East Sooke is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

south and east of

Sooke, British Columbia Sooke is a district municipality on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, Canada, by road from Victoria, the capital of British Columbia. Sooke, the westernmost of Greater Victoria's Western Communities, is to the north and west of the Sooke B ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. It consists of over 500 houses (and one

volunteer fire department A volunteer fire department (VFD) is a fire department of volunteers who perform fire suppression and other related emergency services for a local jurisdiction. Volunteer and retained (on-call) firefighters are expected to be on call to respond ...

) along with the headquarters of the

Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue (RCMSAR) is a volunteer marine rescue service that saves lives and promotes public recreational boating safety throughout the coastal and some inland waters of the province of British Columbia and is associ ...

(RCMSAR) organization on the south side of the

Sooke Basin Sooke Basin is a small (10 km²) body of water on the southern end of Vancouver Island in southwestern British Columbia. It is connected to the Strait of Juan de Fuca by Sooke Harbour, a 4 km long narrow natural harbour. Geography Sooke ...

. East Sooke borders on East Sooke Regional Park, an area of , with views south to

Olympic National Park Olympic National Park is a United States national park located in the State of Washington, on the Olympic Peninsula. The park has four regions: the Pacific coastline, alpine areas, the west-side temperate rainforest, and the forests of the drier ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. East Sooke does not have a town council. Instead it is governed by a regional director who is also responsible for other unincorporated areas in the Capital Regional District (the regional district of Greater Victoria). East Sooke's general character is rural, although it is a

bedroom community A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. The ...

. Its close proximity to Victoria, its character as a bedroom community, and its large tracts of undeveloped land have made it an attractive location for recreation and retirement developments. Political scuffles over the development of the community have led to two large sections of East Sooke splitting off and joining Sooke. Those in Sooke generally consider this to be a positive acquisition, whereas those in East Sooke consider it a non-hostile occupation. Due to these recent incursions into East Sooke territory, the expectation is that East Sooke will ultimately be swallowed by a neighboring community, be it Sooke or

Metchosin The District of Metchosin is a municipality and community in Greater Victoria on the southern tip of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. It is a coastal community adjacent to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Metchosin is part of the Western ...

. The population of East Sooke is roughly 1,500 (2001 census: 1434). There is no town core, but there is a single convenience store. Typical of the rural nature of the community, not only can one purchase a litre of milk, or a loaf of bread, but one can buy animal feed, or a truck load of gravel from that store. East Sooke is a mix of small residential subdivisions, small

hobby farm A hobby farm (also called a lifestyle block in New Zealand, or acreage living or rural residential in Australia) is a smallholding or small farm that is maintained without expectation of being a primary source of income. Some are held merely to ...

s, and wilderness. There are currently no schools in East Sooke although there have been plans for an elementary school for a number of years. Some children are bussed to Sooke schools. This community is part of

School District 62 Sooke Sooke School District 62 is a school district in British Columbia, Canada. It includes the suburbs of Victoria known as the Western Communities (or WestShore) as well as the mostly rural areas around the sea-side villages of Sooke and Port Renfr ...

. Many families in East Sooke homeschool their kids negating the need to travel to Sooke for school. This area has a vibrant homeschooling community and there are multiple programs available for families who choose to teach at home.

Neighbourhoods of East Sooke

(in order from east to west) * Becher Bay * Seedtree * Mount Matheson * Park Heights * Anderson Cove * Coppermine * Seagirt * Eliza Point * Tideview

Neighbouring communities

Sooke Sooke is a district municipality on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, Canada, by road from Victoria, the capital of British Columbia. Sooke, the westernmost of Greater Victoria's Western Communities, is to the north and west of the Sooke ...

References

External links

East Sooke Community Information WebsiteEast Sooke ParkSooke Events, Societies and Business Information
{{VictoriaNeighbourhoods Unincorporated settlements in British Columbia Populated places in the Capital Regional District Greater Victoria Juan de Fuca region

Neighbourhoods of East Sooke

Neighbouring communities

See also

References

External links