119-757: Download coordinates as: This is a list of historic places in the City of Victoria , British Columbia entered on the Canadian Register of Historic Places , whether they are designated federally, provincially or municipally. For a list of historic places in the remainder of the Capital Regional District refer to the List of historic places in Capital Regional District . Victoria, British Columbia Victoria
238-569: A base was established (initially at St. George's before the construction of the Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda ) in 1794, when Vice-Admiral Sir George Murray , Commander-in-Chief of the new River St. Lawrence and Coast of America and North America and West Indies Station , set up the first Admiralty House, Bermuda at Rose Hill, St. George's. In 1813, the area of command became the North America Station again, with
357-489: A hundred technology, software and engineering companies have an office in Victoria. Victoria is a major tourism destination with over 3.5 million overnight visitors per year who add more than a billion dollars to the local economy. As well, over 500,000 daytime visitors arrive via cruise ships which dock at Ogden Point near the city's Inner Harbour . Many whale watching tour companies operate from this harbour due to
476-463: A population of 91,867 living in 49,222 of its 53,070 total private dwellings, a change of 7.1% from its 2016 population of 85,792. With a land area of 19.45 km (7.51 sq mi), it had a population density of 4,723.2/km (12,233.1/sq mi) in 2021. Victoria is one of the most gender diverse cities in Canada, with approximately 0.75% of residents identifying as transgender or non-binary in
595-724: A single occurrence of frost. During this time the city went 718 days without freezing, starting on 23 December 1998 and ending 10 December 2000. The second longest frost-free period was a 686-day stretch covering 1925 and 1926, marking the first and last time the city has gone the entire season without dropping below 1 °C (34 °F). During the winter, the average daily high and low temperatures are 8 and 4 °C (46 and 39 °F), respectively. The summer months are also relatively mild, with an average high temperature of 20 °C (68 °F) and low of 11 °C (52 °F), although inland areas often experience warmer daytime highs. The highest temperature ever recorded at Victoria Gonzales
714-478: A village across the harbour from the fort. The Songhees' village was later moved north of Esquimalt in 1911.The crown colony was established in 1849. Between the years 1850–1854 a series of treaty agreements known as the Douglas Treaties were made with indigenous communities to purchase certain plots of land in exchange for goods. These agreements contributed to a town being laid out on the site and made
833-518: Is about 100 km (62 mi) southwest from British Columbia's largest city of Vancouver on the mainland. The city is about 100 km (62 mi) from Seattle by airplane, seaplane , ferry , or the Victoria Clipper passenger-only ferry, and 40 km (25 mi) from Port Angeles , Washington , by ferry Coho across the Strait of Juan de Fuca . Named for Queen Victoria ,
952-728: Is also a destination for conventions, meetings, and conferences, including a 2007 North Atlantic Treaty Organization military chief of staff meeting held at the Hotel Grand Pacific. Every year, the Swiftsure International Yacht Race attracts boaters from around the world to participate in the boat race in the waters off of Vancouver Island, and the Victoria Dragon Boat Festival brings over 90 teams from around North America. The Tall Ships Festival brings sailing ships to
1071-403: Is also a well-protected harbour with a large graving dock and shipbuilding and repair facilities. A point-in-time homeless count was conducted by volunteers between 11 March and 12 March 2020, that counted at least 1,523 homeless that night. The homeless count is considered an underestimate due to the hidden homeless that may be couch surfing or have found somewhere to stay that is not on
1190-501: Is approximately 1,035.26 km (643 mi) east-southeast of Cape Hatteras , North Carolina (with Cape Point on Hatteras Island being the nearest landfall); 1,236 km (768 mi) south of Cape Sable Island , Nova Scotia; 1,759 km (1,093 mi) northeast of Cuba , and 1,538 km (956 mi) due north of the British Virgin Islands . Although Bermudians , with close ties of blood and trade to
1309-523: Is known for its disproportionately large retiree population. Some 23.4 percent of the population of Victoria and its surrounding area are over 65 years of age, which is higher than the overall Canadian distribution of over 65 year-olds in the population (19%). Indigenous peoples made up 5 percent of Victoria's population in 2021. According to the 2021 census , the majority of the population of Victoria described themselves as irreligious (63.4%). Over 25% of Victoria residents are Christian , with
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#17327797417921428-793: Is now Maine in 1606, but this was quickly abandoned and Plymouth Company's territory was absorbed into the London Company's. Over the course of the 17th century , Virginia would come to refer only to the polity that is today the Commonwealth of Virginia on the East Coast of the United States of America , with later areas of settlement on the continent considered separate colonies under their own local administrations and all collectively designated as America (less often as North America ). The Kingdom of England (including
1547-524: Is over representative in the homeless population as only 4.7% of the overall population of Victoria identify as Indigenous. During the COVID-19 pandemic , many homeless people sheltered in camping tents within the city's parks and some roadside greenspaces, including in Beacon Hill Park . In March 2021, city council reinstated a bylaw prohibiting daytime camping in parks, and with support from
1666-629: 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 city of Victoria is the seventh most densely populated city in Canada with 4,406 inhabitants per square kilometre (11,410/sq mi). Victoria is the southernmost major city in Western Canada and
1785-663: The 1994 Commonwealth Games which hosted track events at the Saanich -Oak Bay based University of Victoria and the Saanich Commonwealth Pool, the 2009 Scotties Tournament of Hearts , the 2005 Ford World Men's Curling Championship tournament, and 2006 Skate Canada . Victoria co-hosted the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup at Royal Athletic Park , and is the venue for the Bastion Square Grand Prix Criterium road cycling race. The city
1904-544: The American Revolutionary War and confirmed the independence of Great Britain 's Thirteen Colonies that formed the United States of America . The terms British America and British North America continued to be used for Britain's remaining territories in North America, but the term British North America came to be used more consistently in connection with the provinces that would eventually form
2023-598: The Anglican Church of Bermuda ) and Newfoundland was attached to the See of Nova Scotia from 1825 to 1839 and from 1787 to 1839, respectively. From 1839, the island of Newfoundland and the coast of Labrador, as well as Bermuda, became parts of the Diocese of Newfoundland and Bermuda , with the shared Bishop ( Aubrey George Spencer being the first) alternating his residence between the two colonies. A separate Bermuda Synod
2142-739: The Battle of Craney Island on 22 June 1813. The most famous action carried out during the war by forces from Bermuda was the Chesapeake Campaign of 1813 and later 1814, including the Battle of Bladensburg northeast outside Washington, D.C. with the subsequent Burning of Washington in August 1814, retribution for the "wanton destruction of private property along the north shores of Lake Erie" by American forces under Col. John Campbell in May 1814,
2261-507: The Bishop of Newfoundland and Bermuda until 1919, when Newfoundland and Bermuda each received its own bishop. In 1949, the island of Newfoundland , and its associated mainland territory of Labrador , joined Canada as the tenth province . Canada became semi-independent beginning in 1867, and fully sovereign on foreign affairs beginning with the Statute of Westminster 1931 . Canada gained
2380-823: The British Columbia Coast . Their thick dark topsoils denote a high level of fertility which made them valuable for farming prior to urbanization. Depending on the classification used, Victoria either has a warm-summer Mediterranean or oceanic climate ( Köppen : Csb, Trewartha : Do ); with fresh, dry, sunny summers, and cool, cloudy, rainy winters. Victoria is farther north than many "cold-winter" cities, such as Ottawa , Quebec City , and Minneapolis . However, westerly winds and Pacific Ocean currents keep Victoria's winter temperatures substantially higher, with an average January temperature of 5.0 °C (41.0 °F) (Gonzales) and 5.8 °C (42.4 °F) ( University of Victoria ) compared to Ottawa,
2499-650: The British Methodist Episcopal Church of Canada. The Kingdom of Great Britain acquired most of Acadia or Acadie, Nouvelle-France , in connection with the Queen Anne's War of 1702–1713, and subsequent lands later, after the Seven Years' War / French and Indian War (1753/1756-1763). These territories would become the future provinces of Nova Scotia , New Brunswick , and Prince Edward Island , as well as parts of Quebec in
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#17327797417922618-805: The Church of England overseen by the Archbishop of Canterbury in Canterbury , England ). Other denominations also at one time included Bermuda with Nova Scotia or Canada. Following the separation of the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century of the English Reformation period, Roman Catholic worship was outlawed in England (subsequently Britain ) and its colonies, including Bermuda, until
2737-901: The Commission of Government . Bermuda was increasingly perceived by the British Government as in, or at least grouped for convenience with, the British West Indies. The last official administrative link to the Maritimes was through the established church. In 1879 the Synod of the Church of England in Bermuda was formed and a Diocese of Bermuda became separate from the Diocese of Newfoundland, but continued to be grouped under
2856-976: The Hudson's Bay Company ), was administered until 1783 by the Board of Trade , from 1783 through 1801 by the Home Office and by the Home Secretary , then from 1801 to 1854 by the War Office (which became the War and Colonial Office ) and Secretary of State for War and Colonies (as the Secretary of State for War was renamed). From 1824, the British Empire was divided by the War and Colonial Office into four administrative departments, including NORTH AMERICA ,
2975-603: The Kingdom of France , and East Florida from the Kingdom of Spain , by the earlier 1763 Treaty of Paris (1763) , which ended the Seven Years' War (in Europe ) / French and Indian War (in North America ). Spain had not taken possession of any of Spanish Louisiana , which had been ceded to it under the earlier secret Treaty of Fontainebleau of 1762, from France of French Louisiana until seven years later in 1769. By
3094-714: The North America and West Indies Station . The Royal Naval Dockyard, Halifax , was finally transferred to the Government of the Dominion of Canada in 1907. Before 1784, the Bermuda Garrison had been placed under the military Commander-in-Chief America in New York during the American War of Independence. A small regular infantry garrison had existed from 1701 to 1768, alongside the militia, and part of
3213-784: The North American phase of the larger Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815), elsewhere in Europe and the world, versus Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821), of France . When the Royal Navy's blockade of the Atlantic seaboard of the United States was orchestrated from Bermuda (In the New England region, where support for the United States Government's war against Britain was low and from which Britain continued to purchase and receive grain to feed its army engaged in
3332-709: The Peninsular War in Spain and Portugal , was at first excluded from this blockade). In 1813, Lieutenant-Colonel, Sir Thomas Sydney Beckwith arrived in Bermuda to command an expeditionary force tasked with raiding the Atlantic Seaboard of the United States, specifically in the region of the Chesapeake Bay and surrounding coasts of Maryland and Virginia . The force was to be composed of
3451-788: The Roman Catholic Relief Act 1791 , and operated thereafter under restrictions until the [[20th century]]. Once Roman Catholic worship was allowed and reestablished, Bermuda formed part of the Archdiocese of Halifax, Nova Scotia , until 1953, when it was separated to become the Apostolic Prefecture of Bermuda Islands . The congregation of the first African Methodist Episcopal Church in Bermuda (St. John African Methodist Episcopal Church, erected in 1885 in Hamilton Parish ) had previously been part of
3570-788: The Royal Garrison Battalion had been stationed there in 1778 but that battalion was disbanded in Bermuda in 1784. The regular military garrison was re-established at Bermuda in 1794 by part of the British Army's 47th Regiment of Foot and the Board of Ordnance also stationed an invalid company of the Royal Artillery there soon after. The Bermuda garrison was to be part of the Nova Scotia Command until 1869 (in 1815, Lieutenant-General Sir George Prevost
3689-480: The Senate and House of Commons of Canada , with the support of nine of the ten provinces of Canada . Following the 1776 declaration of independence of the colonies that were to form the United States (which was to be recognised by the British Government in 1783), the areas that remained under British sovereignty were administered by the Home Office , which had been formed on 27 March 1782, and which also controlled
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3808-860: The South Atlantic Ocean archipelago of the Falkland Islands , which had been colonised in 1833, had been added to the remit of the North American Department of the Colonial Office. North American Department of the Colonial Office, 1867 Following the 1867 confederation of most of the British North American colonies to form the Dominion of Canada, Bermuda and Newfoundland remained as the only British colonies in North America (although
3927-434: The Treaty of 1818 established the east/west 49th parallel, north of latitude as the United States–British North America international border, extending from Rupert's Land (north of the Great Lakes) further west to the edge of the Rocky Mountains . Then 28 years later, in the subsequent 1846 treaty, Britain and the United States split the jointly-administered Oregon Country lands of the Pacific Northwest region between
4046-466: The Virginia Company since its flagship, the Sea Venture , was wrecked there in 1609, and the archipelago was officially added to the company's territory in 1612, then managed by a spin-off, the Somers Isles Company , until 1684, but maintained close links with Virginia and Carolina Colony (which had subsequently been settled from Bermuda under William Sayle in 1670). The British Government originally grouped Bermuda with North America (the archipelago
4165-414: The WEST INDIES , MEDITERRANEAN AND AFRICA , and EASTERN COLONIES , of which North America included: North America Until 1846, the postal system had a deputy based in British North America, with administration from London. The Colonial Office and War Office, and the Secretary of State for the Colonies and the Secretary of State for War, were separated in 1854. The War Office, from then, until
4284-520: The War and Colonial Office ), with the Secretary of State for War thus becoming the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies until 1854, when the War and Colonial Office was split into the War Office (under the Secretary of State for War ) and the Colonial Office (under the Secretary of State for the Colonies ). Prior to the signing of the 1846 Oregon Treaty , the North American continental colonies were as follows: The North Atlantic oceanic archipelago of Bermuda , not strictly part of
4403-452: The amalgamation of the thirteen municipal governments within the Capital Regional District . The opponents of amalgamation state that separate governance affords residents a greater deal of local autonomy. The proponents of amalgamation argue it would reduce duplication of services, while allowing for more efficient use of resources and the ability to better handle broad, regional issues and long-term planning. The landscape of Victoria
4522-401: The 16th century in Newfoundland , then further south at Roanoke and Jamestown, Virginia , and more substantially with the founding of the Thirteen Colonies along the Atlantic coast of North America. The British Empire's colonial territories in North America were greatly expanded in connection with the Treaty of Paris (1763) , which formally concluded the Seven Years' War , referred to by
4641-622: The 1867 confederation of the Dominion of Canada , split the military administration of the British colonial and foreign stations into nine districts: North America And North Atlantic ; West Indies ; Mediterranean ; West Coast Of Africa And South Atlantic ; South Africa ; Egypt And The Sudan ; INDIAN OCEAN ; Australia ; and China . North America And North Atlantic included the following stations (or garrisons): North America and North Atlantic The Colonial Office, by 1862, oversaw eight Colonies in British North America, including: North American Colonies, 1862 By 1867, administration of
4760-427: The 2021 Statistics Canada Census of Population. At the census metropolitan area (CMA) level in the 2021 census, the Victoria CMA had a population of 397,237 living in 176,676 of its 186,674 total private dwellings, a change of 8% from its 2016 population of 367,770 . With a land area of 695.29 km (268.45 sq mi), it had a population density of 571.3/km (1,479.7/sq mi) in 2021. Victoria
4879-476: The 20th century there was effective resistance to chlorination . However, drinking water has been chlorinated since March 1944. Since World War II the Victoria area has seen relatively steady growth, becoming home to two major universities. Since the 1980s the western suburbs have been incorporated as new municipalities, such as Colwood and Langford , which are known collectively as the Western Communities . Greater Victoria periodically experiences calls for
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4998-444: The Americans and the British, extending the 49th parallel line further west to the Puget Sound . The United States was assigned lands south of the 49th parallel, but Britain retained all of the off-shore of the West Coast of Vancouver Island (including a small portion of the southern tip of Vancouver Island south of the 49th parallel). After threats and squabbles over rich timber lands, the boundary between Maine and Nova Scotia
5117-423: The Americas at all, was also included as its nearest neighbour (after the United States) is Nova Scotia. Besides the local colonial governments in each colony, British North America was administered directly via London. Other than the territory administered by the Honourable East India Company and protectorates , the British Empire, including British North America (but not including the territory administered by
5236-462: The Bermudas, &c. &c. &c. Beneath Prevost, the staff of the British Army in the Provinces of Nova-Scotia, New-Brunswick, and their Dependencies, including the Islands of Newfoundland, Cape Breton, Prince Edward and Bermuda were under the Command of Lieutenant-General Sir John Coape Sherbrooke . Below Sherbrooke, the Bermuda Garrison was under the immediate control of the Lieutenant-Governor of Bermuda , Major General George Horsford). ), and
5355-410: The Bermudians, Bermudian privateers soon turned aggressively on rebel shipping. After the acknowledgement by the British Government of the independence of the former thirteen rebellious continental colonies in the negotiated Treaty of Paris of 1783, finally recognizing the independence of the new United States of America which it originally declared on July 4, 1776. Bermuda was grouped regionally by
5474-467: The British Empire's colonial territories in North America from 1783 to 1907, not including the Caribbean. These territories include those forming modern-day Canada and Bermuda, having also ceded what became all or large parts of six Midwestern U.S. states ( Ohio , Indiana , Illinois , Michigan , Wisconsin , and the northeastern part of Minnesota ), which were formed out of the Northwest Territory , large parts of Maine , which had originally been within
5593-423: The British Government with The Maritimes and Newfoundland and Labrador provinces of modern eastern Canada , and, more widely, with British North America. Following the world-wide war, the Royal Navy spent a dozen years of peace-time charting the barrier reef around Bermuda to discover the channel that enabled access to the northern lagoon, the Great Sound , and Hamilton Harbour . Once this had been located,
5712-439: The Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec )) joined to form " One Dominion under the Crown of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, with a Constitution similar in Principle to that of the United Kingdom , " on July 1, 1867, the date of Canadian Confederation . The Atlantic island of Bermuda (originally administered by the Virginia Company and, with The Bahamas , considered with North America prior to 1783),
5831-439: The City of Victoria, including the Bay Centre , Hillside Shopping Centre , and Mayfair Shopping Centre. Mayfair, one of the first major shopping centres in Victoria, first opened as an outdoor strip mall on 16 October 1963 with 27 stores. It was built on the site of a former brickyard in the Maywood district, a then-semi-rural area in the northern part of Victoria. Woodward's was Mayfair's original department store anchor upon
5950-429: The Dominion of Canada , following the Report on the Affairs of British North America (1839), called the Durham Report. The Dominion of Canada was formed under the British North America (BNA) Act, 1867 , also referred to as the Constitution Act, 1867. Following royal assent of the BNA Act, three of the provinces of British North America ( New Brunswick , Nova Scotia , and the Province of Canada (which would become
6069-403: The English colonies in North America as the French and Indian War , and by the French colonies as la Guerre de la Conquête . With the ultimate acquisition of most of New France ( Nouvelle-France ), British territory in North America was more than doubled in size, and the exclusion of France also dramatically altered the political landscape of the continent. The term British America
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#17327797417926188-457: The Falkland Islands also continued to be administered by the North American Department of the Colonial Office). Although the British Government was no longer responsible for Canada, its relationship with Canada and subsequent dominions would continue to be overseen by the Secretary of State for the Colonies (who headed the Colonial Office) until the creation of the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs (a position initially held in common with
6307-418: The Florida peninsula), forming Spanish Florida until its 1813 / 1819 cession to the adjacent United States. Nova Scotia was split into modern-day Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in 1784. The part of Quebec retained after 1783 was split into the primarily French-speaking Province of Lower Canada (future Quebec ) and the primarily English-speaking Province of Upper Canada (future Ontario ) in 1791. Later
6426-462: The French territory of Acadia , and very briefly, East Florida , West Florida , and the Bahamas . When the Kingdom of England began its efforts to cross the Atlantic Ocean and settle in eastern North America in the late 16th century , it ignored the Kingdom of Spain 's long-asserted claim of sovereignty over the entire continent as part of its world-wide Spanish Empire . Spain's similar claim to all of South America had been refuted when
6545-403: The Gordon Highlanders in the summer of 1914. Before the end of the war he commanded the Canadian Corps. A number of municipalities surrounding Victoria were incorporated during this period, including the Township of Esquimalt, the District of Oak Bay, and several municipalities on the Saanich Peninsula . Water in Greater Victoria had a reputation for excellent purity, and for several decades in
6664-459: The Mainland – and became the provincial capital when British Columbia joined the Canadian Confederation in 1871. In the latter half of the 19th century, the Port of Victoria became one of North America's largest importers of opium , serving the opium trade from Hong Kong and distribution into North America. Opium trade was legal and unregulated until 1865, when the legislature issued licences and levied duties on its import and sale. The opium trade
6783-405: The Pope Alexander VI had divided the twin continents of the Americas between Spain and the Kingdom of Portugal in the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas . Spain's area of settlement was limited to only the very southern and southwestern parts and coastal edges of the continent of North America, however, and it had little ability to enforce its sovereignty. Disregarding, as did Spain, the sovereignty of
6902-429: The University of Victoria the wettest month is November with 123 mm (4.8 in). Victoria experiences the driest summers in Canada (outside of the extreme northern reaches of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut). Victoria averages just 26 cm (10 in) of snow annually, about half that of Vancouver . Roughly one third of winters see virtually no snow, with less than 5 cm (2.0 in) falling during
7021-415: The Virginia Company of London. The short form of that company's name was the London Company , but it came to be known popularly as the Virginia Company . The northern area of settlement, which extended to 45° North (an area that would come to be known as New England ), was to be administered and settled by the Virginia Company of Plymouth (or Plymouth Company), which established the Popham Colony in what
7140-416: The West Indies falling under the Jamaica Station , and in 1816 it was renamed the North America and Lakes of Canada Station . The headquarters was initially in Bermuda during the winter and Halifax during the summer (both of which were designated as Imperial fortresses , along with Gibraltar and Malta ), but Bermuda, became the year-round headquarters of the Station in 1821, when the area of command became
7259-497: The Woodward's chain. The mall was more recently renovated in 2019. Mayfair now offers over 100 stores and services including Hudson's Bay. It has 42,197.8 m (454,213 sq ft) of retail space and it also provides customers with rooftop parking. Advanced technology is Victoria's largest revenue-producing private industry with $ 3.15 billion in annual revenues generated by more than 880 tech companies that have over 15,000 direct employees. The annual economic impact of
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#17327797417927378-434: The adjacent Principality of Wales ) and the Kingdom of Scotland remained separate nations until their 1707 unification to form the Kingdom of Great Britain (1707-1801). Scotland's attempts to establish its own colonies in North America and Central America before 1707 had been short-lived, but England brought substantial trans-Atlantic possessions into the new union when English America became British America . In 1775, on
7497-414: The area long before European settlement, which had large populations at the time of European exploration. Known as "the Garden City", Victoria is an attractive city and a popular tourism destination and has a regional technology sector that has risen to be its largest revenue-generating private industry. In 2019, Victoria was in the top 20 world cities for quality of life, according to Numbeo . Prior to
7616-421: The arrival of European navigators in the late 1700s, the Greater Victoria area was home to several communities of Coast Salish peoples , including the Lək̓ʷəŋən (Lekwungen) and W̱SÁNEĆ (Saanich) peoples. The Spanish and British took up the exploration of the northwest coast, beginning with the visits of Juan Pérez in 1774, and of James Cook in 1778. Although the Victoria area of the Strait of Juan de Fuca
7735-420: The capital of the colony, though controversy has followed about the ethical negotiation and upholding of rights by the colonial government. The superintendent of the fort, Chief Factor James Douglas , was made the second governor of the Vancouver Island Colony ( Richard Blanshard was first governor, Arthur Edward Kennedy was third and last governor), and would be the leading figure in the early development of
7854-406: The city harbour. Victoria also hosts the start of the Vic-Maui Yacht Race . The Port of Victoria consists of three parts, the Outer Harbour , used by deep sea vessels, the Inner and Upper Harbours, used by coastal and industrial traffic. It is protected by a breakwater with a deep and wide opening. The port is a working harbour, tourist attraction and cruise destination. Esquimalt Harbour
7973-518: The city is one of the oldest in the Pacific Northwest , with British settlement beginning in 1843. The city has retained a large number of its historic buildings, in particular its two most famous landmarks, the Parliament Buildings (finished in 1897 and home of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia ) and the Empress Hotel (opened in 1908). The city's Chinatown is the second oldest in North America, after San Francisco . The region's Coast Salish First Nations peoples established communities in
8092-401: The city until his retirement in 1864. When news of the discovery of gold on the British Columbia mainland reached San Francisco in 1858, Victoria became the port, supply base, and outfitting centre for miners on their way to the Fraser Canyon gold fields, mushrooming from a population of 300 to over 5000 within a few days. Victoria was incorporated as a city in 1862. In 1862 Victoria was
8211-503: The downtown core. The Rifflandia and Electronic Music Festival are other music events that draw crowds to the downtown core. Victoria relies upon neighbouring communities for many recreational opportunities including ice rinks in Oak Bay and Saanich . Victoria has one small public pool (Crystal Pool) and many residents use larger and newer pool facilities in Oak Bay, and Saanich (Commonwealth Pool and Gordon Head Pool). The city and metro region has hosted high-profile sports events including
8330-455: The driest in the region. Average precipitation amounts in the Greater Victoria area range from 608 mm (23.9 in) at the Gonzales observatory in the City of Victoria to 661 mm (26.0 in) at the University of Victoria . The Victoria Airport, 25 km (16 mi) north of the city, receives about 45% more precipitation than the city proper. Regional average precipitation amounts range from as low as 406 mm (16.0 in) on
8449-405: The economic crash and an abundance of unmarried men, Victoria became an excellent location for military recruiting. Two militia infantry battalions, the 88th Victoria Fusiliers and the 50th Gordon Highlanders, formed in the immediate pre-war period. Victoria was the home of Sir Arthur Currie . He had been a high-school teacher and real-estate agent prior to the war and was the Commanding Officer of
8568-527: The entire season. When snow does fall, it rarely lasts long on the ground. Victoria averages just two or three days per year with at least 5 cm (2.0 in) of snow on the ground. Every few decades Victoria receives very large snowfalls including the record breaking 100 cm (39 in) of snow that fell in December 1996. That amount places Victoria 3rd for biggest snowfall among major cities in Canada. With 2,193 hours of bright sunshine annually during
8687-716: The epicentre of the 1862 Pacific Northwest smallpox epidemic which devastated First Nations , killing about two-thirds of all natives in British Columbia. In 1865, the North Pacific home of the Royal Navy was established in Esquimalt and today is Canada's Pacific coast naval base . In 1866 when the island was politically united with the mainland, Victoria was designated the capital of the new united colony instead of New Westminster – an unpopular move on
8806-725: The eve of the American Revolution and parallel. American Revolutionary War (1775-1783). British America included territories in the Western Hemisphere northeast of New Spain , apart from the islands and claims of the British West Indies in the larger West Indies islands chain in the Caribbean Sea , near the Gulf of Mexico . These were: The Somers Isles, or Bermuda , had been occupied by
8925-536: The four wettest months, November to February at Gonzales Heights. However, at the University of Victoria, approximately 5 km (3.1 mi) north, over 60% of the annual precipitation falls between the four wettest months, October to January. Precipitation in December, the wettest month (109 mm [4.3 in]) is nearly eight times as high as in July, the driest month (14 mm [0.55 in]). At
9044-495: The indigenous nations, England claimed the entire North America continent at this point (though its western, northern, and southern boundaries were ill-defined, vague, and not yet clear), which it named Virginia in honour of the virgin queen, Elizabeth I (1533-1603, reigned 1558-1603). England's first successful settlement in North America was Jamestown , established by the Virginia Company of London in 1607, with
9163-718: The individual entries for those municipalities. Informal neighbourhoods include: The city's chief industries are technology, tourism, education, shipyards, federal and provincial government administration and services. Other nearby employers include the Canadian Forces (the Township of Esquimalt is the home of the Pacific headquarters of the Royal Canadian Navy ), and the University of Victoria (in
9282-482: The infantry battalion then on garrison duty in Bermuda, the 102nd Regiment of Foot (with its Commanding Officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Charles James Napier as Second-in-Command) forming one brigade with Royal Marines and a unit recruited from French prisoners-of-war, which was under Lt. Col. Napier's command, and another brigade formed under Lieutenant-Colonel Williams of the Royal Marines. The force took part in
9401-421: The last available measurement period, Victoria is effectively tied with Cranbrook as the sunniest city in British Columbia. In July 2013, Victoria received 432.8 hours of bright sunshine, which is the most sunshine ever recorded in any month in British Columbia history. Victoria's equable climate has also added to its reputation as the "City of Gardens". The city takes pride in the many flowers that bloom during
9520-447: The mall's opening. Mayfair was enclosed and renovated into an indoor mall in 1974. The mall underwent three later expansions in 1984 (with the addition of Consumers Distributing ), 1985 (expansion of the mall food court) and a major expansion in 1990 that saw the addition of more retail space. The Bay (now Hudson's Bay ) replaced Woodward's as Mayfair's department store anchor in 1993 following Hudson's Bay Company 's acquisition of
9639-533: The military until this was transferred to the War Office in 1794. The Home Office referred to the remaining North American continental colonies and the archipelago of Bermuda (located 640 miles (1,030 km) off North Carolina ) as British North America and their administration was increasingly linked. In 1801, administration of the colonies was moved from the Home Office to the War Office (which became
9758-451: The modern Dominion of Canada and additional territories that would eventually form part of the old Massachusetts Bay Colony , later after 1776 as the Commonwealth of Massachusetts , and later separated to form the State of Maine in 1820, in the United States . Britain acquired much of the remainder of Canada (New France) and the eastern half of Louisiana , including West Florida, from
9877-858: The most notable being the Raid on Port Dover to draw United States forces away from the Canadian border. In 1828, His Excellency George, Earl of Dalhousie , (Baron Dalhousie, of Dalhousie Castle,) Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath was Captain General and Governor in Chief in and over the Provinces of Lower-Canada, Upper-Canada, Nova-Scotia, and New-Brunswick, and their several dependencies, Vice-Admiral of
9996-693: The municipalities of Oak Bay and Saanich ) and Camosun College in Saanich (which have over 33,000 faculty, staff and students combined). Other sectors of the Greater Victoria area economy include: investment and banking, online book publishing, various public and private schools, food products manufacturing, light aircraft manufacturing (in North Saanich ), technology products, various high tech firms in pharmaceuticals and computers , engineering , architecture and telecommunications . The city's employment has 164,000 (87%) of workers in
10115-502: The nation's capital, with −10.0 °C (14.0 °F). At the Victoria Gonzales weather station, daily temperatures rise above 30 °C (86 °F) on average less than one day per year and fall below 0 °C (32 °F) on average only ten nights per year. Victoria has recorded completely freeze-free winter seasons four times (in 1925–26, 1939–40, 1999–2000, and 2002–03). 1999 is the only calendar year on record without
10234-474: The new province of Manitoba . British Columbia , the British colony on the west coast north of the 49th parallel , including all of Vancouver Island , joined as Canada's sixth province in 1871, and Prince Edward Island joined as the seventh in 1873. The boundary of British Columbia with Washington Territory was settled by arbitration in 1872, and with Alaska by arbitration in 1903. The Arctic Archipelago
10353-539: The north shore of the Olympic Peninsula to 3,505 mm (138.0 in) in Port Renfrew just 80 km (50 mi) away on the more exposed southwest coast of Vancouver Island. Vancouver measures 1,589 mm (62.6 in) annually and Seattle is at 952 mm (37.5 in). One feature of Victoria's climate is its distinct dry and rainy seasons. Over 60% of the annual precipitation falls during
10472-406: The northern end of their range, and are found as far south as southern California and parts of Mexico. Non-native plants grown in Victoria include the cold-hardy palm Trachycarpus fortunei , which can be found in gardens and public areas of Victoria. One of these Trachycarpus palms stands in front of City Hall. In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , Victoria had
10591-644: The popular Butchart Gardens in 1904 and the construction of the Empress Hotel by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1908. Robert Dunsmuir , a leading industrialist whose interests included coal mines and a railway on Vancouver Island, constructed Craigdarroch Castle in the Rockland area, near the official residence of the province's Lieutenant Governor . His son, James Dunsmuir , became Premier and subsequently Lieutenant Governor of
10710-504: The present-day terrain to air, raising beach and mud deposits well above sea level. The resulting soils are highly variable in texture, and abrupt textural changes are common. In general, clays are most likely to be encountered in the northern part of town and in depressions. The southern part has coarse-textured subsoils and loamy topsoils. Sandy loams and loamy sands are common in the eastern part adjoining Oak Bay. Victoria's soils are relatively unleached and less acidic than soils elsewhere on
10829-424: The province and built his own grand residence at Hatley Park (used for several decades as Royal Roads Military College , now civilian Royal Roads University ) in the present City of Colwood . A real-estate and development boom ended just before World War I , leaving Victoria with a large stock of Edwardian public, commercial and residential buildings that have greatly contributed to the city's character. With
10948-631: The provincial government, pledged to find indoor accommodation for all those camping in parks. Homeless campers from parks and other public spaces were housed temporarily in motels, the Save-on-Foods arena and a tiny home village on a portion of the Royal Athletic Park's parking lot. British North America British North America comprised the colonial territories of the British Empire in North America from 1783 onwards. English colonisation of North America began in
11067-659: The right to establish and accept foreign embassies, with the first one being in Washington, D.C. The last vestiges of Canada's constitutional dependency upon Britain were eliminated when Canadians from various provinces agreed on an internal procedure for amending the Canadian Constitution. This agreement was implemented when the British Parliament passed the Canada Act 1982 at the request of
11186-763: The same, Lieutenant-General and Commander of all His Majesty's Forces in the said Provinces, and their several dependencies, and in the Islands of Newfoundland, Prince Edward, and Bermuda, &c. &c c. &c. Beneath Dalhousie, the Provinces of Nova-Scotia, New-Brunswick, and their Dependencies, including the Island of Newfoundland, Cape Breton, Prince Edward and Bermuda were under the Command of His Excellency Lieutenant-General Sir James Kempt GCB, GCH . The established Church of England in Bermuda (since 1978, titled
11305-632: The second being the Atlantic Ocean archipelago of Bermuda (or the Somers Isles ), added to the territory of the same company in 1612 (the company having been in occupation of the archipelago since the 1609 wreck there of its flagship, the Sea Venture ). Two areas of settlement in North America had been laid out in 1606, with the name Virginia coming to connote the southern area, between Latitude 34° and Latitude 41° North, administered by
11424-419: The second largest religious group being Muslim (1.9%). A similar proportion of residents are Buddhist (1.4%) or Jewish (1.1%). Hinduism , Sikhism and Indigenous Spirituality make up under 1% of other groups. The following is a list of neighbourhoods in the City of Victoria, as defined by the city planning department. For a list of neighbourhoods in other area municipalities, see Greater Victoria , or
11543-506: The sector is estimated at more than $ 4.03 billion per year. With three post-secondary institutions in Saanich , eight federal research labs in the region, and Canada's Pacific Navy Base in Esquimalt , Victoria relies heavily upon the neighbouring communities for economic activity and as employment hubs. The region has many of the elements required for a strong technology sector, including Canada's highest household internet usage. Over
11662-480: The service sector. Top segments include health care and social assistance (28,900; 15.3%), public administration (27,800; 14.7 %), wholesale and retail trade (24,100; 12.7%), professional, scientific and technical services (19,800; 10.4%), educational services (15,000; 7.9%) and accommodation and food services (10,100; 5.3%). The goods-producing sector is dominated by construction (16,000; 8.4%) and manufacturing (6,900; 3.6%). There are three major shopping malls in
11781-743: The site of present-day Victoria in anticipation of the outcome of the Oregon Treaty in 1846, extending the British North America /United States border along the 49th parallel from the Rockies to the Strait of Georgia . Erected in 1843 as a Hudson's Bay Company trading post on a site originally called Camosack meaning "rush of water". Known briefly as "Fort Albert", the settlement was renamed Fort Victoria in November 1843, in honour of Queen Victoria . The Songhees established
11900-541: The sole remaining colony in British North America. British North America ceased to exist as an administrative region of the British Empire, with all remaining British colonies in the Western Hemisphere, from Bermuda to the Falkland Islands grouped in the "West Indian Division" of the "Crown Colonies Department" of the Colonial Office. In 1934, Newfoundland returned to British administration under
12019-486: The southern continental American colonies (especially Virginia and South Carolina), tended towards the rebels early in the American Revolutionary War / American War of Independence (1775-1783), the control of the adjacent and surrounding Atlantic Ocean by the British Royal Navy meant there was no likelihood of the colony joining the rebellion. Although the rebels were supplied with ships and gunpowder by
12138-490: The still-growing Bermuda Garrison was elevated to a separate Bermuda Command . ] The Colony of Newfoundland , like Bermuda, was not included in the confederation that unified the other British North American colonies to form the Dominion of Canada in 1867. In 1870, Rupert's Land , which consisted of territories of the Hudson's Bay Company , was annexed to Canada as the North-West Territories (NWT) and
12257-722: The street or homeless shelters. The first homeless count was conducted in January 2005 by the Victoria Cool Aid Society and counted a homeless population of approximately 700 individuals. Like many west coast cities in North America the homeless population is both concentrated in specific areas (parts of Pandora avenue in Victoria) and is often outside due to milder climates that make homelessness more visible year-round. The 2020 point-in-time homeless count found 35% respondents identified as being Indigenous . This
12376-778: The terms of the later Treaty of Paris (1783) , the United States acquired the southern and western portions of the former Royal French colony in the interior of the North American continent of New France / (later Quebec ), south of the Great Lakes to the Ohio River and west to the Mississippi River . At the same time that Spain gained along the Gulf of Mexico coastline of West Florida (western panhandle of Florida) and regained again East Florida (of
12495-806: The two provinces north of the Great Lakes of the British Empire were combined in 1841 as the Province of Canada (also known as the United Provinces of Canada or the United Canada). This lasted a quarter-century until 1867 and the passage of the British North America Act by the British Parliament in London , with the then establishment of the modern Dominion of Canada . After the War of 1812 (1812-1815),
12614-573: The whales often present near its coast. The city is also close to Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt , the Canadian Navy's primary Pacific Ocean naval base. Downtown Victoria also serves as Greater Victoria 's regional downtown, where many night clubs, theatres, restaurants and pubs are clustered, and where many regional public events occur. Canada Day fireworks displays, Symphony Splash , and many other music festivals and cultural events draw tens of thousands of Greater Victorians and visitors to
12733-781: The winter and early spring, including crocuses, daffodils, early-blooming rhododendrons, cherry and plum trees. Every March, the annual Greater Victoria Flower Count kicks off while the rest of the country and most of the province is still in the dead of winter. Due to its mild climate, Victoria and its surrounding area (southeastern Vancouver Island, Gulf Islands , and parts of the Lower Mainland and Sunshine Coast ) are also home to many rare, native plants found nowhere else in Canada, including Quercus garryana (Garry oak), Arctostaphylos columbiana (hairy manzanita), and Canada's only broad-leaf evergreen tree, Arbutus menziesii (Pacific madrone). Many of these species exist here, at
12852-436: Was Captain-General and Governor-in-Chief in and over the Provinces of Upper-Canada, Lower-Canada, Nova-Scotia, and New-Brunswick, and their several Dependencies, Vice-Admiral of the same, Lieutenant-General and Commander of all His Majesty's Forces in the said Provinces of Lower Canada and Upper-Canada, Nova-Scotia and New-Brunswick, and their several Dependencies, and in the islands of Newfoundland, Prince Edward, Cape Breton and
12971-433: Was 39.8 °C (103.6 °F) on 28 June 2021; The coldest temperature on record is −15.6 °C (3.9 °F), first set on 2 December 1941. The average annual temperature varies from a high of 11.4 °C (52.5 °F) set in 2004 to a low of 8.6 °C (47.5 °F) set in 1916. Due to the rain shadow effect of the nearby Olympic Mountains, Victoria is the driest location on the British Columbia coast and one of
13090-480: Was banned in 1908. In 1886, with the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway terminus on Burrard Inlet , Victoria's position as the commercial centre of British Columbia was irrevocably lost to the city of Vancouver . The city subsequently began cultivating an image of genteel civility within its natural setting, aided by the impressions of visitors such as Rudyard Kipling , the opening of
13209-630: Was ceded by Britain to Canada in 1880 and added to the North-West Territories. Later on, large sections of the NWT were split off as new territories (the Yukon Territory in 1898 and Nunavut in 1999), or provinces ( Alberta and Saskatchewan , both in 1905), or were added to existing provinces (Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec, in stages ending in 1912). In 1907, Newfoundland became the Dominion of Newfoundland , leaving Bermuda as
13328-469: Was clarified by the Webster–Ashburton Treaty of 1842, negotiated by Daniel Webster and Lord Ashburton . The Canadas were united into the Province of Canada in 1841. On 1 July 1867, the Dominion of Canada was created by the British North America Act, 1867 . The confederation process brought together the provinces of Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. The former Province of Canada
13447-463: Was expanded greatly during the 19th century, both to defend the colony as a naval base and to launch amphibious operations against the Atlantic coast of the United States in any war that should transpire. The Royal Navy , British Army , Royal Marines , and Colonial Marines forces based in Bermuda carried out actions of this sort during the subsequent American / Canadian War of 1812 (1812-1815),
13566-411: Was formed by volcanism followed by water in various forms. Pleistocene glaciation put the area under a thick ice cover, the weight of which depressed the land below present sea level. These glaciers also deposited stony sandy loam till . As they retreated, their melt water left thick deposits of sand and gravel . Marine clay settled on what would later become dry land. Post-glacial rebound exposed
13685-497: Was grouped with the Maritime provinces from 1783, but after the formation of the Dominion of Canada in 1867 and the achievement of dominion status by the colony of Newfoundland in 1907, Bermuda was thereafter administered generally with the colonies in the British West Indies (although the Church of England continued to place Bermuda under the Bishop of Newfoundland until 1919). Over its duration, British North America comprised
13804-444: Was incorporated in 1879, but continued to share its Bishop with Newfoundland until 1919, when the separate position of Bishop of Bermuda was created (in 1949, on Newfoundland becoming a province of Canada, the Diocese of Newfoundland became part of the Anglican Church of Canada ; the Church of England in Bermuda, which was re-titled the Anglican Church of Bermuda in 1978, is today one of six extra-provincial Anglican churches within
13923-456: Was not explored until 1790, Spanish sailors visited Esquimalt Harbour (just west of Victoria proper) in 1790, 1791, and 1792. In 1841, James Douglas was charged with the duty of setting up a trading post on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. Upon the recommendation by George Simpson a new more northerly post should be built in case Fort Vancouver fell into American hands (see Oregon boundary dispute ). Douglas founded Fort Victoria on
14042-492: Was split back into its two parts, with Canada East (Lower Canada) being renamed Quebec , and Canada West (Upper Canada) renamed Ontario . Following confederation in 1867, the British Army withdrew from Canada in 1871, handing military defence over to the Canadian Militia . With the consequent abolition of the British Army's Nova Scotia Command, and the office of its Commander-in-Chief for British North America ,
14161-620: Was used to refer to the British Empire's colonial territories in North America prior to the United States Declaration of Independence , most famously in the 1774 address of Thomas Jefferson to the First Continental Congress entitled: A Summary View of the Rights of British America . The term British North America was initially used following the subsequent 1783 Treaty of Paris , which concluded
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