Access Okanagan (A-OK)

19th July 2008 01:17

Hi can anyone tell me the difference between kelowna and westbank cheers

19th July 2008 23:10

Oh where shall i start?
Kelowna sucks but West is best.


Westbank is way smaller than Kelowna and up until recently you would need to venture into Kelowna for any serious shopping and of course because the bridge caused all sorts of traffic hold ups especially during peak summer it could be a real pain in the wotsit but the upside was that property was cheaper and it was much more rural.
Now however there is a lot more new houses going up and lots of new stores have opened up with more on the way including what will be the biggest Walmart so although you will soon no longer need to go over the bridge for anything if you do it is made much easier since the new crossing opened.
I don't really know why one would be better or worse than the other as both Kelowna and Westbank have their good and not so good areas and both have parks and beaches and trails and shops and schools etc

21st July 2008 19:34

hi scotty

westbank is as nigel123 has said smaller and has a more rural feel than kelowna. i moved to westbank 3yrs ago and it is a very different place now, i love the changes and look forward/welcome more. we now have stores like canadian tire, home depot, shoppers drug mart and with the new wal-mart almost open things are looking good in the retail sense for the westside. oh and we now have TWO timmys and TWO starbucks lol

recreation facilities are good with the johnson-bentley aquatic centre for swimming and numerous private gyms. crystal mountain ski hill is only a 15 min drive from westbank, it's a lovely small family friendly place which is going to recieve a large 'face lift' in the next few years. there is a tennis club in lakeview heights, yaught club in westbank and peachland and a small movie theatre. there are soccer/baseball fields, tennis courts all open for public use. basically there is enough 'life' going on here that you only need visit kelowna when you choose to and not because you have to.

property prices are cheaper here in the main, however the % gap between kelowna/westside is smaller than it was when i arrived in '05 there are some lovely neighbourhoods here ie west kelowna estates/rose valley, shannon lake, smith creek, lakeview heights and peachland is beautiful. elementary schools in the above neighbourhoods have good reputations, they all feed into mount boucherie high school which is the only high school on the westside.

you can check out property prices at www.mls.ca if you see a property on the westside that is listed as 'leasehold' it's because it's on native land and is generally cheaper due to this.

so is the westside the best side hmmmmm i guess it depends on what you are looking for.

have you tried posting on the kelowna section for some feedback from the other side of the bridge?

hope this helps, if you have any specific questions please feel free to pm me

21st July 2008 20:06

I currently live in Kelowna but wouldn't dismiss living in Westbank as I see benefits to living on either side of the bridge. I don't think either is 'better or worse' than the other. Personally I would recommend you come & see for yourself as there's no obvious difference it really is a matter of how you feel about a place and looking about the neighbourhoods helps.

25th July 2008 20:35

me and my family moved here a couple of month ago because we thought it was a smaller town than kelowna but it now has every thing that you need i do not go over the bridge very often now so like other have said it all about wot you like

25th July 2008 21:59

We didn't dismiss Kelowna when looking for a place to live, however hubby didn't want to live near his work as there would be no 'getting away from it'. We loved the Westside and found when it comes to house buying you seem to get more for your money!

With regards to shopping - well I sometimes drive to Kelowna for Walmart so cannot wait for the Westside one to be completed, other than that, I have no need to go into Kelowna.

I would have said like any community in the mountains the aspect might be the most important demographic feature which distinguishes between Westbank and Kelowna. The lake runs North-South so if you want the sun in the evening it make sense to live on ther east side of the valley. If this is not important then the Westbank would be fine - it is where the Hockey players tend to buy their Lakeshore mansions! It's a bit like people in live in Revelstoke - you live between mountains then wonder why the sun rises late and sets early!

Also the Westbank can have issues with freehold which make the area less attractive than those that does not.

Sparky.
I quite like The Wildside, especially Shannon Lake, but give me Kelowna anytime.

I love living on the west side of the lake. We're not right in the town of Westbank, but we have a house on the westside in the hills overlooking the lake. It's a bit more rural, very quiet, kids can ride their bikes and play on the street. The properties have larger gardens (with the consequent higher maintenance!), but it's great if you like a big garden or if you have kids or pets. And at night we have a beautiful view of downtown Kelowna all lit up.

AND - the house prices are cheaper! But with the new bridge the trip into Kelowna is only 15 minutes - which is faster than coming in from Upper Mission on a school day with the traffic along Pandosy. So all in all, it can be a good option, depending on what you're looking for.