Vernon for out-of-town destinations from their downtown bus terminal. Vernon is served by the Vernon Regional Airport (IATA: YVE, ICAO: CYVK) in the Okanagan Landing area. The airport has no scheduled air service, and is primarily used by civilian aircraft. The Greater Vernon area is also served by Kelowna International Airport, located approximately 40 kilometres (about a 30 to 40 minute drive) south on Hwy 97. Numerous airlines provide scheduled passenger and cargo services to points throughout British Columbia and Alberta, and areas beyond such as Toronto and Seattle. Climate Vernon has a humid continental climate (Koppen: Dfb) with warm, sometimes hot summers and cold winters with highs around freezing, though mild by Canadian standards. Precipitation is well-distributed year-round. Demographics In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Vernon had a population of 44,519 living in 19,776 of its 21,287 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 40,116. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. In 2016, the median age was 48.4, higher than the national median age of 41.2. 25.5% of residents were age 65 or older. The median income before tax was $31,455. The median value of a dwelling was $349,932. Ethnicity According to the 2021 census, 84.7% of Vernon residents are white, 8.0% are visible minorities, and 7.3% are Indigenous. The largest visible minority groups are South Asian (2.4%), Filipino (1.1%), Chinese (1.0%), and Japanese (0.8%). Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses. Language The 2016 census reported that 87.7% of residents claim English as their mother tongue. Other common first languages are German (2.5%), French (1.4%), Punjabi (1.0%), and Russian, Ukrainian and Dutch (0.7% each). Religion According to the 2021 census, religious groups in Vernon included: Irreligion (23,755 persons or 55.1%) Christianity (17,585 persons or 40.8%) Islam (395 persons or 0.9%) Sikhism (335 persons or 0.8%) Hinduism (230 persons or 0.5%) Buddhism (210 persons or 0.5%) Judaism (90 persons or 0.2%) Indigenous Spirituality (25 persons or 0.1%) 51.2% of residents were Christian as of 2011. The largest denominations were other Christian (16.9%), Catholic (12.4%), United Church (7.2%), Anglican (5.6%), and Lutheran and Baptist (2.6% each). 45.5% of residents held no religious affiliation. All other religions combined make up 3.3% of the population. Education Vernon is served by School District 22 Vernon, a school district that includes 14 elementary schools and