Victoria, a city, the capital of British Columbia, Canada, located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island between the pieces of Juan de Fuca and Haro, about 60 miles (100 km) southwest of the province’s largest city, Vancouver. Victoria is the largest city on the island. It has the lowest winter weather in any city in Canada, and its many parks and lush green spaces have promoted its definition of “garden town.” Above all, Victoria is a British heritage city and colonial past can be clearly seen in its architecture, gardens, museums, city squares, place names, and English restaurants. Local city, 8 square kilometers (20 square kilometers); municipality. area, 269 square kilometers (696 square kilometers). Pop. (2011) city, 80,017; municipality. location, 344,580; (2016) city, 85,792; municipality. location, 367,770.
History
The history of the settlement of Coast Salish (Salishan) Indigenous Peoples (Aboriginal Americans) in the Victoria region goes back more than 10,000 years. In 1778 the explorer Kap. James Cook arrived on the island. England sailor George Vancouver accompanied Cook on that voyage and returned in 1792 to tour and explore the island, later named after him. As the fur trade was established in the region, the Hudson’s Bay Company came to dominate the island and in 1843 established Fort Camosun – later named Fort Albert and then Fort Victoria, for the British queen – in the present area of the city.
George Vancouver
In 1849 Vancouver Island became a colony of Britain and Fort Victoria as its capital. Some of the newcomers arrived, and a small valley appeared near the castle. By the early 1850’s, the area was officially surveyed, and in 1852 the area was named Victoria. Agriculture, forestry, and coal at the time were replaced by wool, but there were no more than several hundred people until gold was discovered in 1858 on the banks of the Fraser River and later in the inner region of Cariboo, both in British Columbia. The region, including Victoria, was quickly transformed by the influx of about 25,000-30,000 gold-seeking people (most of them Americans and Chinese), many of whom used Victoria as an entry point and supply center for their mines. (In 1858 British Columbia was also crowned colony.)
Gold fever is thus responsible for Victoria’s rapid growth from a few hundred to several thousand people. It was established as a city in 1862. In 1865 the Royal Navy chose an existing military base at Esquimalt (now in the city of Victoria), on the western side of the harbor, as its Pacific headquarters, which also encouraged population growth in the area. This time Victoria became the most important city in the western part of Canada. It was the capital of the combined colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia in 1866, and by 1871 the city of Victoria had a population of 3,630. Victoria became a financial center of the colony and focused on the industry, with flour milling, soap, petrol, leather sewing, shipping, and bricklaying, as well as baking, cooking and vegetable cooking.
The 1886 arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) at Burrard Inlet, near Vancouver, made that city an international port connected to the rest of North America by train. As a result, commercial activities and the population of Victoria soon took a back seat to the prosperous Vancouver, although Victoria and its surrounding region experienced steady growth.
Modern city
Victoria’s condition looks amazing. The unusual northeastern coast of Vancouver Island has deep natural harbors (such as those of Victoria, whose Inner Harbor is the heart of the city’s landscape) and the confluence of peninsulas. It is protected from direct storms and high tide of the open Pacific Ocean, which has shown great benefits for Victoria’s residency and development over time.
The city context is relatively small but glorious; preserves its historic structure and the spirit of travel for travelers through many restaurants, cafes, markets, and street vendors. The historic center is connected to the surrounding areas. To the south is James Bay, which includes part of the Inner Harbor (including the Parliament Buildings [1897]), but its main focus is on the Juan de Fuca Strait, south of it. This area includes some of the oldest settlements in the city and Beacon Hill Park. North-east of James Bay and east of the city lies the prominent Rockland area, with curved streets, numerous gardens, and prestigious buildings including Craigdarroch Castle, the Greater Victoria Art Gallery, and Government House.
Across the Inner Harbor, just west of the city center, the peninsula that offers harbor, the historic site of Victoria West (known as Vic West). This well-to-do residence became part of the Victoria municipality in 1890 and was connected to the town by Johnson Street Bridge in 1924. Some bridges run north of Vic West to neighboring Burnside, a historically large region that could build ships, mills, factories, and other industries, as well as a large portion of the settlement of workers.
The Gulf Islands – hundreds of islands, islands and marine protected parks – are located off the east coast of Vancouver Island in Georgia’s Strait. Above the river is the old Oak Bay area, a coastal community, and to the north is the University of Victoria, with its extensive campus and beautiful architecture.
The south view across the Juan de Fuca Strait covers the Olympic Mountains, in the U.S. province. Washington. Also visible from Victoria, about 130 miles [130 km] to the east, is Mount Washington Volcano (3,285 feet).
About nine to ten of the inhabitants of the metropolitan area of Victoria are of European descent (mostly British). The natives of China form a very small group of locals, although they make up a small minority of the general population. Members of the Canadian indigenous population form the next major non-European group, followed by South Asians. Many other races are also represented, but in small numbers.
The mainstays of the Victorian economy are government and administration, defense (focusing on the nearby Canada Forces Base Esquimalt), tourism, and tourism-related services and the retirement sector, which accommodates many of the city’s most retired retirees and surrounding areas. Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and related industries (such as shipbuilding and repair), sawmaking, food processing, and many other manufacturing industries also provide jobs.
Travel is an important factor in Victoria’s economic well-being. Most of the tourists come by boat from many parts of British Columbia and Seattle and Port Angeles in the nearby state of Washington. There is an international airport about 15 miles (25 kilometers) north of the city, and floating planes (small airplane planes to get water) fly to Victoria’s Inner Harbor.
The city has many excellent educational and research institutions, including the University of Victoria (public; 1963), Royal Roads University (public; 1995), and Pearson College (private; 1974), a two-year pre-school institution of the International Baccalaureate Diploma for students from countries around the world, all of whom come for full education. The Dominion Astrophysical Observatory (1918), a designated national history site, has hosted the Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics since 1995.
The city of Victoria and the economy have been challenged over time by the growth of neighboring communities, industrial parks, and large shopping malls near the driving distance, but the central business district and its surrounding region have retained their British “Old World” charm. Among the historical sites are Beacon Hill Park (which existed before the city was annexed and came under its jurisdiction in 1862) and 19th-century family homes built by museums, Helmcken House (1852) and Craigdarroch Castle (1890). Afternoon tea at the Empress Hotel (1908), overlooking the Inner Harbor, has been a tradition for locals and visitors since the opening of the hotel. Other attractions in the city center include places such as Canada’s first Chinatown, with its famous Fan Tan Alley (known as Canada’s narrow street) and the Gate of Harmonious Interest (1981); Bastion Square (historic Fort Victoria, now demolished); and other regions, all within walking distance of each other.
The world-class Butchart Gardens, founded in 1904 by the wife of a prominent cement producer in Brentwood Bay, owns Japanese and Italian gardens and hosts annual flower counting (February); the gardens and residence of Butchart have been designated as Canada’s national historic site.
Other notable museums include the Royal BC Museum (1886) —the premier center near Thunderbird Park with collections of provincial and human history – and the Maritime Museum of BC (1954), in Bastion Square, with exhibits of many aspects of provincial maritime history; depicts the small boat Tilmike, where a local sea captain, J.
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Jasmohan Singh Bains is a lover of luxury travel and adventure, always looking for inducing moment on his travels. Follow the blog to get the ultimate travel ideas for the luxurious adventurer.
