Ranked list · 2026
Best lake towns in BC: the five people are actually moving to
Plenty of lists name the best lakeside towns in BC. Most are somebody’s favourites. We did it the other way around and asked where people have actually moved since 2016, using BC Stats’ own counts. Here are the five, what a house costs in each, and why we’d look hardest at number two.
By Justin Gaspari, REALTOR®, CIR Realty · Updated October 2026
The short answer
The best lake towns in BC, ranked by who moved there
- 1Lake Country, Okanagan, Wood and Kalamalka lakes. +30.2% since 2016, typical house $1.07M.
- 2Salmon Arm, Shuswap Lake. +14.0% since 2016, typical house $748K.
- 3Peachland, Okanagan Lake. +12.6% since 2016, typical house $1.07M.
- 4Osoyoos, Osoyoos Lake. +10.5% since 2016, typical house $718K.
- 5Nelson, Kootenay Lake (West Arm). +10.3% since 2016, typical house $638K (region).
That’s every town of 5,000 to 30,000 people in BC that sits on a lake, outside the two big metros, ranked by BC Stats population growth from 2016 to 2025. All five are still adding people. The province grew +17.2% over the same nine years; Lake Country beat that outright, and the other four grew more slowly than BC as a whole but faster than Summerland, Coldstream and Williams Lake, the other lake towns in the band. And here’s the thing worth noticing: the two Okanagan towns cost over a million dollars for a typical house. Salmon Arm, Osoyoos and Nelson sit between $640,000 and $750,000.
The numbers
Fastest-growing lake towns in BC, 2016 to 2025
| # | Town | 2016 | 2025 | Growth | Last year | Typical house |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake CountryOkanagan, Wood and Kalamalka lakes | 13,548 | 17,637 | +30.2% | +0.4% | $1.07M |
| 2 | Salmon ArmShuswap Lake | 18,319 | 20,891 | +14.0% | +0.3% | $748K |
| 3 | PeachlandOkanagan Lake | 5,599 | 6,302 | +12.6% | +2.1% | $1.07M |
| 4 | OsoyoosOsoyoos Lake | 5,182 | 5,724 | +10.5% | +0.2% | $718K |
| 5 | NelsonKootenay Lake (West Arm) | 10,989 | 12,126 | +10.3% | +0.1% | $638K (region) |
BC Stats July 1 estimates. Universe: the 39 BC municipalities with 5,000 to 30,000 people outside Metro Vancouver and the Capital Regional District; eight sit on a lake (these five plus Summerland +3.4%, Coldstream +2.9% and Williams Lake +2.6%). “Typical house” is the board’s MLS single-family benchmark for the region around the town; the board and month are named below. Prices move every month, so read them as a snapshot.
No. 1
Lake Country: +30.2% since 2016
Three lakes, orchards and Kelowna’s airport on its doorstep. Lake Country went from 13,548 to 17,637 people, most of it before 2021, and it has slowed to 0.4 percent in the latest year. Across all 39 towns in the size band, only Squamish grew faster. The price went with it: the Central Okanagan single-family benchmark was $1,072,400 in July 2026 (Central Okanagan single-family benchmark, Association of Interior REALTORS, July 2026). Kelowna’s right there. So is the Kelowna price tag. That’s the whole trade.
No. 2 · the one we’d look at
Salmon Arm and the Shuswap: +14.0% since 2016
Our town. Salmon Arm went from 18,319 people in 2016 to 20,891 in 2025, the biggest of the five, with a hospital, a college campus and a real downtown. The shoreline grew faster than the town did: the South Shuswap (Blind Bay, Sorrento, Eagle Bay) was up +12.6% in the 2021 census against +7.6% for BC, and Blind Bay itself went from 2,113 to 2,369 people.
Here’s the number we’d actually look at. The Shuswap and Revelstoke single-family benchmark was $747,500 in July 2026 (Shuswap and Revelstoke single-family benchmark, Association of Interior REALTORS, July 2026), with homes taking about 58 days to sell. That’s roughly $325,000 under Lake Country and Peachland, on one of the biggest lakes in the province. Serviced lake-view building lots at The Highlands at Blind Bay start at $197,000. We don’t know where prices go next. We just know the gap’s there today.
We’ll say it before you ask: winter. Salmon Arm averages about 200 centimetres of snow a season, more than any Okanagan town here, though January itself only averages minus 2.6. You’ll own a snowblower.
No. 3
Peachland: +12.6% since 2016
A strip of town along the west shore of Okanagan Lake, halfway between Kelowna and Penticton, and still picking up speed: 5,599 to 6,302 people, with 2.1 percent of that in the latest year alone. It shares Lake Country’s benchmark of $1,072,400 (July 2026) and most of what sells is resale on steep lots above the highway. Our neighbours down the valley, with a bigger mortgage.
No. 4
Osoyoos: +10.5% since 2016
Canada’s desert town, on Osoyoos Lake at the US border. It grew from 5,182 to 5,724 people, nearly all of it before 2021. Hot, dry summers and wineries on every bench are the draw; a long drive to anything bigger than Penticton is the trade. The South Okanagan benchmark was $718,400 in September 2026 (South Okanagan single-family benchmark, Association of Interior REALTORS, September 2026), down 6.2 percent on the year, the only one of the five where the price fell. The nearest regional hospital is in Penticton, about 45 minutes up the valley.
No. 5
Nelson: +10.3% since 2016
The heritage town on Kootenay Lake’s West Arm, 10,989 to 12,126 people, and all but stopped in the latest year at 0.1 percent. In a town hemmed in by mountains and water that’s a land problem more than a demand problem. The Kootenay regional benchmark was $638,300 in September 2026 (Kootenay region single-family benchmark, Association of Interior REALTORS, September 2026; Nelson itself usually sits above the regional figure). Nelson has its own hospital and a downtown people drive hours to see. Count the hours before you fall for it, though. Kelowna is about four, Calgary closer to seven.
Come and see it
Reading the list as a buyer
A growth list mostly tells you where it’s too late to get in early. Want Lake Country or Peachland? You’ll have company, and you’ll pay Okanagan money for it. Want the lake in the window, a hospital and a full town 25 minutes away, and a price that leaves room to build the house you want? That’s us. Come see for yourself.
Have a look at the lots for sale, each with its own price, view and survey plan, then read about living in Blind Bay and Salmon Arm. Weighing a lot against a finished house? Our land vs. house guide and cost-to-build guide do the math. Or register and we’ll send new releases and pricing as they come. The sales centre is open Friday to Sunday, 11 to 2. Come for a visit.
Keep reading
Related guides and places
- Best places for a summer home in BCSeventeen lakes scored on tax, rental rules, July heat, drive times, price and fire record.
- Best places to retire in BCSeventeen towns scored on who retires there, hospital access, winters, price, golf and growth.
- Lakefront vs. lake-view in the ShuswapWhy a lot up the hill often gives you the bigger view for far less.
- Life on Shuswap LakeBoating, houseboating, fishing, golf and beaches, season by season.
- Living in SorrentoThe next community west along the south shore.
- Living in SicamousThe houseboat end of the lake.
- Living in ChaseThe village at the west end, closest to Kamloops.
- Fishing Shuswap LakeWhat you catch, where and when.
- Homes and build plansMove-in-ready plans for the lots.
- Shuswap buyer FAQServicing, drive times, taxes and the rest.
Lake towns in BC FAQ
Questions we get asked
What is the fastest-growing lake town in BC?
Lake Country, between Kelowna and Vernon. BC Stats counted 13,548 people there in 2016 and 17,637 in 2025, up 30.2 percent. Salmon Arm on Shuswap Lake is second at 14.0 percent, from 18,319 to 20,891 over the same nine years. Those are the two lakeside towns in BC that have grown fastest among towns of 5,000 to 30,000.
How did you pick the best lake towns in BC?
One measure, population change, from one source, BC Stats. We took every incorporated town in BC with 5,000 to 30,000 people on July 1, 2025, outside Metro Vancouver and Greater Victoria (39 towns), kept the eight that sit on a lake (Lake Country, Salmon Arm, Peachland, Osoyoos, Nelson, Summerland, Coldstream and Williams Lake), and ranked them by growth from 2016 to 2025. House prices come from each real estate board’s MLS Home Price Index. No opinion scores.
What are the fastest growing cities in BC overall?
BC Stats’ own ranking has Langford and Squamish tied as the fastest growing cities in BC in the year to July 2025, both up 3.6 percent, then Parksville at 2.7 and Courtenay at 2.6. Across all 39 small towns, lake or not, the 2016 to 2025 leaders are Squamish (38.9 percent), Lake Country (30.2), Fernie (25.1), Parksville (20.1) and Whistler (19.6). Only Lake Country is on a lake. Salmon Arm sits 10th of the 39.
Which lake town in BC is the best value?
Salmon Arm, by a wide margin among the five. Its Shuswap and Revelstoke single-family benchmark was $747,500 in July 2026. Lake Country and Peachland share a Central Okanagan benchmark of $1,072,400, about $325,000 more, for a lake that is not noticeably better. Nelson’s regional benchmark is lower at $638,300, but the town itself usually sells above that and it is a long drive from anywhere.
Is Salmon Arm a good place to live?
We think so, and we live here. It has 20,891 people on the July 2025 estimate, a 24-hour hospital, a college campus, a proper downtown and a Saturday market, with Blind Bay 25 minutes west along the lake. The trade is winter: the Salmon Arm weather station averages about 200 centimetres of snow a season, more than any Okanagan town on this list.
Which BC lake communities are outside the speculation and vacancy tax?
Of the five, Osoyoos and Nelson are outside the provincial speculation and vacancy tax area; Lake Country, Salmon Arm and Peachland are inside it. The unincorporated South Shuswap, which is Blind Bay, Sorrento and Eagle Bay, is outside too, because the tax applies to listed municipalities only. It only matters for a home that is neither your principal residence nor rented out at least six months a year. Our summer home guide scores every lake on it.
Which lakeside towns in BC are still growing?
All five added people between July 2024 and July 2025: Peachland fastest at 2.1 percent, then Lake Country 0.4, Salmon Arm 0.3, Osoyoos 0.2 and Nelson 0.1. Summerland and Coldstream, the other two Okanagan lake towns in the size band, both lost a few people in the same year.
Where is the best place to live on a lake in BC if you want to build?
Depends on the budget. New serviced lots are rare in Peachland and Nelson, where most of what sells is resale housing on steep ground. Lake Country has new subdivisions at Central Okanagan prices. On Shuswap Lake, The Highlands at Blind Bay has 60 serviced lake-view lots in Phase 3 from $197,000, each with its own page showing the price, size, view and survey plan.
Will you update this list?
Yes, each spring. BC Stats publishes new July 1 estimates every May or June, and the next census lands in 2027. We will re-run the same table, keep the same rules, and say what moved.
Sources
Where the numbers come from
- BC Stats, municipal population estimates 2011 to 2025 and the 2025 highlights (May 2026).
- Statistics Canada, 2021 Census, profiles for Salmon Arm, Columbia-Shuswap electoral areas C and F and the Blind Bay population centre.
- Association of Interior REALTORS, monthly statistics for the Shuswap and Revelstoke, Central Okanagan, South Okanagan and Kootenay regions, July to September 2026.
- Interior Health (Shuswap Lake General Hospital, 24-hour emergency); Environment and Climate Change Canada, climate normals 1991 to 2020, Salmon Arm station (snowfall 202.7 cm, January mean minus 2.6).