Greater Victoria (also known as the Greater Victoria Region) is located in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

, Canada, on the southern tip of

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest by ...

. It is usually defined as the thirteen

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

of the Capital Regional District (CRD) on Vancouver Island as well as some adjacent areas and nearby islands. The Capital Regional District administers some aspects of public administration for the whole metro region; other aspects are administered by the individual member municipalities of Greater Victoria. Roughly, Greater Victoria consists of all land and nearby islands east of a line drawn from the southern end of Finlayson Arm to the eastern shore of Sooke Harbour, along with some lands on the northern shore of Sooke Harbour. Many places, buildings, and institutions associated with Victoria such as the

University of Victoria The University of Victoria (UVic or Victoria) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The university traces its roots to Victoria College, the first post-secondary insti ...

Victoria International Airport Victoria International Airport serves Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It is north northwest of Victoria on the Saanich Peninsula, with the bulk of the airport (including the passenger terminal) in North Saanich, British Columbia, North Saa ...

, and the

Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal The Swartz Bay ferry terminal is a major transportation facility at Swartz Bay in North Saanich, British Columbia. It is located north of Victoria on Vancouver Island. The terminal is part of the BC Ferries system, as well as part of Highway ...

, are outside the City of Victoria itself, which has an area of just on the southern tip of Greater Victoria. Victoria is the locality indicated in the mailing addresses of several CRD municipalities and localities adjacent to Victoria. The central city of Victoria lends its name and cultural influence to many places and organizations in the metro region.

Municipalities

There are 13 cities, towns, and district municipalities in Greater Victoria. ;"Core" municipalities * The City of Victoria, the adjacent District Municipalities of Saanich,

Esquimalt The Township of Esquimalt is a municipality at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. It is bordered to the east by the provincial capital, Victoria, to the south by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, to the west by Esq ...

and

Oak Bay Oak Bay is a municipality incorporated in 1906 that is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is one of thirteen member municipalities of the Capital Regional District, and is border ...

, and the town of

View Royal View Royal is a town in Greater Victoria and a member municipality of the Capital Regional District of British Columbia, Canada. View Royal has a population of 10,858 residents. With over of parkland, View Royal includes Thetis, McKenzie, Pike ...

. ; West Shore * The cities of Colwood and Langford and the District Municipalities of

Highlands Highland is a broad term for areas of higher elevation, such as a mountain range or mountainous plateau. Highland, Highlands, or The Highlands, may also refer to: Places Albania * Dukagjin Highlands Armenia * Armenian Highlands Australia * So ...

, Metchosin, and Sooke, which lie generally west of

Esquimalt Harbour Esquimalt Harbour is a natural harbour in Greater Victoria on the southern tip of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. The entrance to Esquimalt Harbour is from the south off the Strait of Juan de Fuca through a narrow channel known as R ...

and Portage Inlet. ;

Saanich Peninsula Saanich Peninsula ( str, W̱SÁNEĆ) is located north of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It is bounded by Saanich Inlet on the west, Satellite Channel on the north, the small Colburne Passage on the northeast, and Haro Strait on the east. The ...

* The District Municipalities of Central Saanich, North Saanich, parts of Saanich, and the town of

Sidney Sidney may refer to: People * Sidney (surname), English surname * Sidney (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Sidney (footballer, born 1972), full name Sidney da Silva Souza, Brazilian football defensive midfielder * ...

, which lie to the north of Victoria. This breakdown is roughly mirrored by the three school districts in Greater Victoria. * Greater Victoria School District #61 - (the core municipalities) * Sooke School District #62 - (the Western Communities) * Saanich School District #63 - (the

) Greater Victoria is the southernmost urban area in

Western Canada Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West or the Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a Canadian region that includes the four western provinces just north of the Canada� ...

; it is located south of the 49th parallel.

Neighbourhoods

This list is similar to, but not identical with, that used by the Greater Victoria real estate sales industry. Neighbourhoods with official status are italicized. Others may have no official definition, hence other lists of neighbourhoods in the Victoria area may differ. Other sources may give different boundaries as well. * Victoria ** ''Burnside-Gorge'' *** ''Rock Bay'' ** ''

Downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...

'' *** Chinatown ** '' Fairfield-Gonzales'' *** Cook Street Village *** Humboldt Valley *** ''Gonzales'' ** '' Fernwood'' ** ''Harris Green'' ** ''Hillside-Quadra'' ***''Blanshard'' ***''Quadra Village'' *** Mayfair ** ''

James Bay James Bay (french: Baie James; cr, ᐐᓂᐯᒄ, Wînipekw, dirty water) is a large body of water located on the southern end of Hudson Bay in Canada. Both bodies of water extend from the Arctic Ocean, of which James Bay is the southernmost par ...

'' ** ''Jubilee'' *** ''North Jubilee'' *** ''South Jubilee'' ** ''North Park'' ** ''Oaklands'' ** ''

Rockland Rockland may refer to: People *Per Bergsland, nicknamed Peter Rockland, one of three successful escapees from Stalag Luft III (the "Great Escape") Places ;In Canada *Rockland, Greater Victoria *Rockland, Nova Scotia *Rockland, Ontario ;In the Uni ...

'' ** ''

Victoria West Victoria West is a town in the central Karoo region of South Africa's Northern Cape province. It is situated on the main N12 route, at an elevation of . It is the seat of the Ubuntu Local Municipality within the Pixley ka Seme District Municip ...

'' * Saanich ** ''Blenkinsop'' ** '' Cadboro Bay'' *** Queenswood *** Ten Mile Point ** ''Carey'' *** Glanford *** Marigold ** ''Cordova Bay'' ** '' Gordon Head'' *** Arbutus *** Mt. Douglas ** ''North Quadra'' ** ''Quadra'' *** Cedar Hill *** Lake Hill *** Maplewood ** ''Royal Oak'' *** Broadmead-Sunnymead ** ''Rural Saanich'' *** Beaver Lake *** Elk Lake *** Interurban *** Prospect Lake *** Strawberry Vale *** West Burnside ** ''Saanich Core'' ** ''Shelbourne'' *** Mt. Tolmie ** ''Tillicum'' *** The Gorge *

** Gonzales (Foul Bay) ** Uplands ** Willows Beach ** Windsor Park ** South Oak Bay ** North Oak Bay ** Estevan *

** Craigflower ** Colville Road ** Gorge Vale ** Parklands ** Rockheights ** Saxe Point ** Songhees ** West Bay ** Work Point ( DND) *

** Shoreline * Colwood ** Belmont Park ** Colwood Corners ** Hatley Park ** Mill Hill ** Royal Roads ** Royal Bay ** Triangle Mountain * Langford ** North *** Bear Mountain *** Florence Lake *** Millstream *** Thetis Heights ** South *** Glen Lake *** Goldstream Meadows *** Luxton *** Ravenwood *** Westhills *

** Durrance Lake ** Thetis Lake ** Willis Point * Metchosin ** Happy Valley ** Matheson Lake ** Rocky Point ** William Head * Central Saanich ** Brentwood Bay ** Island View ** Saanichton * North Saanich ** Cloake Hill ** Dean Park ** Deep Cove ** Lands End **

Patricia Bay Patricia Bay ("Pat Bay" to locals) is a body of salt water that extends east from Saanich Inlet and forms part of the shoreline of North Saanich, British Columbia. It lies due west of Victoria International Airport. A municipal park covers most o ...

("Pat Bay") ** Swartz Bay ** Ardmore *

* Sooke ** Broom Hill ** East Sooke ** Otter Point ** Kemp Lake ** Sooke Town Centre ** Sunriver ** Saseenos ** Whiffin Spit

Climate

Demographics

The Greater Victoria region has a combined population of 397,237 according to the 2021 Canadian census. The region comprises two of the fifteen most populous municipalities in British Columbia (Saanich, at number seven, and Victoria at number thirteen). The Canadian Census ranks Greater Victoria as the 15th largest metropolitan area in Canada, by

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using ...

. The combined population of the cities, municipalities, unincorporated areas and Indian Reserves in the region are as follows: # Saanich 117,735 # Victoria 91,867 # Langford 46,584 # Colwood 18,961 #

17,990 #

17,533 # Central Saanich 17,385 # Sooke 15,086 #

12,318 # North Saanich 12,235 #

11,575 #

Juan de Fuca (Part 1) Juan de Fuca (10 June 1536, Cefalonia 23 July 1602, Cefalonia)Greek Consulate of Vancouver,Greek Pioneers: Juan de Fuca. was a Greek pilot who served PhilipII of Spain. He is best known for his claim to have explored the Strait of Aniánnow ...

5,132 # Metchosin 5,067 #

2,482 # New Songhees 1A Indian Reserve 1,839 # East Saanich 2 Indian Reserve 1,790 # South Saanich 1 Indian Reserve 712 # Cole Bay 3 Indian Reserve 266 # T'Sou-ke Indian Reserve 230 # Becher Bay 1 Indian Reserve 221 # Esquimalt Indian Reserve 120 # Union Bay 4 Indian Reserve 109

Ethnicity

In comparison to the Lower Mainland (

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. Th ...

and environs), the region does not have a great deal of racial diversity. Most of the population is of European descent. A substantial community of those of Chinese descent has existed in Greater Victoria since the Fraser Gold Rush of 1858–60, which saw the first significant influx, arriving first via San Francisco then directly from China. There is also a substantial

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: ** First Nat ...

(indigenous) population whose ancestors have lived in the area for thousands of years. Numerous First Nations reserves, forming distinct communities, exist in the region — primarily on the Saanich Peninsula, in Esquimalt, and in the Western Communities — although the majority of the First Nations population live off-reserve. The largest ethnic groups in Greater Victoria, according to the 2016 census,Census Profile, 2016 Census: Victoria (Census metropolitan area), British Columbia and British Columbia (Province)
Statistics Canada. Retrieved on 2017-12-30. are: # English - 140,510 #

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

- 98,475 #Canadian - 86,000 # Irish - 73,170 #

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

- 50,440 #

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

- 38,775 # Ukrainian - 19,410 # Chinese - 17,825 # Dutch - 17,790 #

- 15,430 #

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

- 14,140 #

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

- 13,610 # Norwegian - 12,130 # Italian - 11,665 #

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

- 9,380 # Indian - 9,180 # Russian - 8,565 # American - 8,485 # Metis - 7,135 #

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

- 6,650 The same information, although grouped more geographically, is below. The largest sub-grouping is included.

Culture

Many Victoria Region municipalities have their own fairs:

's Tea Party,

's Buccaneer Days,

's Sidney Days, Sooke's Sooke Days, Western Communities' Luxton Rodeo, and Central Saanich's Saanich Fair. The Saanich Fair is the oldest and largest of all the Greater Victoria local fair venues; it is considered a ''

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with '' de jure'' ("by l ...

'' regional fair because of its greater size, content, and famous reputation. The Saanich Fair has the largest number of attendees of all the Victoria area fairs. There is a wide variety of entertainment and recreational facilities and activities. The mild coastal climate ensures less extreme weather changes. Outdoor and indoor recreational areas are abundant throughout the region. The Rifflandia Music Festival takes place downtown in mid to late September. The Victoria Tall Ships Festival showcase sailing vessels and the sailing lif

The Victoria Symphony performs over 100 concerts a year, including the renowned Symphony Splash, an annual free concert in the Inner Harbour on the August Sunday preceding B.C Day. The orchestra is on a barge playing to an audience of over 40,000. The Electronic Music Festival also takes place at Centennial Square, where DJs can show off their music mixing skills. These regional positive qualities, along with new transportation links, international high-profile events (2007

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

meeting,

2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup The 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the 16th edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup (formerly called the FIFA World Youth Championship), hosted by Canada from 30 June to 22 July 2007. Argentina defeated the Czech Republic in the title game by the score ...

1994 Commonwealth Games The 1994 Commonwealth Games (French: ''XVéme Jeux du Commonwealth'') were held in Victoria, British Columbia, from 18 to 28 August 1994. Ten types of sports were featured at the Victoria Games: athletics, aquatics, badminton, boxing, cycling ...

), could have helped produce a socio-economic effect in terms of: attractiveness as a place of residency, low unemployment, high real estate development potential for profit, increasing immigration of new people(s), and expanding opportunities for business or economic development. High-profile international attention performs its duty as a marketing, public relations, and sales catalyst for further activity. Boaters from around the world gather annually in the waters off of Vancouver Island for the Swiftsure International Yacht Race. An example of this economic opportunity also lies in Victoria's

geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, a ...

. The April 19, 2008 ''

Victoria Times Colonist The ''Times Colonist'' is an English-language daily newspaper in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It was formed by the Sept. 2, 1980 merger of the ''Victoria Daily Times'', established in 1884, and the ''British Colonist'' (later the ''Daily Co ...

'' newspaper printed a section, sponsored by the Downtown Victoria Business Association, focusing on the area's downtown selection of goods and service providers. As it was in the early days with merchants supplying and outfitting

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...

rush prospectors, today's modern merchants supply outdoor recreation seekers before they head to other parts of Vancouver Island for surfing,

kayaking Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits facin ...

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A His ...

camping Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more natu ...

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

cycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from tw ...

or whatever activities they seek. In June 2010, the

Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack submar ...

celebrated its 100th anniversary with a

Fleet Review A fleet review or naval review is an event where a gathering of ships from a particular navy is paraded and reviewed by an incumbent head of state and/or other official civilian and military dignitaries. A number of national navies continue to ...

in the waters off of Greater Victoria, by Canada's former Governor General Michaëlle Jean. The review was attended by warships from

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 tota ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

, Australia, Japan, 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 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

along with US and Canadian

Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a Maritime Security Regimes, maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with cust ...

vessels. These celebration activities coincided with the Esquimalt Buccaneer Days Fair and the

2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

activities in local bars. The 2010 Olympic Torch Relay started in Greater Victoria and proceeded to other communities across

. The conclusion of the torch relay began the

2010 Winter Olympics )'' , nations = 82 , athletes = 2,626 , events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = February 12, 2010 , closing = February 28, 2010 , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Catriona Le May Doan Nancy GreeneWayne Gr ...

in Vancouver BC.

Notable places

Educational institutions

Camosun College Camosun College is a public college located in Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The college has two campuses, Lansdowne and Interurban, with a total enrollment of around 14,000 students (including Professional Studies and Industry Training) ...

(Saanich and Oak Bay) *

Lester B. Pearson College Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific (Pearson College UWC) is one of eighteen schools and colleges around the world in the UWC (United World Colleges) movement. It is named after the late Canadian Prime Minister Lester Bowles Pear ...

(Metchosin)
Oshio CollegeRoyal Pacific Institute

(Victoria) * Royal Roads University (Colwood) *

(Saanich and Oak Bay) *

University Canada West University Canada West (UCW) is a private, for-profit university in British Columbia, Canada. It was founded in 2005 by David F. Strong, the former president of the University of Victoria. UCW was purchased in 2008 by the Eminata Group and in ...

(Victoria campus closed 2011) * Vancouver Island School of Art (Victoria) *

Victoria College of Art Victoria College of Art (VCA) is a private, non-profit art college located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1974 as the Northwest Coast Institute of Arts, the college offers Diploma programs in Fine Arts, Applied Arts Illustrati ...

(Victoria)

Hospitals

Royal Jubilee Hospital Royal Jubilee Hospital is a 500-bed general hospital in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada located about east of the city centre, in the Jubilee neighbourhood (itself named after the hospital). Overview Its name commemorates the Golden Jubilee ...

(Victoria and Saanich) *

Saanich Peninsula Hospital Saanich is an anglicization of the name of the Saanich people or ''W̱SÁNEĆ''. It may refer to: *the Saanich people, a group of indigenous peoples in British Columbia, Canada *the Saanich dialect, a subdialect of North Straits Salish Places *t ...

(Central Saanich/Saanich Peninsula) * Victoria General Hospital (View Royal)

Military installations

(

Department of National Defence Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philipp ...

) * CFB Esquimalt HMC Dockyard (Esquimalt) * CFB Esquimalt Naden (Esquimalt) * (Victoria) *Bay Street Armoury (Victoria) *Lieutenant General E.C. Ashton Armoury (Saanich) *

Air Force Squadron detachment (North Saanich)

Parks and natural features

Beacon Hill Park Beacon Hill Park is a 75 ha (200 acre) park located along the shore of Juan de Fuca Strait in Victoria, British Columbia. The park is popular both with tourists and locals, and contains a number of amenities including woodland and shoreline trai ...

(Victoria) *Clover Point (Victoria) *Dallas Road Waterfront Pathway (Victoria) * Elk/Beaver Lake Regional Park (Saanich) * Francis/King Regional Park (Saanich) * Galloping Goose Regional Trail (from Victoria west through Sooke) * ȽÁU,WELṈEW̱/John Dean Provincial Park (North Saanich and Central Saanich) * Mount Douglas Park (Saanich) *Moss Rock Park (Victoria) * Ogden Point (Victoria) * Sea to Sea Green Blue Belt **

East Sooke Regional Park East Sooke is an unincorporated community south and east of Sooke, British Columbia, Canada. It consists of over 500 houses (and one volunteer fire department) along with the headquarters of the Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue (RC ...

(Juan de Fuca EA) ** Goldstream Provincial Park (Langford) ** Gowlland Tod Provincial Park (Highlands, and Juan de Fuca EA) **

Mount Work Regional Park Mount Work is a mountain in the Gowlland Range on southern Vancouver Island. It is located within Mount Work Regional Park in the District of Highlands, near Gowlland Tod Provincial Park and Goldstream Provincial Park, northwest of Victoria V ...

(Saanich, Highlands, and Juan de Fuca EA) ** Sooke Potholes Regional Park, Sooke Potholes Provincial Park and

Sooke River Provincial Park 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 So ...

(Sooke) * Swan Lake/Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary (Saanich) *

Thetis Lake Thetis Lake is a name that refers to two freshwater lakes (Upper and Lower Thetis) connected by a narrow culvert in the Thetis Lake Regional Park outside Victoria, British Columbia, about from the city centre. It was established as Canada's fir ...

Regional Park (View Royal, Langford, and Highlands) * Uplands Park (Oak Bay) **Cattle Point (Uplands Park, Oak Bay) *

Saxe Point Park Saxe, meaning “Saxon,” may refer to: Places Germany * Saxe-Lauenburg * Saxe-Wittenberg * Saxe-Altenburg * Saxe-Coburg * Saxe-Coburg and Gotha * Saxe-Coburg-Eisenach * Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld * Saxe-Eisenach * Saxe-Eisenberg * Saxe-Gotha * Saxe-Go ...

/ Fleming Beach, former military defence gun bunkers/observation (Esquimalt) * Hartland landfill (

mountain biking Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and p ...

, tours &

) (Saanich) * Mount Tolmie (Saanich)

Scientific facilities

Dominion Astrophysical Observatory The Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, located on Observatory Hill, in Saanich, British Columbia, was completed in 1918 by the Canadian government. The Dominion architect responsible for the building was Edgar Lewis Horwood. The main instrume ...

National Research Council of Canada The National Research Council Canada (NRC; french: Conseil national de recherches Canada) is the primary national agency of the Government of Canada dedicated to science and technology research & development. It is the largest federal research ...

(Saanich)
Gonzales Observatory for Atmospheric Biogeochemistry Research
(Oak Bay)

Fisheries and Oceans Canada Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO; french: Pêches et Océans Canada, MPO), is a Ministry (government department), department of the Government of Canada that is responsible for developing and implementing policies and programs in support of Can ...

(North Saanich) *

Geological Survey of Canada The Geological Survey of Canada (GSC; french: Commission géologique du Canada (CGC)) is a Canadian federal government agency responsible for performing geological surveys of the country, developing Canada's natural resources and protecting the e ...

, GSC Pacific/

Natural Resources Canada Natural Resources Canada (NRCan; french: Ressources naturelles Canada; french: RNCan, label=none)Natural Resources Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Natural Resources (). is the Struc ...

(Sidney)
Sidney Laboratory (Centre for Plant Health)

Canadian Food Inspection Agency The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA; french: Agence canadienne d'inspection des aliments) is a regulatory agency that is dedicated to the safeguarding of food, plants, and animals (FPA) in Canada, thus enhancing the health and well-being of ...

(North Saanich)

Sites of interest

Historical

* Craigdarroch Castle (Victoria) * Craigflower Manor and

Craigflower Schoolhouse The Craigflower Manor and Craigflower Schoolhouse are National Historic Sites of Canada located in View Royal, British Columbia (the Manor) and Saanich (the Schoolhouse) near Victoria. The centerpiece of each historic site is a 19th-century bu ...

(Saanich) * Empress Hotel (Victoria) *

Fort Rodd Hill Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Site is a 19th-century coastal artillery fort on the Colwood, British Columbia side of Esquimalt Harbour, (Greater Victoria/Victoria BC Metropolitan Area). The site is adjacent to Fisgard Lighthouse National ...

and

Fisgard Lighthouse Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Site, on Fisgard Island at the mouth of Esquimalt Harbour in Colwood, British Columbia, is the site of Fisgard Lighthouse, the first lighthouse on the west coast of Canada. Fisgard Lighthouse is about by bo ...

Parks Canada Parks Canada (PC; french: Parcs Canada),Parks Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Parks Canada Agency (). is the Structure of the Canadian federal government, agency of the Government of Canada whic ...

(Colwood) * Hatley Park (Colwood) * Ross Bay Cemetery (Victoria) * Harling Point Chinese Cemetery (Oak Bay) * Veteran's Cemetery (Esquimalt) * Chinatown (Victoria) *Fleming Beach, historical defence bunkers (Esquimalt) *

Emily Carr House Carr House is a National Historic Site of Canada located in Victoria, British Columbia. It was the childhood home of Canadian painter Emily Carr, and had a lasting impression on her paintings and writings. Early history Built in 1863 for the ...

(Victoria) * Victoria High School (Victoria) *

(Saanich) *

(Victoria) *

Helmcken House Helmcken House is a museum in Victoria, British Columbia, located in Thunderbird Park. It was built by Dr. John Sebastian Helmcken, the first doctor in Victoria, in 1852, a surgeon with the Hudson's Bay Company. It is one of the oldest houses i ...

(Victoria) *

Victoria Police Department The Victoria Police Department (VicPD) is the municipal police force for the City of Victoria and the Township of Esquimalt, British Columbia, Canada. It is the oldest municipal police department in Canada west of the Great Lakes, the first Ca ...

Station Museum (150 years of policing artifacts) (Victoria) * Butchart Gardens ( Central Saanich)

Political

Government House Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and the remaining colonies of the British Empire. The name is also used in some other countries. Gover ...

(Victoria) * Parliament Buildings (Victoria) * Victoria City Hall (Victoria)

Cultural

Art Gallery of Greater Victoria The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (AGGV) is an art museum located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Situated in Rockland, Victoria, the museum occupies a building complex; made up of the Spencer Mansion, and the Exhibition Galleries. The ...

(Victoria) * British Columbia Aviation Museum (

) * CFB Esquimalt Military Museum (

) * Chinatown (Victoria) * Maltwood Art Gallery UVic University Centre ( Saanich) *

Royal British Columbia Museum Founded in 1886, the Royal British Columbia Museum (sometimes referred to as Royal BC Museum) consists of The Province of British Columbia's natural and human history museum as well as the British Columbia Provincial Archives. The museum is loca ...

& IMAX National Geographic Theatre (Victoria) * Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre (

) * Thunderbird Park (Victoria, British Columbia)

Sports facilities

Golf * Bear Mountain Golf and Country Club (Langford) *

Cedar Hill Golf Course Cedar may refer to: Trees and plants *'' Cedrus'', common English name cedar, an Old-World genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae *Cedar (plant), a list of trees and plants known as cedar Places United States * Cedar, Arizona * ...

(Saanich) *

Gorge Vale Golf Club A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tendency to cut ...

(Esquimalt) * Olympic View Golf Club (Langford and Colwood) * Royal Colwood Golf and Country Club (Colwood) * Royal Oak Golf Club (Saanich) *

Uplands Golf Club Upland or Uplands may refer to: Geography *Hill, an area of higher land, generally *Highland, an area of higher land divided into low and high points *Upland and lowland, conditional descriptions of a plain based on elevation above sea level *I ...

(Oak Bay) *

Victoria Golf Club The Victoria Golf Club is a golf course located in the city of Oak Bay, British Columbia, Canada, which is part of metropolitan Victoria. It was established in 1893, and is now the oldest golf club in Canada still located on its original site; a ...

(Oak Bay) * Highland Pacific Golf (Saanich) *

Prospect Lake Golf Course Prospect may refer to: General * Prospect (marketing), a marketing term describing a potential customer * Prospect (sports), any player whose rights are owned by a professional team, but who has yet to play a game for the team * Prospect (minin ...

(Saanich) *

Cordova Bay Golf Course Cordova may refer to: Places Former states * Emirate of Cordova (756–929) *Caliphate of Cordova (929–1031) *Taifa of Cordova (1031–1091) Argentina *Córdoba, Argentina, capital of Córdoba Province *Córdoba Province, Argentina Colombia ...

(Saanich) Other * Gordon Head Recreation Centre (Saanich) * Cedar Hill Recreation Centre (Saanich) * Victoria City Rowing Club (Saanich) * Crystal Pool & Fitness Centre (Victoria) * George Pearkes Recreation Centre (Saanich) *

Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of '' John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, ...

(Colwood) * Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre arena (Victoria) *

Royal Victoria Yacht Club The Royal Victoria Yacht Club is located along the shores of Cadboro Bay in The Uplands a neighborhood of Oak Bay, adjacent to the city of Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Austra ...

(Oak Bay) * Saanich Commonwealth Place (swimming pool and library- Greater Victoria Public Library) (Saanich) * Victoria Curling Club (Victoria) * Western Speedway (motor racing) (Langford) * Bear Mountain Arena (Colwood) * Royal Athletic Park (Victoria) * Centennial Stadium (track & field) (Saanich,

) * Esquimalt Recreation Centre (Esquimalt) * Panorama Recreation Centre (North Saanich) * Oak Bay Recreation Centre (Oak Bay) *

Eagle Ridge Community Centre Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, ju ...

(Langford) *

City Centre Park A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

(Langford)

Transportation and ports

Highways Greater Victoria is served by 3 provincial highways Highway 17 Connects Greater Victoria to Victoria International Airport and

BC Ferries British Columbia Ferry Services Inc., operating as BC Ferries (BCF), is a former provincial Crown corporation, now operating as an independently managed, publicly owned Canadian company. BC Ferries provides all major passenger and vehicle fer ...

service to Vancouver. A four lane highway with mix of freeway, expressway and arterial standards. Highway 1 (Trans Canada Highway) Connects the core eastern municipalities to the western municipalities as a 12km freeway with 7 interchanges. Highway 14 Connects Greater Victoria to Sooke, mostly a two lane highway. Ports *

Black Ball Ferries The Puget Sound Navigation Company (PSNC) was founded by Charles E. Peabody in 1898. Today the company operates an international passenger and vehicle ferry service between Port Angeles, WA and Victoria, BC on the Coho. History In the past, t ...

(to

Port Angeles, Washington Port Angeles ( ) is a city and county seat of Clallam County, Washington, United States. With a population of 19,960 as of the 2020 census, it is the largest city in the county. The population was estimated at 20,134 in 2021. The city's ha ...

) (Victoria) *

Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway The Island Rail Corridor, previously the Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway (E&N Railway), is a railway operation on Vancouver Island and is the only remaining railway on Vancouver Island after the closure of the Englewood Railway in November 2017. T ...

terminus (Victoria) *

Victoria Harbour Victoria Harbour is a natural landform harbour in Hong Kong separating Hong Kong Island in the south from the Kowloon Peninsula to the north. The harbour's deep, sheltered waters and strategic location on South China Sea were instrumental i ...

(Victoria) ** Victoria Inner Harbour Airport *

(

to Tsawwassen, near

) (North Saanich) *

(North Saanich) ** Victoria Airport Water Aerodrome *

Washington State Ferries Washington State Ferries (WSF) is a government agency that operates automobile and passenger ferry service in the U.S. state of Washington as part of the Washington State Department of Transportation. It runs ten routes serving 20 terminals ...

(Sidney, to the

San Juan Islands The San Juan Islands are an archipelago in the Pacific Northwest of the United States between the U.S. state of Washington and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The San Juan Islands are part of Washington state, and form the core o ...

and

Anacortes Anacortes ( ) is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The name "Anacortes" is an adaptation of the name of Anne Curtis Bowman, who was the wife of early Fidalgo Island settler Amos Bowman.Downtown Victoria, Helijet helicopter service to

Downtown Vancouver Downtown Vancouver is the central business district and the city centre neighbourhood of Vancouver, Canada, on the northwestern shore of the Burrard Peninsula in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. It occupies most of the north sh ...

, (Victoria)

Media outlets

Print

Victoria News
local media
Saanich News
local media
Goldstream News Gazette
local media
Peninsula News Review
local media
Sooke News Mirror
local media
Oak Bay News
local media *''

Times Colonist The ''Times Colonist'' is an English-language daily newspaper in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It was formed by the Sept. 2, 1980 merger of the ''Victoria Daily Times'', established in 1884, and the ''British Colonist'' (later the ''Daily C ...

'', regional newspaper *''

Monday Magazine ''Monday Magazine'' is a free arts and entertainment magazine in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Contrary to what the name suggests, ''Monday'' was distributed throughout the greater Victoria area every Thursday until July 2013 when it became a ...

'', entertainment weekly publication *''The Nexus'',

student

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sport ...

* The ''Martlet'',

student newspaper *

Black Press Black Press Group Ltd. is a Canadian publisher of prominent daily newspapers in Hawaii and Alaska and numerous non-daily newspapers in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada, and (via Sound Publishing) the U.S. state of Washington. Black Press M ...

community newspapers *
LookOut
', newspaper of CFB Esquimalt

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It include ...

Base *''Victoria Marketplace'', monthly business profiles *
Douglas Magazine
', Victoria based business magazine

Social Media Communities

*
Victoria Buzz
'
Victoria News
local media
Saanich News
local media
Goldstream News Gazette
local media
Peninsula News Review
local media
Sooke News Mirror
local media
Oak Bay News
local media

AM Radio

* CKMO 900 kHz *

CFAX CFAX (1070 AM) is a news/ talk radio station in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It was independently run until September 30, 2004, when it was taken over by Canadian media company CHUM Limited. Its sister station is CHBE-FM, which began b ...

1070 kHz

FM Radio

* CBUX, Espace musique - 88.9 * CBCV,

CBC Radio One CBC Radio One is the English-language news and information radio network of the publicly owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial-free and offers local and national programming. It is available on AM and FM to 98 percent of ...

- 90.5 MHz *

CJZN CJZN-FM (''The Zone @ 91-3'') is a Canadian broadcast radio station in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. CJZN broadcasts a alternative rock format at 91.3 on the FM band. The station can also be heard in the interior Northwest of Washington. T ...

91.3 MHz - "The Zone @ 91-3" * CBU,

CBC Radio 2 CBC Music (formerly known as CBC FM, CBC Stereo and CBC Radio 2) is a Canadian FM radio network operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It used to concentrate on classical and jazz. In 2007 and 2008, the network transitioned towards ...

- 92.1 MHz * CIOC 98.5 MHz - "The Ocean" * CKKQ 100.3 MHz - "100.3 The Q!" * CFUV 101.9 MHz - CFUV, University of Victoria * CHTT 103.1 MHz - "Kiss FM" * CHBE 107.3 MHz - "

Virgin Radio Virgin Radio launched in the United Kingdom in 1993. In 2008, Virgin Radio UK was sold to TIML, a subsidiary of The Times of India group, and the name was changed to Absolute Radio; the Virgin Radio name was not included in the sale. In 2001, ...

" * CILS 107.9 MHz - "Francophonics"

Television

*Channel 6:

CHEK Chek or CHEK may refer to: * Chek (brand), soft drink brand of Winn-Dixie * Chek (unit), a traditional Chinese unit of length * CHEK-DT, a TV station in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada * ''chek'', the Hong Kong English spelling of "尺", the '' ...

(

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

) *Cable 4: SHAW (Shaw TV) *Channel 53, Cable 12: CIVI (

CTV 2 CTV 2 is a Canadian English-language television system owned by the Bell Media subsidiary of BCE Inc. The system consists of four terrestrial owned-and-operated television stations (O&Os) in Ontario, one in British Columbia and two regional cab ...

)

Regional organisations

AVI Health and Community Services (AVI)
*Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce * Greater Victoria Film Commission *

Greater Victoria Art Gallery The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (AGGV) is an art museum located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Situated in Rockland, Victoria, the museum occupies a building complex; made up of the Spencer Mansion, and the Exhibition Galleries. The f ...

* Greater Victoria Cycling Coalition * Greater Victoria Public Library
Island Sexual HealthPeers Victoria Resources Society
* University of Victoria Students' Society (UVSS)
Victoria Pride Society

References

{{Census metropolitan areas by size Southern Vancouver Island Capital Regional District Victoria Populated coastal places in Canada

Municipalities

Neighbourhoods

Climate

Demographics

Ethnicity

Culture

Notable places

Educational institutions

Hospitals

Military installations

Parks and natural features

Scientific facilities

Sites of interest

Historical

Political

Cultural

Sports facilities

Transportation and ports

Media outlets

Print

Social Media Communities

AM Radio

FM Radio

Television

Regional organisations

See also

References