About Kamloops
Kamloops is located in the heart of the Thompson Nicola Region and bears an ancient name. In Secwepemctsin, the language of the people who have lived here perhaps 10,000 years, "T’kumlups" refers to the meeting of the rivers - the confluence. With the double river valleys and the surrounding mountains, Kamloops has a variety of terrain and different climate conditions within the area. The city itself is semi-arid but within 30 minutes of Kamloops there can be a considerable change in the amount of precipitation.
Kamloops is a place of business, ranching, mining and forestry, besides being at the centre of some of the finest summer and winter vacation land in North America. A mild climate and a generous amount of sunshine (over 2000 hours each year!) has made Kamloops a popular year round recreational destination.
One reason for our popularity is a road system that puts us at the crossroads to the major centres of British Columbia, Alberta and the north western United States. You can reach us in less than hour by air from Vancouver, or, 3.5 hours over an excellent four-lane highway.
Kamloops is a vibrant community with a population of more than 80,000 and a trading area that takes in over 160,000. It serves as the major centre for the Thompson-Nicola Regional District an area over 28,000 square miles or 45,000 square kilometers. Kamloops has a natural advantage over many large centres. While there are lots of people there’s little urban congestion to get in the way of having fun. We’ve got space and plenty of it. 
Matching our population growth has been a major increase in our accommodations, shopping, dining and night life. There are over 2,400 rooms available in Kamloops hotels and motels with more being built each year. Surrounding the city are a number of Bed & Breakfasts, Guest Ranches and Fishing Lodges-many of whom can be accessed within minutes of the city. Nine golf courses, three city museums, a professional theatre company, symphony orchestra, top notch junior hockey team, add to the make up of this city. 
There are some very interesting sights to see that are related to the economic engines that drive this area. For example, there are tours of the Highland Valley copper mine near Logan Lake. This is one of the world’s largest open pit mines. On Mission Flats along the Thompson River is the Weyerhaeuser Pulp and Paper operation, also open for public tours.
For sports and adventure enthusiasts, when the sports of winter - downhill and cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, snowboarding, heli-skiing, curling, and hockey give way to those of summer, you won’t be the least disappointed. Warm weather brings with it choices such as: house boating, canoeing, white water rafting, para-sailing, sky diving, fishing, orienteering, horseback riding, rugby, soccer, mountain biking, golfing.
You’ll quickly find that Kamloops has something for everyone on both the north and south shores - speciality shopping, restaurants, bistros, coffee shops, night clubs and theatres.