People & Places
Kamloops: Small but perfectly formed
Having lived in Kamloops, in southern British Columbia, since May last year, British emigrant Claire Bolgil is the ideal person to run the relocation rule over the city
Müfit (my husband) and I came to Kamloops in January 2007 to have a look around with a view to settling here. Within just a few hours we felt really comfortable in the city and knew we would be happy to call it home. Obviously, there were reasons why we chose to look at Kamloops in the first place; we didn't just stick a pin in the map to see where it landed, though in all honesty this was fairly close to the truth! Kamloops came out top for us for the following reasons: climate, location, size, property prices and economy.
Location and Geography
Kamloops is located in the British Columbia Interior. The city is about 216 miles (348 kilometres) from Vancouver city and 160 miles (258 kilometres) from Osoyoos, at the US border. Kamloops is at a latitude of just under 51° North, which is the same as the south coast of England. This means that the hours of daylight are the same (although obviously Kamloops is eight hours behind), yet the climate here is quite different!
The city is in a mountainous region, set in-between the Coastal Mountain range to the west and eventually the Rockies to the east. It's in a valley formed by the Thompson River and the city has developed where two branches – the North and South Thompson – meet. The name Kamloops actually translates from the Shuswap word 'Tk'emlups', which means 'meeting of the rivers'. One of the main appeals to us was the size of Kamloops. It's a big city, so has everything you need, yet it's not too big. The city limits take up an area of 120 square miles (311 square kilometres), with a population of just over 80,000.
Climate
This maybe surprising to some, but Kamloops has a semi-arid climate. The winters are mild, relatively speaking, and rainfall is very low as Kamloops is situated in a 'rain shadow'. To the west of Kamloops in particular, as you travel towards Lillooet, you may mistake the landscape for somewhere in Arizona. It is very arid and desert-like here with only occasional trees and plants. Although the winter temperatures are colder here, strangely it doesn't feel that cold because the air is so much dryer than in the dampness of the UK.
Transport
Roads: In our opinion, the road system in Kamloops works very well. Especially good is the fact that you can use Highway 1 to get from one end of the city to the other in just a few minutes and traffic jams are virtually non-existent!
Parking: In the city centre you can park on the road side and pay at the meter (just 25 cents for half-an-hour), or there are designated car parks which charge about the same. Outside of the downtown area, parking outside the shops and malls is all free and you can almost always find a space very easily.
Kamloops Transit: We can't speak from experience here as we've never used the public buses, but from what we know there are extensive bus routes around the city and out to the suburbs and they are cheap, too. One journey (as long as you stay on the same bus) is just CDN$2.
Kamloops Airport: Kamloops has a small airport which is semi-international. From here you can fly to Vancouver, Calgary and Prince George as well as to Seattle in the US. Although small, Kamloops Airport has recently been granted funding to expand, which is great news for businesses and residents.
Crime
Like all cities Kamloops has its crime. However, we rarely hear of any major incidents and feel extremely safe here at all times of the day or night.
Shopping
In the city centre you tend to have more independent and specialised shops as well as banks and businesses. Outside of the city centre are larger shops, sometimes placed individually and sometimes in groups set around a large car park. There are a couple of malls, the largest being Aberdeen Mall – which has a good variety of well-known stores.
Restaurants and coffee shops
There are restaurants here for every taste, from the large franchises, such as Montana's, Boston Pizza and McDonalds to the independent family restaurants, as well as Chinese, Indian, Greek and Italian cuisines. Coffee is very important to Canadians. There are now ten Tim Hortons (the Canadian equivalent to Starbucks) in Kamloops city limits or, if you prefer the Seattle scene, there are several Starbucks here, too!
Entertainment
Kamloops has plenty to keep you entertained. There are two cinemas, a couple of theatres and the Interior Savings Centre which holds concerts and hockey matches amongst other things. There is a casino in the centre and a few 'pubs' dotted around the city as well as bar areas within many of the restaurants.
Sports and Recreation
Kamloops is the 'Tournament Capital of Canada' as the city plays host to multiple sporting events each year. Not surprisingly, sports are popular here and there seems to be a club or a team for just about everything. Skiing is particularly popular – Sun Peaks is about 45 minutes drive from the city and is a growing resort.
Economy
Kamloops is an important centre for sawmilling, paper manufacture and tourism and is home to several large Canadian companies as well as multiple smaller businesses. The economy is thriving, which was important to us in setting up business here, plus there's lots of assistance available – Venture Kamloops continues to be very helpful as we get our company up and running, and the Chamber of Commerce are also very keen to assist.
Property
Although property prices in Kamloops are rising, it continues to be a very affordable place to buy. The average price for a detached house is CDN$291,000, whilst in Vancouver it is CDN$650,000. The UK detached average is £353,000, which exchanges to approximately CDN$698,000. There is a good range of property in Kamloops, from early 20th-century properties in the downtown area to larger, more modern houses with bigger plots as you move outwards – a common plot size being a quarter of an acre.
Summary
When asked to write this article on Kamloops, it was suggested to me that I come up with reasons to relocate to Kamloops and reasons not to. I think I've fairly substantially covered the reasons 'to' come here, but, to be perfectly honest, I'm having a very hard time finding any reasons 'not to' come here! The only downside we've experienced so far is the distance to Vancouver international airport. You can fly there from Kamloops, but this isn't cheap. The alternative is to drive, which takes four hours each way and is hard going. But, if that's the only negative of being here, we can live with it!
We've been in Kamloops for nearly eight months now and have no regrets. We can safely say that we're extremely happy here and would wholeheartedly recommend Kamloops to anyone considering a move to Canada.
Kamloops climate
A climatic comparison of Kamloops to London:
Average hours of sunshine per year Kamloops over 2,000
London approx 1,600
Average rainfall per year
Kamloops 270mm / London 770mm
Average July maximum temperature Kamloops 28.3°C (83°F)
London 22°C (71°F)
Average January minimum temp
Kamloops -7.6°C (20°F)
London 1.5°C (35°F)
What we love
1. Property prices – Kamloops is still very affordable compared to some other places like Vancouver, Kelowna and Calgary.
2. Climate – hot summers with little rainfall, high number of sunshine hours, relatively mild winters.
3. Location – relatively close to places like the Rockies and other cities are within reach. We particularly like the fact that Kamloops isn't surrounded by many other large towns and cities.
What's not to love?
1. Location – too far from an international airport and too much out on its own. That is, there are not many other towns and cities surrounding it, so Kamloops would be your only sensible choice for shopping etc.
2. Climate – not everyone likes the heat! Kamloops can get very hot in the summer and is dry (humidity-wise) all year round. Much of the immediate surrounding area is quite desert-like.
3. Size – Kamloops is big enough for us and has everything we need on a daily basis, but may not be big enough for everyone. The range of attractions, facilities, entertainment and employment may be considered too limited.
Places we considered
Southern Ontario appealed because:
It's closer to the UK, so flights are shorter.
We have friends there.
Big cities, such as Ottawa and Toronto were within reach
Decided against it because:
It didn't meet our expectations in terms of what Canada represents for us – namely, a landscape like the Rockies.
The winter weather in Ontario can be quite harsh.
Calgary and Alberta appealed because:
Close to Rockies and great landscapes.
Calgary is an attractive city.
There was lots of potential for our IT business to succeed.
Decided against it because:
Property prices in the Calgary area were rising too fast for us.
Outside of the Calgary suburbs, towns were either too exclusive and expensive or were limited in terms of facilities.
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