Understand
Summerland began its life on the lake. At first Summerland was nestled in the tiny strip of land between Okanagan Lake and the foreboding clay cliffs that covered the settlement in shadow by mid afternoon. The first recorded settler to this area was in 1887, and some of his family's descendants are still in the area. The area had electricity in 1905, telephones in 1907, and a newspaper the next year. Growth was fast.
This area is commonly referred to as lower town.
With the arrival of the Kettle Valley Railway in 1915, West Summerlandthe location of the present town centre was born. When the alignment of Highway 97 was moved from lowertown up to the plateau in 1955 and the post office was moved to "West Summerland" in 1964 the 'West' was dropped and the entire area was then referred to as Summerland.
Summerland has grown to include Trout Creek, which arcs into Okanagan Lake south of town, Prairie Valley, which leads west of town, and the huge agricultural benchland that sits behind Giants Head Mountain.
