Rewatching one of my first videos, Looking to Move to Vernon BC – 8 Reasons Why You’ll Love It, I realized there are far more than 8 reasons to move to Vernon – there are at least 16! And we’re going to talk about those next 8 elusive reasons you will LOVE Vernon.
Let’s start with these next 8 reasons why you will love to move to Vernon by talking about why we call the Okanagan the sunny Okanagan. Sun is number one on our list….
1. Hours of Sunshine
If there is no other great reason to move to Vernon, this is one of the best reasons that I can think of – the mean Monthly sunshine hours for the year for Vernon is 2026 hours, that’s awesome! That’s a lot of hours. When you combine that with relatively low amounts of rain at 333 cm average annual rainfall per year, that is also a big deal for me. I mean, there are times when we need rain obviously, we don’t want to invite forest fires that’s for sure, and we want it to turn to snow up on the ski hills, and we want it to fill up the lakes and water our lawns, however, we don’t want too much. And for me, and for many, 333 cms isn’t too much and it’s not too little, it’s just right. As long as the rain comes at the right time, like for 2022 it ALL came in the Spring, not enough to flood, and more than enough to stave off forest fires pretty much all summer, so that to me is the recipe for success. If Mother Nature could please repeat that over and over again, I would be in favour of that big time.
Second, on our list is the fabulous trail System we have in Vernon.
2. Fabulous Trail System:
As we already know, Vernon and the Okanagan is a great place to enjoy the outdoors in all four seasons. Saying that Greater Vernon really shines in the hiking and walking trails department. There are some just fabulous hikes around, starting with the easiest of all the hikes, generally determined a walk or a flat ride, which is the Rail Trail. After a 2-year community fundraising campaign and a series of grants, this previous CN Rail line was converted into this amazing trail running between Vernon and Kelowna, well, it’s not quite continuous yet however, it will be one day. Over 24 km of the trail follows lakeshore and creeks so the scenery and wildlife are pretty awesome.
Then across Kalamalka Lake, you have Kalamalka Provincial Park where there are tons of trails not just for hiking, but also for biking and horseback riding. In this park alone there are 22 trails ranging from 226 to 3,274 feet in elevation gain. Tons to see and explore here, including the incredible views over Kalamalka Lake which is a marl lake which means when the lake warms in the summer the dissolved limestone crystallizes and gives the lake its distinct blue and green color.
And, most importantly to the four-legged variety, there is a trail leading down to the dog beach.
The Grey Canal Trail is another huge trail system in 4 distinct sections throughout the area back in the day was an old irrigation system alignment around Vernon, and when the ditches were replaced with buried pipes, the system was no longer in use and now is used for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. There is beautiful scenery from the trails with stunning views from these trails as well.
The Coldstream sub-area of Middleton Mountain has an extensive trail system that starts at Kal Beach and extends around the whole mountain, winds through the residential areas, and goes to the very top of the mountain for 360-degree views over Coldstream and Vernon.
And there are so many other great trails that we don’t have time to talk about today, in a future video, I better do one devoted solely to the trail systems.
Suffice it to say – the trails are excellent, and you know what else is excellent in Vernon?
Golf! Where there’s good weather, there’s a long golf season.
3. Long Golf Season and Great Golfing
Golf courses open up sometime in mid-March usually and go sometimes right until the end of October, weather depending.
Vernon may not have a ton of golf courses, however, the ones we have are really nice. Starting with the easiest, there is Hillview Golf course, which is an 18-hole executive golf course, Vernon’s only 18-hole executive golf course actually.
Then there’s Spallumcheen Golf & Country Club, with an 18-hole championship course as well as a 9-hole executive course which is located just across from the historic O’keefe Ranch,
Vernon Golf and Country Club, which is an 18-hole championship course, and it’s a cool course with all its Lombardi poplars to look at or most likely hit with your golf ball to make it more challenging, and a creek through the course.
Those 3 courses are all pretty much on the flats, and the next two are up overlooking Okanagan Lake – the Rise and of course, Predator Ridge. The Rise is high, it’s on the edge of Vernon and 1000 feet above the Lake. The golf course is carved into the mountain, this one is a challenge for sure, but, the views are worth it.
Last but definitely not least is Predator Ridge Golf Resort which is a true resort type of atmosphere and they are currently building out more and more homes around the area. Predator has hosted not one but two skins games. The Predator course is an 18-links style course set in rolling mounds and hills with extensive use of fescue, and then the Ridge Course is the newer of the two courses, has some beautiful views of Okanagan Lake, and has some big elevation changes. If you golf, Predator Ridge is more than enough reason to move to Vernon.
If you’re not into the outdoor activities of hiking biking or golfing, let’s talk about the arts. There is a thriving arts scene in Vernon! Maybe you didn’t know that.
Do you know there are 28 murals in Vernon on the side of buildings all over downtown? These murals are world reknown for their depiction of the history of our town over the years. They revolve around the history, culture, scenery, and folklore that made Vernon what it is today. If you’re interested and so inclined, you can take a mural tour and learn about Vernon's history through these incredible works of art.
Then there’s also the Vernon Community Arts Center a facility providing art classes and workshops, painting, pottery, glass, etc. There are all sorts of events and exhibits at the Arts Centre throughout the year.
The Vernon Public Art Gallery is a center for educational and cultural activities in the Okanagan. It has numerous exhibitions featuring emerging, mid-career, and established artists working in many media styles including paintings, sculpture, video, and installation art.
And those are just the beginning, there are also many other artsy places around Vernon including the historic Caitani Centre which is a 120-year-old heritage house that was the former home of Sveva Caetani, now THAT’S a story, for another time, anyhow, they sometimes hold tours of the property. Also Gallery Vertigo in downtown Vernon, Arte Funktional Gallery on the Westside of Okanagan Lake and Nadine’s Fine Art Gallery and Frames.
When it comes to Theatre and live performances, there is the Vernon Performing Arts Theatre, the Powerhouse Theatre, and the Caravan Farm Theatre out in Armstrong for an outdoor live theatre experience as well.
If you’re interested in history then the Vernon museum and various tours may interest you such as the Historic O’Keefe Ranch, Mackie Lake House that was built in 1910 above Kalamalka Lake hosting tours, concerts and afternoon teas, the Kalamalka Indigenous Garden overlooking Kalamalka Lake, and the Canadian Wildlife museum as well. And along those lines, if you’re interested in wildlife there is also the Allan Brooks Nature Center to learn more about nature and animals, plus let’s not forget the Okanagan Science Center where, as they say, you can unleash your inner science nerd!
And then – there’s wine.
5. Proximity to Wine
First of all, I should mention, we have a winery. Well, we have grape vines that are soon going to be a winery. Well, hopefully. In 3 or 4 years from now, they will know if the grapes are going to successfully grow and be made into wine and thereafter with any luck there will be an incredible winery with a tasting room, maybe a restaurant… actually there are no plans for that yet, however, I’m sure if it’s successful, it will turn into a beautiful winery overlooking Okanagan Lake. This is a really cool story actually – Vernon up until now has vineyards, not a ton but a few, so you can grow grapes here, however, no one has attempted a real live winery, even though over 80% of the BC wine production is in the Okanagan. Lake Country, is 20 minutes away – has tons of wineries and has a similar topography to Vernon. North of us, also a bunch of wineries. Vernon, none. Until now. Well, almost now. The previous owner of the Plenty of Fish Dating site, Markus Frind, who also has a successful winery in West Kelowna, purchased 900 acres of land in numerous plots from Bella Vista Road to the north of Tronson Road and he feels that this will be one of the most beautiful vineyards in the world. And you can see why the views are unbelievably spectacular. In fact, he thinks they can ripen cab sav there which is one of the hardest grapes to ripen and typically only grown in Oliver and Osoyoos, which would open up all of Vernon for growing the most expensive and best grapes. He has 20 + weather stations up and down the valley and he says the area near the lake in Vernon is actually warmer than both Summerland and Naramata. He also says the land in Vernon is dirt cheap compared to everywhere else. Granted he said this in 2020. Anyhow, hopefully soon we will see if the cab sav will take off and if it does, Vernon will be on the map for wine for sure. And even if for some reason this does not work out, you’re so close to Lake Country, 20 minutes from the beginning of established wine country all the way down the Valley to the US border and then north of us as well, don’t worry, you are never too far from a wine tour in Vernon.
And that’s a great reason in itself to move to Vernon. Proximity to high-end alcohol.
And with wine comes cheese. And cheese is food, which leads us to the great restaurants around Vernon.
Most notably, in 2022 Vernon was put on the eating map. We now have… a Cactus Club! Brand spankin’ new! Open for the first time on October 13th and it has been packed every second since. Just a note – Kamloops doesn’t have a Cactus Club. I think that’s worth noting. Saying that we have some great other restaurants in Vernon, the Med Restaurant downtown is one of our go-to restaurants with Mediterranean cuisine and an excellent happy hour from 4-5, Intermezzo Restaurant now has two locations, fine dining at its best, the Phoenix is a dynamite steak house right downtown and we also have some killer ethnic restaurants, East Indian and lots and lots of sushi, plus casual pub fare and did I mention? We have a Cactus Club. And Kamloops doesn’t.
7. Funtastiks
After you’re all liquored up from your wine tour, and you’ve got a belly full of fine food, Vernon has Funtastik which is our annual Slo Pitch Tournament, music festival, and all-around drunk fest, on the Canada Day long weekend. We’re proud of that because it’s a shaker and a half. It’s also Canada’s largest slo-pitch tournament and slo-pitch tournament. The main Vernon event is held at the DND Army Camp, with slow-pitch events happening on ball diamonds throughout the city. The event has been going since 1984 and they do not receive any government funding and instead host this annual fundraiser, which is mostly if not all run by volunteers, and brings approximately $4.5 million in direct economic benefit to the local business community since the society started, has been able to contribute more than $2.1 million back to the community. Very cool. And fun.
So obviously lots of fun stuff to do in Vernon, and that will be why …
8. Ranked Top Places to Live in Canada
In April of 2021, McLean’s wrote that Vernon is the number 30 place to live in Canada, which translates into the fifth-highest in BC and best ranking outside Vancouver Island. Macleans.ca’s poll of the 415 best communities to live in Canada
The North Okanagan’s biggest city’s top three features, according to the list, are internet access, health, and amenities.
For more information on why the poll showed Vernon as number 30 in Canada and number one in the entire Okanagan, watch our video called “Where is the Best City to Live in the Okanagan”. I didn’t say it, MacLean’s did. They couldn’t be wrong!
And those are 8 more reasons to move to Vernon BC. While you consider your decision, please download our Free Relocation package at: www.VernonRelocation.com and we hope to welcome you to Vernon soon!
If you want to talk to us about Vernon real estate feel free to call us at 250-549-SALT (7258), text us at 250-309-9586 or email us at webinfo@saltfowler.com.
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