KAMLOOPS, BCKamloops is my hometown, a city in south central British Columbia. Of its claims to fame, it is the self-pronounced "Tournament Capital of Canada", it is Canada's "Best Blooming City", and it probably holds the province's, if not country's, highest golf-course to population ratio. I may have made that last part up.
Nestled in the intersection of the North and South Thompson Rivers, Kamloops gets its name from the anglicised Shuswap word meaning "meeting of the waters". Despite its smallish size, most people I mention the city to know it because they once passed through it. Kamloops is the center of a transportation hub of four main BC highways.
Aside from its many and various golf courses, Kamloops is also a short stint away from the very popular Sun Peaks resort, and it also has an active curling and hockey society. Further on the outskirts of town, Kamloops boasts a-many horse and rider groups.
Kamloops has its own university, Thompson Rivers University. It is a beautiful campus and the Alma mater of yours truly. For those of you who are interested and can work a bit of a word puzzle in your head, the mascot of Kamloops is a large fish named Spoolmak.
I lived here for 12 years prior to setting forth further east. The summers are hot and glorious, the winters are moderate and easy to fill with trips to the ski hill, providing your pocketbook can handle it. A quick float down the river on a hot summer's day is enough to cool your down if you have a few lazy hours to kill. The hiking trails are always beckoning, and if you like golf, well we have a course or two to chose from. SASKATOON, SK
Saskatoon is the largest city in the province of Saskatchewan, located centrally on the South Saskatchewan River. Its name comes from the Cree word relating to the Saskatoon berries that grow in the surrounding area. Its other name is "Bridge City" as there is one river and seven river crossings - and soon to be more.
Saskatoon has been my home now for four years while completing veterinary school. For those interested, while there are currently five veterinary schools in Canada, the only one to accept students from BC, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and our northernly territories is the school in Saskatoon. The same used to be true of Alberta students until the University of Calgary's veterinary school opened its doors in 2008. The veterinary school here is part of the University of Saskatchewan, a university which offers many degrees, with numerous and various school that, let's face it, I have never set foot in.
Saskatoon has a very active summer festival season. There are many events for various interests if you can outlast the mosquitoes for a few hours in the sun. This past summer the city purchased an insensible number of dragonflies and released them in hordes onto the city. The mosquito problem was solved overnight, at least temporarily.
For the past four years Saskatoon has been a lovely place to call home, and I could understand why people would eventually settle here. The landscaping is beautiful, there is plenty to do here and the people are wonderfully friendly. Buy yourself a pair of snow pants and some thermal socks; you'll be fine. 