BY THE NUMBERS: Kamloops, Kelowna, Penticton and Vernon battle it out for bragging rights

Image Credit: iNFOnews.ca

March 20, 2016 - 12:00 PM

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Maybe you believe your city is more dog-friendly than others. Or maybe you think housing is more affordable elsewhere. Maybe you believe your city gets the most sunshine. But are you right?

We’ve probably all done it at some time or another — wondered how our cities stack up against others. We know we have, so we looked into it.

We found some interesting facts, figures and stories while collecting this information. Did you know Vernon has the most sister cities? Which community gets the most rain? Where the most winning lottery tickets are bought?

Did you know the coat of arms for some of the cities is authentic right down to the detail, while others merged the old-world art with more modern day imagery?

Kamloops' coat of arms was adopted in 1911 and includes several identifiable marks, including the Thompson Rivers, as well as the traditional heraldry. Though Kelowna only adopted its coat of arms in 1955, making it new by coat of arms standards, it chose a seahorse as a supporter because it most closely represented the Ogopogo. Penticton didn’t stand by the old heraldry as closely though, so the Ogopogo does make an appearance on its coat of arms.

Kamloops has a trademarked slogan, ‘The Tournament Capital of Canada’, as well as a motto which appears on the coat of arms, which translates to ‘health and wealth’. Kelowna’s motto is a play on both the many orchards and community cooperation while Penticton’s motto appears to be aiming for a community feel, but if we’re being honest, has a somewhat ominous sound to it. The motto for Vernon is by far the newest, adopted just this past year.

Yesterday, we shared comparisons on city operations and demographics, from budgets and council remuneration to population density and median age of the population.

Today, we look at what makes our cities really worth bragging about, like weather, house prices and yes, even those official city slogans.

Image Credit: iNFOnews.ca

To contact a reporter for this story, email Jennifer Stahn at jstahn@infonews.ca or call 250-819-3723. To contact an editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

— This story has been updated with a graphic showing the snowfall in centimetres.