Sooke is a
district municipality
A district municipality is a designation for a class of municipalities found in several locations, including Canada, Lithuania, and South Africa.
Canada British Columbia
Under provincial law, municipalities in British Columbia are to be desig ...
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 ...
, Canada, by road from
Victoria, the capital of
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 ...
. Sooke, the westernmost of
Greater Victoria
Greater Victoria (also known as the Greater Victoria Region) is located in British Columbia, Canada, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. It is usually defined as the thirteen municipalities of the Capital Regional District (CRD ...
's
Western Communities, is to the north and west of the
Sooke Basin.
Tourism and recreation
Sooke's popularity as a scenic tourist destination has existed for generations. Well-known destinations in Sooke, such a
Whiffin Spit Park the
Sooke Potholes Regional Park and adjacent
Sooke Potholes Provincial Park attract visitors both locally and from around the world. Sooke is also home to the Sooke Region Museum and Visitor Centre; where visitors and locals are able to get information on regional attractions and history. The area's popularity has increased as a base for visiting the wilderness parks 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 ...
's southwest coast — the
West Coast Trail and the
Juan de Fuca Provincial Park which includes the now highly popular
Juan de Fuca Marine Trail. Sooke, BC is also famous for its beaches just on the outskirts of its neighbouring communities such as Shirley and Jordan River. These beaches includ
Sandcut French beach, Fishboat bay, China beach, Mystic beach and more.
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 ...
is growing in popularity in British Columbia, and Sooke is establishing itself as a destination for the sport. Local advocacy groups such as the Sooke Bike Club are working to have areas such as
Broom Hill set aside as parkland.
The
Galloping Goose Regional Trail, part of the
Trans-Canada Trail
The Trans Canada Trail, officially named The Great Trail between September 2016 and June 2021, is a cross-Canada system of greenways, waterways, and roadways that stretches from the Atlantic to the Pacific to the Arctic oceans. The trail extends ...
, runs through Sooke and is a popular cycling route to Victoria.
Arts community
The vibrant arts community of Sooke enjoys the annual Sooke Fine Arts Festival (established in 1987) which brings hundreds of tourists to Sooke each summer by featuring the adjudicated art of local and regional artists. Sooke is known for its wealth of painters, writers, sculptors, potters, fabric artists, jewellery crafters and more. The Sooke Community Arts Council plays a large role in fostering art in the region. The Sooke Harbour House art gallery is a main display opportunity for many local artisans.
Real estate
In April of 2022, an average single-family home in Sooke costs $887,500 based on the home price index, drawing from data from the Victoria Real Estate Board (VREB). By June of 2022, that number (directly from VREB) increased to $938,000.
Demographics
In the
2021 Census of Population
The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...
conducted by
Statistics Canada, Sooke had a population of 15,086 living in 6,129 of its 6,431 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 13,001. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.
Ethnicity
Religion
According to the
2021 census, religious groups in Sooke included:
*
Irreligion
Irreligion or nonreligion is the absence or rejection of religion, or indifference to it. Irreligion takes many forms, ranging from the casual and unaware to full-fledged philosophies such as atheism and agnosticism, secular humanism and an ...
(9,825 persons or 65.6%)
*
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesu ...
(4,755 persons or 31.8%)
*
Judaism
Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...
(70 persons or 0.5%)
*
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
(50 persons or 0.3%)
*
Islam (50 persons or 0.3%)
*
Indigenous Spirituality (20 persons or 0.1%)
*
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Indian religion or ''dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global po ...
(10 persons or 0.1%)
*
Sikhism
Sikhism (), also known as Sikhi ( pa, ਸਿੱਖੀ ', , from pa, ਸਿੱਖ, lit=disciple', 'seeker', or 'learner, translit= Sikh, label=none),''Sikhism'' (commonly known as ''Sikhī'') originated from the word ''Sikh'', which comes fr ...
(10 persons or 0.1%)
Politics
The District of Sooke is its own independent municipality, part of the
Capital Regional District.
Municipal
Sooke is governed by a mayor and six councilors, who are elected every four years.
Mayor Maja Tait
Councillor Al Beddows
Councillor Dana Lajeunesse
Councillor Ebony Logins
Councillor Jeff Bateman
Councillor Megan McMath
Councillor Tony St-Pierre
Provincial
Sooke in part of the riding of
Langford-Juan de Fuca
Langford-Juan de Fuca is a provincial electoral district
An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a la ...
represented by
John Horgan of the
BC NDP, who first won in 2009.
Federal
Federally the town is in the riding of
Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke, represented by
Randall Garrison of the
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic:
*
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. He was first elected in 2011.
Climate
Sooke has a
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...
, with warm summers and mild winters, defined by the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...
as ''Csb''. Although its precipitation is more like dry summer climates, its temperatures resemble
oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...
s as found in
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, for example.
Education
Sooke is a part of the
School District 62 Sooke. There is one high school,
Edward Milne Community School, and one junior high school,
Journey Middle School
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 Re ...
. The four elementary schools in the area are John Muir (in the town's west end), Sooke Elementary (town centre), the French immersion Ecole Poirier (town centre), and Saseenos Elementary (east end). In 2018, SD62 announced it would be building Sooke River Elementary in the Sunriver neighbourhood. Continuing adult education programs are offered by the Edward Milne Community School (EMCS) Society, which also operates with day, evening and weekend programs. The closest post-secondary institutions are
Royal Roads University and
Camosun College's Interurban campus.
Neighbourhoods
(in order from east to west)
* North Sooke
* Saseenos
* Milne's Landing
* Sunriver Estates
* Sooke Town Centre or "Upsooke"
*
Broom Hill
* Whiffin Spit
*
Otter Point
* Kemp Lake
Neighbouring communities
*
Metchosin - East of Sooke
*
East Sooke - South of Sooke
*
Otter Point - West of Sooke
Publications
* The long-established weekly newspaper is the Sooke News Mirror, edited by Kevin Laird and one of more than 70 Black Press Media community papers in B.C.
Notable residents
* Canadian poet, novelist and playwright
Marilyn Bowering lives in the Sooke area.
*
Bryce Soderberg, bassist and vocalist for American rock band
Lifehouse.
*
J. Lee Thompson (1914-2002), British film director (
Cape Fear,
The Guns of Navarone), died in Sooke.
* Kevin Wenstob, Canadian logger and subject of the reality TV series ''
Big Timber''.
References
External links
*
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{{authority control
Populated places on the British Columbia Coast
District municipalities in British Columbia
Populated places in the Capital Regional District
Greater Victoria
Juan de Fuca region