11/19/2016
Being a native of Kamloops has allowed me to watch Kamloops grow into the fifth largest city in BC, home to 90,000 people and a four season destination. This city has a wide array of job opportunities, various options for leisure activities, Thompson Rivers University, unique educational options and a friendly place to call home.
Kamloops offers a wide range of career opportunities presented by Interior Health Agency, School District #73, Highland Valley Copper Mine, Thompson Rivers University, City of Kamloops, BC Lottery Corporation, New Gold Afton, CN Rail, and Domtar.
Kamloops has deeply unique cultural and geographical diversity
"Kamloops" derived from the Schwepemc word, T'Kemlups directly translates to "the meeting of the waters", because of the meeting of the north and south Thompson right through the centre of the city through to kamloops lake. The Kamloops Indian Band has thick roots within our community and offers tours of their historical museum, as well as their grounds. They also offer a music and cultural festival yearly, where they celebrate and share their rich culturally infused festivities.
As far as nature activities, Kamloops is first class. Little and Big Shuswap are east of the city and can be accessed within an hours drive from the downtown core, these lakes have a lot to offer and are ideal places for boating, seadooing, waterskiing, wakeboarding, caneoing, kayaking and fishing alike. Among the lakes aforementioned, there are also a dozen other smaller lakes in Kamloops and area. We are incredibly lucky here to live in a vast valley, with a new hike or bike trail around every corner. From the wind-scultpted hoodoos of Mara canyon, to the breathtaking views atop Kenna Cartwright park, the majestic waterfalls of Peterson Creek and everything in between, Kamloops proves itself ten times over in outdoor activity opportunities. Sun Peaks Mountain Resort is just shy of an hour north of Kamloops, offering a world class range of ski and board trails. Harper mountain is a mere 20 minutes from town, and while it is quite a bit smaller than it's Kamloops counterpart, still has much to offer, with a number of introductory trails, terrain park, and tubing. There are eight golf courses in and around Kamloops, Tobiano Golf Course, Mt. Paul Golf Course, Kamloops Golf and Country Club, Rivershore Estate and Golf Links, Sun Rivers Golf and Resort Community, Sun Peaks Golf Course and Driving Range, MacArthur Island Golf-Plex Inc. and Eagle Point Golf Resort. Experiencing even one of our greens is a great way to see the varied topography and terrain that we as a city have to offer.
Kamloops has many educational options for elementary and senior high school students, among these are French Immersion, Science and Technology, School of the Arts, Montessori; Trades and Technology have been a welcome edition to our school system. Thompson Rivers University has top rate educational opportunities, offering smaller class sizes and an impressive range of faculties. The campus is based in the Sahali area of town and is in walking distance to to central areas, and is easily accessible to public transit. The TRU campus is ever-growing, and is an example of a school where you can experience high level education in a gorgeous environment.
Kamloops, which is just one stop along the Okanagan valley is known for our incredible fertile soil, making planting and growing easy, easily shown by the long list of farms and wineries in the surrounding areas.
The downtown core is lively, fresh, and inviting, contributing bounteous amounts of cafés, restaurants, markets and shop. A farmer's market is held twice a week April through to the end of October, along with various arts and culture festivals throughout the summer months. The Noble Pig, located downtown, and Red Beard Café, located on the North Shore are among a dozen or so microbreweries within kamloops.
Kamloops is a hub city with easy access to Vancouver and Kelowna; quickly becoming a city easily comparable to that of the major cities in BC.
