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ACCESS TO MARKETS
Location
The Okanagan Valley is located in south central British Columbia Canada, encompassing over 751,258 hectares. The Okanagan is a long north-south trench in the Interior Plateau of the province, and the valley is in a rain shadow of the Coast Mountains. The North Okanagan is located at the north end of Okanagan and Kalamalka Lakes between the Monashee Mountains and the Okanagan Highlands. Vernon is the major commercial centre of the North Okanagan and is half way between Vancouver BC and Calgary Alberta. Other communities in the North Okanagan region include Lumby, Armstrong, Enderby, Coldstream and Spallumcheen.
Latitude / Longitude:
50 15' 30"N 119 16' 00"W
Distance and Travelling Time to Other Cities from Vernon
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Kilometers
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Miles
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Driving Time
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| Penticton,BC
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114
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71
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1 hr, 30 min
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| Vancouver, BC
|
441
|
276
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5 hrs
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| Spokane, Washington USA
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454
|
284
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5 hrs
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| Calgary, AB
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556
|
348
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6 hrs, 15 min
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| Kelowna, BC
|
51
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32
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50 minutes
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| Prince George, BC
|
642
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401
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7 hrs, 15 min
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| Seattle, Washington USA
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667
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417
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7 hrs, 30 min
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| Edmonton, AB
|
851
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532
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9 hrs, 30 min
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| Portland, Oregon USA
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975
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609
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11 hrs
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| Source: Government of BC
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Climate
The North Okanagan is renowned for its warm, balmy summers and mild, temperate winters. The spring provides warm days great for spring skiing at Silver Star Mountain in the morning, and playing a round of golf in the afternoon. With over 152 frost-free days and over 1900 hours of sunshine annually, the growing season in the North Okanagan lasts over 159 days a year.
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Annual Mean Daily Temperature
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7.5 C
|
45.5 F
|
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January Mean Daily Temperature
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-5.1 C
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22.8 F
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| July Mean Daily Temperature
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19.1 C
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66 F
|
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Annual Extreme Max/Min Temperature
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40/-38.9 C
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104/-38 F
|
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Average Sunshine
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1903 hours per annum
|
|
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Annual Mean Total Rainfall
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248.1mm per annum
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9.7 in per annum
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Annual Mean Total Snowfall
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102.2cm per annum
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40.2in per annum
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Average frost free period
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152 days
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Growing Season
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159 days, late April to early October
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For local, up to date weather forecasts visit the Weather Office.
TRANSPORTATION
Highways
The North Okanagan has a strong highway system providing connectivity throughout the region and access to many major destinations. The highways are well maintained and are all-weather highways permitting efficient travel and easy access by car. Travel to the USA is possible via many different routes in the North Okanagan.
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Highway 97:
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- Connects north to the Trans Canada Highway
- Connects south to the Coquihalla Connector (Highway 97C) to Route 5 Coquihalla to Vancouver
- Connects east to Highway 6 to Nakusp, the Monashees and Nelson
- Connects south to Highway 3 - major route in BC to the Kootenays and access to the USA
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Click here for highway condition updates within the region.
Rail
For passenger transportation, Kamloops, BC, is the nearest city centre for individuals of the North Okanagan to embark/disembark. The Kamloops station offers two rail services – Via Rail Canada to areas outside of BC, and Rocky Mountaineer Rail within the Canadian Rockies in BC and Alberta.
Air
Kelowna International Airport:
The Kelowna International Airport is located approximately 30 minutes drive from downtown Vernon, north of Kelowna. In terms of passenger activity, the Kelowna International Airport is the third busiest airport in British Columbia and the eleventh busiest airport in Canada with almost 1,400,00 passengers transported in 2008.
Air carriers that service the airport include:
Air Canada,
Air Canada -Jazz,
Horizon Air,
Central Mountain Air
and
WestJet.
The Canada Customs office, located within the airport, provides service 24 hours a day. The Kelowna International Airport provides connections to five major international airports opening up connectivity to the world, and currently air carriers operate 36 departures per day.
Vernon Regional Airport:
The Vernon Regional Airport is a commercial airport located on 90 acres of land approximately five miles southwest of downtown Vernon.
The Vernon Regional Airport has one operating runway that was designed to accommodate the prevailing winds in the area from Okanagan Lake. The runway is 3,518 feet in length
and 75 feet wide, and is equipped with Medium Intensity Lights but is a non-instrument runway.
The Airport houses industrial-based businesses focusing on aircraft manufacturing and maintenance and provides a base for corporate, commercial and general aviation.
The Corporation of the City of Vernon has initiated the preparation of a Master Plan for the Regional Airport to provide vision for the future of the facility and remain updated with the changes in the aviation industry and the growth of the community. For information on this report or other Airport inquiries contact:
Vernon Regional Airport
(250)545-3035
Links:
Air Carriers by Region
BC Air Transportation
Vancouver International Airport - gateway to the Pacific
Calgary International Airport - gateway to the East
Seattle International Airport - gateway to the USA & Mexico
Edmonton International Airport - gateway to the North
Bus
Greyhound Lines of Canada Ltd..
The North Okanagan is served by Greyhound Lines of Canada Ltd., providing a network to all Canadian and US destinations. Greyhound has departures to over 2,100 cities nationwide in Canada, plus cooperative service to the US and Mexico with major bus lines in those countries. Greyhound Courier Express services over 3,700 locations in Canada, with frequency of service unmatched in the courier industry.
Fares and schedules for Greyhound can be obtained through any of the local offices in Vernon, Armstrong or Enderby.
Vernon:
3102 - 30th Street
Vernon, BC
V1T 5E2
Main: (250) 545-0527
Greyhound Package Express: (250) 542-1131
Enderby:
704 Cliff Avenue
Enderby, BC
V0E 1V0
Telephone: (250) 838-7404
Fax: (250) 838-2187
Armstrong:
#12, 3305 Smith Drive
Armstrong, BC
V0E 1V3
Telephone/Fax: (250) 546-8376
Salmon Arm:
#50 10 Street South West
Salmon Arm, BC
V1E 4N9
Main: (250) 832-3962
Greyhound Package Express: (250) 832-3131
BC Transit
Locally the Vernon Regional Transit System provides a conventional, fixed-route, wheelchair-accessible transit system for scheduled services to the Greater Vernon and Coldstream areas. The conventional transit service includes mapped routes with scheduled stops seven days a week, and is fully wheelchair accessible. In addition, a blended conventional/custom “community bus’ services the North Okanagan Regional District including Armstrong, Enderby, Spallumcheen, Whitevale and Lumby.
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Fares for city transit (one zone):
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| Single Fare:
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$2.00 adults, $1.75 seniors & students
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| Full-Day Fare:
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$5.00 adults, $4.50 seniors & students
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| Monthly Passes:
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$50.00 adults, $35.00 seniors & students
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| Fares for city transit (multi-zone):
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| Fare:
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$2.50 adults, $2.25 seniors & students
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| Full-Day Fare:
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$6.00 adults, $5.50 seniors & students
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| Monthly Passes:
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$55.00 adults, $40.00 seniors & students
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More information can be obtained by calling (250) 545-7221 (information) or (250) 545-7286 (office).
Vernon Regional HandyDART
Vernon Regional HandyDART is a custom or supplemental transit system that offers individualized door-to-door service for people with disabilities who are unable to access the conventional fixed-route system. Passengers must be registered in order to use the service and rides are pre-scheduled in advance. The service operates Monday throughSaturday.
To Register for the Vernon Regional HandyDART service call 545-7221 from 8:30am to 4:30pm Monday to Friday.
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