West Kelowna Neighbourhoods | The Best Places to Live on The Westside

West Kelowna is a city with over 35,000 residents located across the William R. Bennett Bridge from Kelowna, British Columbia.

Formerly a Kelowna municipality known as Westbank or ‘The West Side,’ West Kelowna is now its own city and quickly becoming one of the most popular areas in the Okanagan to buy a home and move to in the Okanagan.

West Kelowna offers a pleasing mix of outdoor lifestyle, quiet streets, affordability, convenience, and some of the most beautiful scenery anywhere in the Okanagan Valley.

This post gives you an insider’s perspective to the best West Kelowna neighbourhoods to live in, based on factors like family friendliness, recreation, outdoor access, yard sizes, views, and commute times.

West Kelowna Estates

West Kelowna Estates is a newly built neighbourhood with some of the most luxurious properties anywhere in West Kelowna. The West Kelowna Estates are located east of Rose Valley Regional Park between Horizon Drive and Westside Road. Wherever you land in the estates you’ll be on a quiet street with gorgeous views of the Okanagan Valley - and less than a 10 minute drive to Kelowna.

Properties in West Kelowna Estates are mainly single family homes but you can also find more affordable townhouse options in the neighborhood.

West Kelowna Estates lies in the foothills of Rose Valley Mountain, a great park with hiking, biking, and dog-friendly walking trails. Nearby Rose Valley Lake gives anglers a chance to catch Rainbow Trout in the spring and fall.

Photo: Missionhill.com

Lakeview Heights & Sunnyside

Lakeview Heights is a rural-feeling neighborhood located on the hillside between Mount Boucherie and Okanagan Lake, which includes Mission Hill, Sunnyside, Casa Loma, and the Lakeview Village. With panoramic views, rolling vineyards, sprawling orchards, and quiet streets, Lakeview is a great neighborhood to raise a family or just embrace a quiet lifestyle. West Kelowna homes for sale in Lakeview Heights feature beautiful views, generous lot sizes, and contemporary American architecture. Lakeview homes are mostly single-family detached units with some townhomes, and condominium options.

Lakeview has its own community center with Tennis, Pickleball, and basketball courts. Education and recreation programs are also on offer through the District of West Kelowna. Check out the West Kelowna recreation guide for details. Nearby Kalamoir Park is one of West Kelowna’s hidden natural gems, with beach access for swimming, kayaking, and a network of hiking and mountain biking trails.

The Lakeview Heights shopping centre, which sits in the middle of the neighborhood on Anders Rd, has amenities like groceries, a pharmacy, liquor store, and a new Domino’s pizza. Spend an afternoon touring the The Westside Wine Trail which begins in Lakeview Heights with boutique wineries like Little Straw, Mount Boucherie, Beaumont, and Volcanic Hills.

For an in-depth look into Lakeview Heights, read our Lakeview Heights Microneighborhood Guide.

Shannon Lake

Shannon Lake is a quiet neighborhood nestled in the hills of West Kelowna just off of Highway 97. Properties in Shannon Lake are mostly single family homes, townhomes, and condos - all on serene, green streets. 

One of the neighborhood’s biggest draws is the 18-hole Shannon Lake Golf course - a long-standing West Kelowna institution. If golf isn’t your thing, Shannon Lake Regional Park is a tranquil place to spend the day walking, swimming, fishing, or ice skating during winter months.

Shannon Lake has its own convenience store, elementary school, and is only 5 to 10 minutes drive to the amenities in West Kelowna like Real Canadian Superstore, Walmart, and Nature’s Faire. It takes about 15 minutes to drive downtown from Shannon Lake.

Glenrosa

The historic, hillside community of Glenrosa was first settled by pioneers in the early 1900’s. Glenrosa is a pastoral blend of farm land, equestrian ranches, and larger residential properties that overlook Okanagan Lake and Mount Boucherie.

Glenrosa is located west and north of West Kelowna’s city centre. To get there, take Highway 97 west until Glenrosa Road, the neighborhood’s main traffic artery. Glenrosa is a 10 minute drive from West Kelowna’s amenities, and 25 minutes to downtown Kelowna. The neighborhood has two elementary schools, a middle school, several churches, and its own community centre.

Glenrosa is 15 minutes away from Little White Mountain - a great ski-hill for beginners, and Telemark Nordic Club - one of the Okanagan’s most challenging cross-country ski and biathlon tracks. Nearby Smith Creek and Powers Creek offer challenging hiking and snowshoeing trails.

Rose Valley

The mountainside neighborhood of Rose Valley is located between Westlake Road and Horizon Drive off Highway 97. With condos, townhomes, and single occupant homes on offer, Rose Valley has something for every lifestyle.

Nearby Rose Valley Regional Park has some of the best hiking and mountain biking trails in West Kelowna, and also happens to be dog-friendly. Anglers can keep busy at Rose Valley Lake, the neighborhood’s water reservoir, which gets stocked with rainbow trout.

The Rose Valley neighborhood is a 15 minute commute to downtown Kelowna, and 10 minutes from Westbank. Rose Valley is in the catchment area for Mar Jok Elementary, - a brand new facility that gets top marks for public elementary schools in Kelowna. 

Additional photo credits: Facebook: Don Nichol; Tanya Fisher, Kelownanow.com