so i heard the initial call come in and the westside fire dept immediately called for pretty much every available apparatus and personal on the westside to respond. right after that they called for support from forestry and mutual aid (apparatus and personal from other local fire departments). a great number of lessons were learned in 2003 about initial attack on wild fires

a couple pics from my deck, looking to the westside...

Thanks for the pics. My friend is a volunteer fire fighter on Westside Road. Lots of stories, and every summer they are on stand-by.

[HockeyPuck]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

so whuich way are you leaning hockeypuck?

So I had tentatively accepted the position after I had discussed with my wife to just go for it and try the adventure. But after discussing further with the wife, the start date did not correspond with me leaving my family behind, leaving my wife to oversee renos we're doing at the house, time to sell, and my wife overseeing the move - all at the same time with watching/entertaining 3 kids (4,3, and 10 months). There was too much to ask of my wife while I enjoyed myself in Kelowna for 1-2 months.

Maybe if this same offer came along 1-2 years down the road I'll be able to go, but for the time being we'll be staying put.

Timing killed this proposition, but I was leaning to leaving Calgary to make a go of it....

[darklord700]

HockeyPuck, if you wanted to go and it's only about the start date, I would guess there's a likelihood that the job will wait for you for a month or two if you negotiate.

[Calgary14]

Originally Posted by HockeyPuck

So I had tentatively accepted the position after I had discussed with my wife to just go for it and try the adventure. But after discussing further with the wife, the start date did not correspond with me leaving my family behind, leaving my wife to oversee renos we're doing at the house, time to sell, and my wife overseeing the move - all at the same time with watching/entertaining 3 kids (4,3, and 10 months). There was too much to ask of my wife while I enjoyed myself in Kelowna for 1-2 months.

Maybe if this same offer came along 1-2 years down the road I'll be able to go, but for the time being we'll be staying put.

Timing killed this proposition, but I was leaning to leaving Calgary to make a go of it....

I could be wrong but Ive always thought the start date was negotiable. It definitely was for my position. They gave an offer with a start date that didn't work for me, so I asked it to be changed to a later date due to my personal travel plans (that I wasn't able to change). They agreed. It wasn't a big deal at all.

[Sylvanfan]

Originally Posted by HockeyPuck

So I had tentatively accepted the position after I had discussed with my wife to just go for it and try the adventure. But after discussing further with the wife, the start date did not correspond with me leaving my family behind, leaving my wife to oversee renos we're doing at the house, time to sell, and my wife overseeing the move - all at the same time with watching/entertaining 3 kids (4,3, and 10 months). There was too much to ask of my wife while I enjoyed myself in Kelowna for 1-2 months.

Maybe if this same offer came along 1-2 years down the road I'll be able to go, but for the time being we'll be staying put.

Timing killed this proposition, but I was leaning to leaving Calgary to make a go of it....

That would be tough to leave her on her own with three young kids. But if you want to try it, the chance might not come around again if you can negotiate the start date. There will likely be some good work opportunities for you to return to Calgary in the future. Not so much going the other way.

As much as the Okanagan lifestyle failed for me....I can at least live where I do knowing I tried what seemed like an ideal life and it wasn't. Which makes it easier now living here than it did before.

[HockeyPuck]

Yeah I did try to negotiate the start date, but in the end they needed somebody to start sooner than later.

I do appreciate the feedback and the discussion - truly what makes this site so great!

[Sammymydog1]

Originally Posted by darklord700

I often wonder how people retire to Mexico or some far flung places. Going to a new place not knowing anyone in your 60s is a scary thought to me.

You better be sure that you like to spend a whole lot of time with your wife before you go!!

[Flamenspiel]

and have a lot of children and retire to a nice place. You'll get lots of visitors.

[troutman]

Kelowna Fires:
http://www.castanet.net/edition/news...01-.htm#119383

Smith Creek fire:

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Table 5

Monday to Friday: Hunt for Ogopogo
Weekend: Jetski with flip-flops

Must be Government work due to the shocking lack of results from the 9-5, Monday to Friday Ogopogo hunt and yet the funding to continue.

Some would suspect that Ogopogo and the hunters have reached some sort of mutual accord.

[Looch City]

All these forest fires near Kelowna...I'm going to be down there for a week, tomorrow. Better not ruin my one summer vacay for this year...

[Codes]

Well this one is in West Kelowna. Shouldn't bother you if you are staying in Kelowna, other than smoke and noise from the planes and helicopters. But if you are staying in the Westside or in Peachland, then that's another story. Besides the threat of the fire, they may need to shut down the main power lines that supply electricity to West Kelowna and Peachland due to the proximity of the fire.

Winds have currently shifted, and bringing the back towards populated areas. My parents are just outside the current evac alert zone. Pretty good, if not frightening view from their deck right now.