The population of the Central Okanagan jumped by 17,563 or 10.8 per cent during the past five years, making this region the fourth-fastest growing in Canada.
The Kelowna metropolitan area - as it is described by Statistics Canada - had 179,839 people from Peachland to Lake Country in 2011 compared to 162,278 in 2006.
That percentage increase was greater than the national rate at 5.9 per cent and the B.C. rate at seven per cent.
Kelowna ranked No. 22 in population among the country's 33 census metropolitan areas. Canada's population on census day was 33,476,688.
"It certainly wasn't a surprise," said Jim Paterson, Kelowna's general manager of community sustainability.
The 2020 official community plan (completed in 2000) anticipated growth of 2.15 per cent annually, averaged over 20 years. The 2030 OCP projection is an average growth rate of 1.51 per cent a year during the next 20 years, he noted.
"The good news is we're second to the Lower Mainland in terms of forecast growth over the next 20-year period," said Paterson. "Because Kelowna is the oldest census district in Canada, we're actually at that stage now where there is virtually no natural growth in the population. We rely, and have relied historically, on migration and immigration, and we've been quite successful at that."
There was slightly higher growth outside the city boundaries in West Kelowna and Lake Country, he said. Lake Country at 21.9 per cent was the second-fastest growing urban area of B.C.
"And that has some implications for us, of course, in that those folks are travelling to Kelowna to go to work or for an education so they're using our infrastructure and not really paying as a taxpayer toward it. That's true of most of the major cities."
That stress on the city's infrastructure is offset by those residents buying goods and services supporting the city's economy.
Nancy Henderson, West Kelowna's director of development services, also wasn't surprised by the growth rate. "I think it's exciting to be in the fourth most-rapidly growing regions in the country. That was interesting information."
Exceeding 30,000 was a milestone for West Kelowna "but not completely unexpected," she said. West Kelowna is fortunate to have a significant amount of undeveloped land already zoned for future growth, said Henderson.
"So we're fairly well set up to accommodate growth for many years in the future. We need to look at the housing mix, hopefully, decrease such a strong focus on single-family housing. That's the way of the future in terms of sustainability. And as people age, there is generally a natural progression in their housing form."
With the balance of births and deaths since 2008, Robert Fine, Central Okanagan economic development officer, highlighted some of the factors creating growth in the region.
"It shows the incredible role that the university (UBC Okanagan) is playing in our growth, migration from within British Columbia, and also the continued efforts to bring both skilled workers and entrepreneurs from overseas into our community," said Fine.
Growth in the emerging communities of West Kelowna and Lake Country also shows "this is still a desirable place for people to live, that we weathered a fairly ugly recession and are certainly on the road to recovery," he said.
David Widdis, co-ordinator of a regional growth strategy for the Central Okanagan Regional District, has already pulled census figures for a meeting today, especially those showing the rapid growth.
"It's one of those things where you realize what is going on. Now, you have official numbers to back it up as opposed to projections. We have grown as much as everybody has been saying."
Growth may have slowed during the past couple of years, but the Okanagan remains a desirable place to live "whether it's the lifestyle that everybody likes, the climate or the lakes," he said. "We have to manage it effectively as best we can. That's one of my jobs in growth strategy."
Growth impacts the water supply, water and air quality, the transportation network and other infrastructure, for example, he said. "How do we want to maintain our lifestyle, yet still accommodate these people? We can't close the doors."
The Okanagan Valley's population grew by 21,787 or 8.4 per cent to 280,784, up from 258,997.
The Vernon metropolitan region grew by 5.7 per cent, just under the national average, to 58,584 from 55,418 with the city population increasing by 6.0 per cent to 38,150 from 35,979 in 2006.
The Penticton metropolitan area grew by 2.6 per cent to 42,361 from 41,303 with the city increasing by three per cent to 32,877, both one-half or less than the national average.
Nationally, fewer than one in five Canadians now live in rural areas, Statistics Canada reported Wednesday when it released its first batch of numbers from the 2011 census.
Just over six million people live outside of major metropolitan areas or mid-size Canadian cities. That represents only about 19 per cent of the population.