Neighbourhood Profile: South Kamloops, B.C. Real Estate

South Kamloops covers the entire downtown core and smaller neighbourhoods east and west of the downtown core. The name Kamloops refers to the flowing together of the north and south Thompson rivers named by the Secwepemc Indian Band or Shuswap people. The discovery of gold brought many adventurers into the region in the late 1850′s. Once B.C. became a part of Canada in 1871, Kamloops received their first trans continential railroad in 1886. The first South Thompson bridge was built in 1887, to be followed by one to North Kamloops in 1901. Kamloops was incorporated in 1893 with a population of less than 1,000 people. Numerous industries such as Royalite Refinery opened in 1955, Kamloops Pulp and Paper Mill (now Domtar) was established in 1964 and in 1977 Afton Mines and Smelter commenced operations. Kamloops is still a central hub, as it sits approximately halfway between Calgary, Vancouver, and the northern Cariboo-Chilcotin regions. Maps of area: Click here to view the Downtown Core area, Click here to view the West End South Kamloops Area (including Guerin Creek) and Click here to view the South Kamloops east area.

Properies & Real Estate

The downtown area of Kamloops is known to have a number of heritage homes of all sizes. The furthest westerly area of South Kamloops and the south eastern area have mature homes but not heritage homes.

A number of residential units exist within the downtown core. There are many apartment units (newer and older) that are very close to downtown conveniences. Single family homes are scattered throughout the downtown core and are often doubled or converted into commercial space. Buyers will find the majority of single family homes east of 6th Avenue. The homes in this part of South Kamloops are mostly smaller residential homes often under 2,000 square feet.

South Kamloops west has a variety of real estate. Seymour Street West, Battle Street West, St. Paul Street West, Nicola Street West, Clark Street, Connaught Street, Nicola Wagon Road and Lee Street have a number of heritage homes that are often over 2,000 square feet in size. This region is fairly sloped and the yard sizes vary with each property because of the changing incline.

At the top of Battle Street West where it meets Strathcona Terrace the neighbourhood is very different from the one just east. The homes in this area are more mature but not heritage homes. Grandview Terrace, Dufferin Terrace, Hemlock Street, Lombard Street, Arbutus Street, Powers Road, Sequoia Place, Centre Avenue, Boundary Road, Chaparral Place and Strathcona terrace all make up this neighbourhood. Many of these homes have beautiful views of the Thompson valley.

Further west along Lombard street leads to another small neighbourhood where there are a few single family homes, a number of town house units and half duplex units. Hudson Bay Trail has a number of higher end town houses that overlook the Thompson river. There are many options for buyers in this area. Schools are not walking distance for children in this area.

Further west, Guerin Creek is a new high end development in South Kamloops just off of Summit Drive. Many of the homes have high end finishing and appliances. The homes in this community are 2,500 square feet or larger. Current homes in Guerin Creek are two level designs with a basement, rancher style with a basement or basement entry homes. The lot sizes do vary but are executive sized lots.  Many of these homes have amazing views of the Thompson River Valley looking north.

To view homes for sale in Guerin Creek Estates click here.

One other area that is west of the downtown core is the Dalgleish area. Sitting above Grandview Terrace, Dalgleish Drive has a variety of multi-family residences. Apartment buildings and townhouses often are home to students attending Thompson Rivers University. Many of the homes off of Dalgleish have great views of the Thompson Valley. There is often a lot of variety of units to choose from in this area. Often investors buy properties in this area as it does tend to rent for the most due to the close proximity to TRU.

South east of the Kamloops downtown area is a nice neighbourhood that is home to a number of families because of the close proximity to elementary and secondary schools. This area of South Kamloops sits south of Columbia street, north of the trans Canada Highway #1, west of 13th Avenue and east of 6th Avenue. Dominion Street, Pine Street, Pleasant Street, Munro Street, Fraser Street and Douglas Street are all popular residential streets in the area.

Condominium units can be found on a number of streets in the Downtown core. Victoria Landing is the newest and highest building in the Downtown area. This complex is located on Victoria at 6th Avenue. Lorne Street has a number of apartment buildings. Buildings on Lorne have covered parking in secure garages. Park Place is a complex on Lorne with numerous amenities such as indoor pool, sauna, gym, community room and boat moorage. These units are steps to the Rivers Trail and a short walk to Riverside Park

There are also a number of 55+ buildings in the South Kamloops area. Click here to review these properties.

South Kamloops covers a large area of the city and has many different neighbourhoods. There are always a number of homes for sale in South Kamloops. For buyers on a budget to buyers looking for high end properties, there is a home for each and every budget.

Click here to view properties for sale in South Kamloops

Shopping & Services

South Kamloops is home to numerous amenities. Coopers, London Drugs, Visions Electronics, Coast Capital Savings, CIBC, Scotia Bank, TD Canada Trust, HSBC, numerous insurance agencies and professional offices are all close by. Lansdowne Village houses a number of the larger retailers in South Kamloops.

There are also a variety of small and medium retailers, numerous restaurants, and fast food establishments. Victoria Street is the main street where many clothing boutiques, bridal stores and specialty stores are found. South Kamloops is home to the Royal Inland Hospital, the only hospital servicing the Kamloops region.

Downtown Kamloops covers the region between Columbia Street down to the Thompson River and from just west of 1st Avenue to 7th Avenue. The majority of professional offices and downtown businesses are found on Lansdowne Street, Victoria Street, Seymour Street and St. Paul Street. Battle Street, Nicola Street and Columbia Street do have some businesses but these streets are not as heavily populated by businesses as the previously mentioned streets.

Shopping areas in Sahali, Southgate and Aberdeen are within a five to ten minute drive of South Kamloops. Many of the big box stores are located in these areas.

Schools

Students in South Kamloops attend L’ecole Lloyd George Elementary School (830 Pine Street), Stuart Wood Elementary School(245 St. Paul Street), and South Kamloops Secondary School(821 Munro Street). South Kamloops Secondary School has a French immersion program for students. St. Anne’s Academy, a private school is located near the Hospital just off of Columbia Street and 3rd Avenue in South Kamloops and welcomes students from kindergarten to grade 12.

Thompson Rivers University is located in Southgate. The campus is positioned at the intersection of Summit Drive and McGill Road. TRU is a fully accredited University and offers a variety of programs and courses to students in many different areas of study. South Kamloops boarders the Southgate area and TRU it is often a very popular area for University students to live due to the close proximity to the University.

Recreation

Riverside Park and Interior Savings Centre are both located on Lorne Street in South Kamloops. Riverside park is a large park on the river with a water park, a sandy beach area, large open green space for summer activities, washroom facilities and picnic areas. Riverside park also has a stage where numerous performances and events occur during the warmer months.

Interior Savings Centre is home to the Kamloops Blazers Junior Hockey team. Many performances and concerts also occur at this large facility.

South Kamloops Secondary is also the home to the Sagebrush Theatre, a 706 seat proscenium theatre is located on 9th Avenue in South Kamloops (south of Columbia Street).

The Kamloops YMCA/YWCA is located on 4th Avenue and Battle Street in the Downtown core. The facility offers an indoor pool, sauna, hot tub, exercise facilities and many fitness classes.

Peterson Creek Park runs through most of Sahali and part of South Kamloops. This is a 423 hectare park that is a natural creek corridor. There are over 30 kilometers of trails in the park and many sites to enjoy including panoramic valley views and Bridal Veil Falls. There are numerous access points and the park is equipped with picnic tables and grassy areas to enjoy.

Tournament Capital Centre is located in Southgate which is only a five to 10 minute drive from any South Kamloops neighbourhood. TCC has many different facilities all in one building such as gymnastics, swimming, indoor track, fitness facility, courts and much more. There are also a number of sports fields that surround the facility.

Click here to see Kamloops parks on a map.

Transportation

South Kamloops is serviced by BC Transit busses on a frequent and regular schedule. Click here to view the BC Transit website. The main bus loop is located on Lansdowne Street at 7th Avenue.

To view current listings for the South Kamloops/Downtown area click here.