More workers than seniors moving to Penticton

While Penticton is sometimes seen as more of a retirement destination than a place to work, new survey data shows that’s not the case.

Only 23% of new residents to Penticton who filled out a “Welcome Home” survey were retired while 31% moved to the city for a job and another 14% were remote workers or worked from home.

Only 28% of new residents who arrived between Jan. 1 and July 7 this year were 45 or older and 17.5% were under the age of 18.

“The data shows continued growth in remote-workers, showing that skilled professionals and young families are recognizing the benefits of moving to a community like Penticton, where they can achieve a more appealing work-life balance,” Anthony Haddad, general manager of community services for the City of Penticton, said in a news release.

A total of 128 people filled out the survey, representing 301 residents.

Of those, 24% came from the Lower Mainland, 16% from other parts of the Okanagan, 13% from Alberta and 12.5% from Ontario.

Most, 42%, live in houses and another 34% in apartments or condos.

READ MORE: This mid-size Okanagan city experiencing biggest housing boom in valley


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Rob Munro

Rob Munro

Rob Munro has a long history in journalism after starting an underground newspaper in Whitehorse called the Yukon Howl in 1980. He spent five years at the 100 Mile Free Press, starting in the darkroom, moving on to sports and news reporting before becoming the advertising manager. He came to Kelowna in 1989 as a reporter for the Kelowna Daily Courier, and spent the 1990s mostly covering city hall. For most of the past 20 years he worked full time for the union representing newspaper workers throughout B.C. He’s returned to his true love of being a reporter with a special focus on civic politics