City Centre is Kamloops’ central urban neighbourhood on the south shore of the Thompson River, near the meeting point of the North and South Thompson rivers. It is the city’s traditional downtown and central business district, with a concentration of shops, restaurants, cafés, hotels, professional services, civic buildings, cultural venues, and multi-unit housing. The area is generally arranged on a walkable street grid, with the riverfront to the north and the rising residential neighbourhoods of the South Shore beyond the downtown blocks.
Riverside Park is the neighbourhood’s most prominent natural and recreational feature. Located beside the Thompson River and the Sandman Centre, the park includes a beach, waterfront paths, gardens, playground and water-play areas, courts, lawn bowling facilities, picnic spaces, and a seasonal skating loop. It is also the starting point for the Rivers Trail network, which follows the North and South Thompson rivers through Kamloops.
City Centre has an important role in Kamloops’ civic, cultural, and community life. Nearby facilities include the Sandman Centre, Kamloops Museum and Archives, Exhibition Park, public plazas, and a range of heritage buildings. St. Andrew’s on the Square, constructed in 1887, is one of the city’s oldest public buildings and now operates as a community facility and reception hall. Downtown streets also contain a mix of historic commercial buildings and newer development, reflecting the area’s long evolution as a regional service and transportation centre.
The neighbourhood’s history is closely connected to the Secwépemc people, the fur trade, railway development, and the growth of Kamloops as an inland transportation hub. The city’s central location at the confluence of the rivers helped shape its name and continuing civic importance. Today, City Centre remains a place where business, recreation, public services, entertainment, heritage, and riverfront open space come together within the broader Kamloops community.