Differing accounts of the meaning are given in the BC Geographical Names entry for the city:[5] Place where water passes beyond.From the Indian name Pente-hik-ton, "ever" or "forever", referring to the constant, steady flow of the Okanagan River out of the lake.... applied by the Indians to the locality at the outlet of the lake, meaning that the stream ran on ever, or forever, in contrast to other streams which dried up during the summer (6th Report of the Okanagan Historical Society); compare with: "Derives from the Okanagan word Sin-peen-tick-tin, loosely translatable as 'permanent place'.

[6] The Penticton Hotel was established in 1892 by Ellis, who positioned it around the local government area, and its first road: Front Street.

[6] A group of residents formed their own local public government board for the community, by 1907, in the hopes of promoting the area.

[10] In 1912, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) developed the Incola Hotel for the city, which operated for approximately 70 years.

[12] During World War I, the SS Sicamous came to the community, while the Kettle Valley Railway train service began operating, by moving specific passengers.

[8] The Penticton Regional Airport was developed during World War II due to wartime military air transportation concerns, which acted as an emergency landing strip until its tarmac was completed.

[10] Reeve Robert Lyon served Penticton as the first mayor, while Lord Alexander was made a freeman of the city.

Sacred Heart Mission was one of two Catholic churches burned that day, the other roughly 40 minutes away on Osoyoos land.

[28] The high daytime temperatures throughout the summer means that Penticton has on average the second most number of days in a year over 30 °C (86 °F) (after Kamloops)[27] and the city has the lowest amount of fog in Canada.

[30] It typically experiences four distinct seasons annually, having hot summers, relatively mild winters, and little snow, according to the British Columbia government based on statistics from Environment and Climate Change Canada.

[18] Despite having a mild winter by Canadian standards, Penticton often sees moderate stretches of below freezing weather, typically confined to December and January.

[46][47][48] The building is associated with an engineering organization, construction company, and real estate agency, but was made for residential use.

[48] At ten stories each, The Athens Creek Tower and Alysen Place are tied for Penticton's second-tallest building.

[45] Due to its warm climate, the city has a diverse array of public spaces, from parks to hiking trails.

[57] With over 1,200 documented routes, it is the second most popular rock climbing area in British Columbia, after the Smoke Bluffs in Squamish.

[72] The Penticton Pinnacles are a soccer team that were established in 1997 that play at the Kings Park for the Pacific Coast Soccer League (PCSL),[73][74] the Penticton Pistoleras, a local roller derby team part of the South Okanagan Roller Derby Association, and Penticton Harlequins, a local rugby team in the British Columbia Rugby Union, also play tournaments for the city; the South Okanagan Event Centre serves as both of their venues.

[75][76][77] Beside team sports, the city hosted the 2010 British Columbia Scotties Tournament of Hearts,[78] 2010 World Junior A Challenge,[79] 2013 Continental Cup of Curling.,[80][81] the 2016 BC Winter Games,[82] the 2017 International Triathlon Union Multisport World Championships and Curling Canada's 2018 Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

[90] Penticton offers many kinds of recreation, including skiing at the Apex Mountain Resort ski area; boating and fishing on Skaha Lake and Okanagan Lake, golfing on the area's many courses, hiking and biking the Kettle Valley Railway Trail, and rock climbing at Skaha Bluffs.

Completed in 2011, the Penticton Community Centre is a modern facility with many health, fitness and recreation options.

In September 2006, Penticton residents voted 80.3 per  in favour of the construction of the South Okanagan Events Centre (SOEC).

It has boosted the city's convention market and is a popular venue for concert tours and other special events.

Exhibits feature international and local artists, and the gallery offers art workshops and seasonal events.

Penticton is known for its early involvement in the craft brewing movement and is a featured route in BC Ale Trails.

[92] Its services are provided to points of interest, such as the Cherry Lane Shopping Centre Downtown Penticton.

[4] In 2018 a $6million upgrade to the facility was initiated to expand the departure and arrivals lounges as well as increase capacity for managing passenger flow.

[101] The city is also home to the Penticton Water Aerodrome (TC LID: CAH8), a water aerodrome situated adjacent to the Penticton Airport[102] and is home base to HNZ Topflight, an advanced helicopter flight training school operated by HNZ.

[104] They met Kaneyasa Marutani, the mayor of Ikeda, Hokkaido, a town in the Nakagawa regional district of Japan.

[104] He claimed that the town was proposing a sister city relationship, and stated that Penticton was a reasonable option, due to its similarities with winery production, cattle industry, and geographic features.

[104][105] The relationship is one of the oldest in Canada, with a number of residents having exchanged visits to the respective locations annually.