Juniper Heights

Juniper Ridge is a community located in the city of Kamloops, British Columbia. It is situated at the south-east end of the city on a hillside south of the South Thompson River. There is a convenience store at the entrance to the community, across from the market place is a fenced dog park,  tennis courts, playground and hockey box which is flooded in the winter to be used as an ice rink.

One of the highlights of living in the area is having quick access to the Kamloops Bike Ranch, which is a 26 hectare area along the silt bluffs and grasslands. Kamloops has a reputation in the sport of mountain biking, and for many years our hills have been featured in magazines and films. 

While Juniper Ridge is classified as one subdivision in Kamloops. it is common for the local residents to refer to sub-sections of the neighbourhood  “Juniper West,”  which is a section of newer homes at the West end of Juniper, and the newer development in the East “The Benchlands”.

SCHOOLS

Elementary students attend Juniper Ridge Elementary School which is located on the east side of the community and and Ralph Bell Elementary School located in the Valleyview neighbourhood. High school students attend Valleyview Secondary School which is located at the bottom of the hill, a short drive away. For more information about the school catchments in this area please refer to the SD 73 catchment map.

HISTORY

Prior to 1971, the 1,050-acre area that is now known as Juniper Heights was the Cordonier ranch, which was used as for the grazing of sheep during the spring on their passage from the Kamloops area to Crowfoot mountain in the Shuswap. An accident on the highway resulted in a restriction being put in place that banned the transfer of sheep, as a result the area was abandoned.

The beginnings of the housing development now known as Juniper Ridge was originally known as The Hesperia Development Project, with the land being owned by Hesperia Development Limited. In 1971, The Hesperia Development Project was sold to Juniper Lands Ltd based out of Vancouver BC. Juniper Lands LTD was owned jointly by Hesperia and Tierra Properties.

Given that the area was totally undeveloped, the site needed complete survey and engineering, provision of roads, water, sewer, storm drainage, electricity and telephone facilities. As well, housing construction was to be completed in 7 phases which closely parallels the community as it exists today.