The name Okanagan means “place of water” due to the abundance of water forms within the valley region. The first known settlers of the region are the Interior Salish’s Okanagan, one of the remaining Native American groups in the Northern American continent.
While they remain to reside in the region, other foreign settlers have also resided in the major cities in the valley. Three of the most populated cities in the valley are Vernon-Enderby, Penticton, and Kelowna. Agriculture and geological mining are one of the main economic activities in the region.