It’s not a shock that Kelowna is growing. Towers are being erected, piercing the skyline and paving the way to the city’s future.
There are multi-million dollar mansions that curl up against the waters edge and families and the next generation of tech tycoons are building their future in the Okanagan Valley.
In the 2016 census Kelowna had a population of 151,957, it’s projected that there will be another 50,000 new residents by 2040.
A popular Facebook page, Old Kelowna reminds its 26,318 followers of just how far the city has really come. The page was founded by Shona Harrison with the help of Doug Cook in 2014.
Harrison, a fourth generation born-and-raised Kelowna resident, is passionate about preserving this city’s history.
READ MORE: New excitement about Old Kelowna
Patrick Selby shared a postcard of Bernard Avenue from the 1970s to the group, the building where Kelly O’Bryan’s now sits is still recognizable and the Paramount Theatre that is now a Tim Hortons and Craft Beer Market. In 1976 there were 51,955 residents in Kelowna.
“We moved into our first (rental) home in Kelowna on March 1, 1996, exactly 23 yrs ago, and this is how I remember Bernard,” said Brian Norton in a Facebook comment on the photo.
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Kray Mitchell shared a photo of Beacon Beach Resort from the 1970s that is now home to Manteo Resort.
“Our family “Styles” spent time at this resort in the early ’70s every summer. It then went for sale and my parents bought it and we became a resort family. Approximately 1977. The experiences there growing up were amazing. So many people to meet and see every summer. We also helped some Vietnamese families who came as refugees. Fond fond memories,” wrote Kay Stylito.
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Maureen Johnson Doerr shared a family photo from 1950 of Willowbrook farms that was owned by her parents and grandparents. Parkinson Recreation now resides on the plot of land. In 1951 there were 8,517 residents in Kelowna.
READ MORE: Walk around downtown to learn about Kelowna’s history
Fintry Estate and its octagonal dairy barn built in 1924 that housed Captain James Cameron Dun-Waters’ Ayrshire dairy herd.
“This unique dairy barn, with its centrally placed silo and inward-facing milking stanchions, is the last known polygonal (multi-sided) barn in B.C. Its special shape has become the trademark of the Fintry Estate,” states a post on Old Kelowna.
“The Captain insisted on “only the best” and his championship animals had to have the finest accommodation. This barn, designed by an architect, is the result. Rough-sawn lumber used in it’s construction was probably cut in Dun-Waters’ own sawmill. The barn’s integral waste-handling system enabled both liquid and solid manure to be used as fertilizer on orchards and gardens.”
In 1921 there were 2,520 residents in Kelowna.
To see all of the historical snapshots, go to the Old Kelowna page on Facebook.
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