Victoria B.C. Canada
Victoria is the capital of the Canadian province of British Columbia. This city lies at the southernmost end of Vancouver Island—the largest island in British Columbia. The heart of Victoria is its beauty, its history and most importantly its people.
This island has some of the mildest weather in all of Canada specifically a marine climate. The city is protected from harsh weather because of its location on the eastern side of the southern tip of Vancouver Island. The summers are warm and pleasant, while the winters are nary cool with usually only a light rain during the worst weather. This mild climate encourages the growth of a very wide variety of flora. Butchart gardens exemplifies this botanical phenomenon as it contains an almost unending variety of flowering plants, rare trees and is well known as one of the most beautiful gardens in Canada.
Historically, the city of Victoria was officially incorporated in 1862 at the height of the gold rush. It is almost the oldest city in British Columbia second only to New Westminster, which was incorporated in 1860 and is located just east of present day Vancouver on the banks of the Fraser River. From 1866 on, Victoria has been the provincial capital of British Columbia. With the history of being one of the oldest settlements in BC, Victoria has a very rich cultural heritage. Much of this heritage can be seen in the beautiful architecture throughout the city.
In 1893 construction began on one of the icons of the city, the BC Parliament buildings. These structures are located along the inner harbor of the city and have become part of the face of Victoria.
Not long afterward the Empress hotel, designed in 1908 by Francis Rattenbury, who also designed the Parliament buildings, was completed. The hotel and the parliament buildings, also located along the inner harbor, create an iconic image of the city of Victoria to tourists from around the world. But these are only two of the numerous edifices, which add color and flavor to this multi-cultural city.
What truly makes this city a unique and enjoyable travel destination or place of residence is its people. Because of its history as one of the oldest cities in western Canada, Victoria has an abundance of cultural diversity. First, the British influence is patriotically heralded in its name…for the queen of England at the time on incorporation. Second, the western seaboard location affords it a prominent Asian influence, which can easily be seen at the corner of Government and Fisgard streets. Chinatown is the second oldest in North America, second only to San Francisco. In this area one can find authentic cuisine, markets with fresh jackfruit, rambutan and guava to name only a few of the exotic fruits and not even mentioning the huge selection of local fruits and vegetables. Tourist stores and great shopping can be found on Government Street. Within walking distance from downtown one will encounter the finest Indian, Chinese, Italian, Tibetan, Indonesian, Thai, Mexican, Canadian, Dutch, German, Russian restaurants…to name just a few.
Your adventure in Victoria is sure to be memorable during whichever season you may wish to make your visit. It is our hope that the images you see here would inspire, encourage and entice you to make the journey to the ‘Garden Island’ of western Canada.