What’s It Like to Live in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia?

Have you ever thought about moving to Canada? Like many Americans who have become disillusioned with life in the U.S., I’ve looked into moving to Canada. I’m excited to bring you another installment of my Living Abroad series with an interview with my friend Murissa about life in the Okanagan Valley. What’s it like to live in the Okanagan Valley area of British Columbia?

You can find Murissa on Instagram, her YouTube channel, podcast The Okanagan Food Show, and blog The Wanderfull Traveler.

Life in the Okanagan Valley: An interview with Murissa

I’m Murissa and live in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. My city is considered the hub of the Okanagan Wine Valley and is located in the southern portion of British Columbia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Murissa • Food, Wine + Travel (@wanderfulltraveler)

I am a mom of one boy and a new baby girl. I work in marketing at my family’s innovative and environmentally friendly business Jona Panels providing building materials across Canada and parts of the USA. 

Additionally, I write a food and travel blog called The Wanderfull Traveler about life in the Okanagan Valley and am celebrating a decade since its inception this year. In 2020, just as the pandemic was gaining momentum, my sister and I were launching Food Tours Kelowna and now have a new podcast, The Okanagan Food Show. 

What is the Okanagan Wine Valley like?

Each province has its own distinct food culture, climate and wildlife. I am a British Columbian, or a “BC gal”, through and through. I’ve lived in 4 different areas of the province and love the Okanagan the best!

In 2005 I moved here to go to the University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus and haven’t left since. It was my parents’ dream to live here since I was born but we spent most of my childhood in the colder Cariboo region of BC. Here the summers are hot sometimes reaching temperatures of 115˚F and the winters are mild in comparison to all provinces east of us.

The Okanagan Wine Valley extends from the Washington State border all the way north to the town of Vernon. From Osoyoos to Vernon is only about a 2.5 hour drive. It is a smaller wine region but with lots of little sub-appellation pockets. This allows for bold reds to be grown down south and wines like Riesling and Pinot Noir to thrive in the central and northern Okanagan. 

Our valley is going through an extremely unusual housing bubble. People from surrounding cities and provinces are scooping up all the homes, driving up cost. Demand is exceeding supply and local real estate agents have been asking home owners, including myself, if they’re interested in selling. But with limited options to buy or rent, there are few takers. 

What interesting aspects of life in Canada should people to know about?

The Canadian food and wine scene is where my interest lies. First Nations or Indigenous cuisine is slowly starting to earn its rightful place in mainstream food culture. 

Much like the USA, what you eat depends on where you are.

— In British Columbia, particularly Vancouver you need to try the Asian cuisine (see the Seth Rogen episode of Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner with David Chang, it is a great intro) but on Vancouver Island it’s all about the seafood and British influences. But when you come inland you have the Fraser and Okanagan wine regions that dominate with quality restaurants of all budgets.

— Skip over a province to Alberta and you’ve stumbled into steak and oil country, think something like Texas.

— Saskatchewan and Manitoba are prairie landscapes, game meat and Mennonite sausage.

— Ontario, particularly Toronto, has so many cultures that settled there bringing their food like the Portuguese and island nations. You can’t miss the excellent St Lawrence Market and its own wine region.

— Quebec is where the French Canadians give us poutine, tourtière, foie gras and is the exquisite culinary hub of Canada while beating to its own drum. 

— Then finally you’ve got the Maritimes where people are truly the kindest, the food and culture is heavily influenced by the Scottish, but you’ve got lovely lobsters and colourful seaside homes. Yes, this is all fairly reductive but gives you a basic idea to start.

Also, Thanksgiving… I’ve been asked my some American colleagues if we have a Thanksgiving and if so, what do we call it? Our Thanksgiving is in October and we call it Thanksgiving. In fact, the earliest Thanksgiving took place in what would be Canada in 1578. There is a growing movement to not celebrate the holiday in solidarity with our First Nations groups. For my family it is an excuse to throw a feast and be together, not to celebrate the European settlers.

On a lighter note, ketchup chips are not chips we dip in ketchup. It is a flavouring just as Salt & Vinegar for example, and is so delicious with dill chip dip. A true Canadian classic you can’t leave without trying!

Daily life in the Okanagan Valley

Life hasn’t been exactly normal for me as I have been pregnant for most of the pandemic and I’ve been without daycare so working from home with a toddler and trying to keep up with writing, pushing the local restaurants and so on has put a few extra grey hairs on my head! I really can’t wait for life to begin again as vaccines roll out. I expect to get mine by end of June.

When I am not confined to my home a typical day consists of work from 8 am until 4 pm. Sometimes I’ll pop into a local winery, of which there are 18 or so in Kelowna alone (almost 300 wineries in the Okanagan Valley), and go for a tasting to give myself a moment alone. On weekends, impromptu wine tastings, SUP boarding at any of the local lakes and lounging on a patio with the view of Okanagan Lake is my favourite way to unwind.

Best things about living in the Okanagan Valley:

So many things!

I love how my city of Kelowna is seen as “in between” in that city dwellers see it as a smaller town while people who live in small towns see it as a big city. Downtown is only a 15 minute drive from rural scenes of vineyards, orchards, and hiking trails tucked away in the hills and mountains. I can drive to another city or sub-appellation within the Okanagan in 30-45 minutes where different varietals, lakes and scenery transport me.

So many areas of the valley are reminiscent of regions like Tuscany, Champagne, Napa, Santa Barbara and yet they are distinctly their own, taking pride in all things Okanagan made and grown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Challenges of life in the Okanagan Valley:

With the good comes the bad. In the Okanagan we definitely have a housing crisis. Housing is expensive because it is such a desirable area to live and vacation. Daycare is in high demand and expensive. There are few options for low income families. Drug use has spiked and our government hasn’t found a successful way to help the homeless. The pandemic has exacerbated all these underlying issues within our province.

An insider’s secrets about the Okanagan Valley:

The Okanagan Lake is home to the infamous Ogopogo lake monster. This mystic serpentine creature has been documented by early settlers. Although, the origin is Indigenous and thought to represent the serpentine shape of the long and narrow Okanagan Lake.

The Okanagan is home of Canada’s only 100 pt Chardonnay, produced by Check Mate winery out of Oliver, BC.

Kelowna has some amazing distilleries located in the rural areas, one of which (Forbidden Spirits) is producing  delicious vodka made from local apples.

The Okanagan Valley is all about collaboration. You’ll find breweries, wineries, chefs and restaurants not operating in competition with one another. Instead they find unique ways to support each other and create something new. We have breweries creating wine and beer hybrids, chefs popping up in neighbouring restaurants and so on.

We have so many orchards and fruit stands that sell produce that is the envy of Canada. Cherries, pears, peaches, apricots and so on are incredibly sweet and delicious. You must try a u-pick experience which saves you money and gets you up and close to where your fruit comes from.

Pop up dinners are the best way to experience the local Okanagan food scene. Specialty chefs like Aman Dosanj of The Paisley Notebook or Joy Road Catering specialize in creating unique alfresco dinning experiences at local farms and vineyards with ingredients sourced from local producers and are accompanied by Okanagan stories.

With just under 300 wineries within the Okanagan many family neighbourhoods have their own wineries. I live within a 20 minute walk to Summerhill Winery and with the rural being so closely intertwined with the urban we are very fortunate to live in close proximity to our local farmers and vineyards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Living nearby a winery isn’t for everyone. You’ll often hear loud bangs that echo to scare away birds and wildlife from the grapes. The spring and summer months bring the tourists so there’ll tend to be increased traffic and people within the area. Cherry orchards surrounding my neighbourhood hire helicopters to dry the cherries after a heavy summer rain to prevent splitting or bruising. So living near farms can be fairly noisy at times.

The Okanagan is home to 50 lakes! I particularly love the turquoise Kalamalka Lake. It is so warm and ideal for SUP boarding but has been known to harbor unexploded bombs and mortar as it was used as a military training site during WWII.

Raising bilingual kids in Canada:

With a newborn and a 3 year old, I can’t comment much regarding parenting yet. But I am excited to have my children attend a French Immersion school just as I did as a child.

Some question the practicality – perhaps Mandarin or Spanish would be of better use. But being fluent in another language has its cognitive, professional and leisurely benefits that I appreciate as an adult traveler, marketer and avid Jeopardy! fan. Being fluent in French has helped me within the Canadian market as we develop products and literature.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Murissa • Food, Wine + Travel (@wanderfulltraveler)

What other countries could learn from life in the Okanagan Valley & Canada:

Universal health care is a just a basic right and I’m so glad I live in a country that provides for its people. Yes, it isn’t without its issues. During the pandemic wait times have further increased which led to my grandfather’s cancer spreading within weeks in early 2021. But without universal health care he wouldn’t have received a kidney transplant without needing to pay for all associated health costs.

I wouldn’t be able to afford to have a child without coverage. Doctor’s appointments are free. Birth and any complications associated with birth such as a c-section, hospital stays or requiring the NICU services are free. While pregnant I’ve read forums on the What To Expect app. Women are searching for ways to have their child in Canada to avoid a hefty $10,000 hospital bill elsewhere. It was heartbreaking to read.

Murissa’s tips for visiting the Okanagan region:

When you can come to the Okanagan, I hope to escort you on a food tour of my favourite culinary neighbourhoods. As always, my foodie website The Wanderfull Traveler provides hidden insight into life in the Okanagan Valley and focuses on the locally owned and operated as well as what life is like as a female entrepreneur and family in the Okanagan wine region.

You can also check out my brand new podcast called The Okanagan Food Show where my sister and I interview foodies, chefs, winemakers and brewers as well as talk about our favourite places to eat and drink and general life in the Okanagan Valley.

Tips for newcomers to make friends in British Columbia:

Social Media makes it easier to find likeminded people. Facebook groups with moms looking to connect over hiking, beer, food or SUP boarding are great ways to find common ground.

What’s next for life in the Okanagan Valley?

It is a waiting game for the vaccine so that we can re-re-launch Food Tours Kelowna. Canada has been slow to start with political games being played in early 2021. Many Canadian bound vaccines were redirected to Europe which left us in limbo wondering who dropped the ball.

I cannot wait to travel once again. It doesn’t matter if it is near or far, I just want to get out! Although, the pandemic has left me feeling reassured that I love where I live and couldn’t live elsewhere…unless I could afford a second home in Italy!