Winfield is a neighbourhood and formal ward within the
District Municipality of Lake Country,
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
, located adjacent to the northern city boundary of
Kelowna
Kelowna ( ) is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan, Okanagan Valley in the British Columbia Interior, southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the head office of the Regional District of Central Okanagan. The name Kelowna ...
.
The community, formerly an unincorporated settlement, is now one of the four
wards of Lake Country. It is situated to the north and slightly east of Kelowna, along
Highway 97, in the central part of the
Okanagan
The Okanagan ( ), also called the Okanagan Valley and sometimes the Okanagan Country, is a region in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. It is part of ...
region. The town is adjacent to
Wood Lake Wood Lake may refer to:
Places in the United States
* Wood Lake, Louisiana
* Wood Lake, Minnesota
* Wood Lake, Nebraska
Lakes Canada
* Wood Lake (British Columbia)
United States
* Wood Lake (Lyon County, Minnesota)
* Wood Lake, a lake in Watonwan ...
, which attracts summer visitors. The economy is based on light manufacturing, fruit producing and tourism, in addition to being a
bedroom community
A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...
for Kelowna.
History
Formerly known as Alvaston, it was renamed Winfield after Winfield Lodge, the home of Thomas Wood, justice of the peace and rancher who settled in the area in 1871.
In 1968 Winfield and district minor hockey was founded along with the opening of the new arena.
In the 1960s Winfield Foods, which was changed to IGA in 1972, was the only grocery store in Winfield till Save on Foods opened in 1999 as part of the Winfield Commons project.
infield had another grocery store through the 1970s and 80s in the Lakewood Mall.
In 1995, Winfield, along with the neighbouring communities of
Oyama,
Carr's Landing and
Okanagan Centre
Okanagan Centre was a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1988 to 1997. This riding was created in 1987 from parts of Okanagan North and Okanagan—Similkameen, an ...
, was incorporated into the
District Municipality of Lake Country.
Education
The area has four public schools, Davidson Road Elementary School (opened 1983), Peter Greer Elementary School (opened 1992),
George Elliot Secondary School (opened 1959), and Hank Grenda Middle School (opened 2021), and one traditional school, Oyama Traditional School, an elementary school where uniforms are worn which operates in the public school system. The schools in the area are operated by
School District 23 Central Okanagan
School District 23 Central Okanagan is a school district in the Okanagan valley of British Columbia. It includes the cities of Kelowna, and West Kelowna, and the District Municipalities of Lake Country, and Peachland, and is the 5th largest dist ...
based in Kelowna. The schools in the municipality that are no longer open include Winfield Elementary, Woodlake Elementary, and Okanagan Centre Elementary (a small school house that later became the Lake Country Museum and Archives). In the 1980s, most grade 5 students attending Wood Lake Elementary were bused daily to Okanagan Centre Elementary which had two classrooms.
Climate
References
External links
Lake Country
Neighbourhoods in Lake Country
{{CentralOkanagan-geo-stub