Victoria (city, British Columbia) - Geography.

Victoria (city, British Columbia) - Geography. I INTRODUCTION Victoria (city, British Columbia), capital of the province of British Columbia, Canada, and part of the province's urban core. Once an important trading and manufacturing center, it now functions as a government, educational, military, and tourist center. It is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, next to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Many older people choose to retire to Victoria, attracted by the dry, warm summers and wet, mild winters. The average daily temperature range in July is 11° C to 22° C (51° F to 71° F), and the average January range is 0° C to 7° C (33° F to 44° F). The annual precipitation is 858 mm (33.8 in), some of which occasionally falls as snow. On average, Victoria receives about 2,185 hours per year of bright sunshine, which comes to about six hours per day. II PEOPLE After losing population to expanding suburban municipalities, the city of Victoria grew from 64,379 residents in 1981 to 71,228 in 1991. The city's growth continued in the 1990s, and according to the 2001 census its population was 74,125. The population of Victoria's metropolitan area, which includes 12 municipalities, was 325,400 in 2001. Saanich was the largest municipality with 103,654. The other municipalities are Central Saanich, Colwood, Esquimalt, Highlands, Langford, Metchosin, North Saanich, Oak Bay, Sidney, and View Royal. Of the major Canadian cities, Victoria has the highest proportion of residents aged 65 years and older (about 18 percent for the metropolitan area in 1996). Traditionally, most Victorians were of British origin; however, after World War II (1939-1945), some Dutch, Ukrainians, Germans, Italians, and Portuguese took up residence in the city, followed by refugees from Hungary, the Baltic states, and Vietnam. Victoria's Chinese community grew considerably with the addition of former residents of Hong Kong as the 1997 deadline drew near for the British crown colony of Hong Kong to revert rule by the People's Republic of China. The influx of Asian immigrants, while small compared to that in nearby Vancouver, is changing the ethnic and demographic makeup of Victoria and its metropolitan area. III CITY LANDSCAPE The city of Victoria covers a land area of 18.8 sq km (7.3 sq mi), forming the center of a metropolitan land area of 633 sq km (244 sq mi). The Victoria cityscape is set against the mountainous backdrop of mainland Washington State and British Columbia, as well as the local Sooke Hills. On the south, the city is flanked by the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The business core overlooks the Inner Harbour, where the renowned Parliament Buildings (1898), the Empress Hotel (1908), the Royal British Columbia Museum (renovated 1996), and the historic district known as Old Town greet ferry passengers and other visitors. A number of historic sites, including Helmcken House (1852), Beacon Hill Park (1872), Crystal Gardens (1925), and City Hall (1878), are within walking distance, as is the Chinatown district. Downtown Victoria also supports many cultural institutions, including historic churches; the Provincial Archives; the Maritime Museum; Thunderbird Park, with its towering totem poles; the Victoria Symphony; the Pacific Opera Victoria; and various live theater groups. Summer concerts are hosted on the grounds of the Parliament Buildings. The Victoria Jazz Festival and the theatrical Victoria Fringe Festival take place each year. Across the harbor from Old Town, the Songhees redevelopment area, first an Indian Reserve and later an industrial district, now is occupied by expensive condominiums. North and south of downtown, historic 19th-century architecture is displayed in some of British Columbia's oldest houses, now functioning as museums; these include the Point Ellice (1861) and Emily Carr (1863) houses. To the east, the Rockland neighborhood features Government House (the residence of the lieutenant governor, 1903), the Victoria Art Gallery, Craigdarroch Castle (1885), and other turn-of-the-century mansions. A significant element of metropolitan Victoria's urban fabric is the Uplands area of Oak Bay, an elite neighborhood designed by the famous Olmsted landscaping firm of Boston, Massachusetts. Called the "City of Gardens," Victoria has many gardens, including the world-famous Butchart Gardens on the Saanich Peninsula. In recent years, the provincial government has created a number of regional parks throughout the northwestern metropolitan area. Four institutions of higher learning serve Victoria: the University of Victoria (founded 1903, independent in 1963), Royal Roads University (1995), Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific (1974), and Camosun College (1971). IV ECONOMY Service industries form the basis of Victoria's economy. These include business, community, personal, educational, and professional services supporting the government, military, retirement, and university sectors, as well as seasonal tourism. Although some high-technology industries are thriving, older primary and secondary manufacturing industries--such as sawmills and shipbuilding--have virtually disappeared. So, too, have traditional transportation networks: The Esquimalt-Nanaimo Railway, which once served Vancouver Island, now runs only occasionally. The Canadian Pacific Railway's steamship service has been eliminated. In its place are the multilane Island Highway, an expanded air terminal, and, since 1960, the British Columbia ferry service. V GOVERNMENT The 12 municipalities in the metropolitan area are each governed independently. The government of the city of Victoria comprises an elected mayor and eight councillors who pass bylaws and direct city officials in the administration of various services, including social services, city planning, licensing, and parks and recreation. Cooperation among municipalities is coordinated by a regional body, the Capital Regional District (CRD). The CRD has a board of 22 directors who are appointed, in proportion to population, by the 12 municipalities and four unincorporated electoral districts that form the CRD. The CRD works with local governments in managing such matters as waste management, water supply, health and hospital services, government-supported housing, and regional parks. The local governments maintain control of police and fire services. VI CONTEMPORARY ISSUES Like most large Canadian cities, Victoria suffers considerable crime, especially in its inner city. Current problems include the need to provide shelter for the homeless and welfare for transients; preserve fast-disappearing agricultural land; create more parks; and improve sewer, water, and transportation systems. Victoria is the only major Canadian city without secondary sewage treatment. Water shortages and rationing often occur during drought years. The problem of traffic congestion is being addressed by Victoria residents, who have begun calling for the development of a light rapid transit system using abandoned rail lines. VII HISTORY Southern Vancouver Island was favored by indigenous peoples, such as the Coast Salish, for its plentiful food supply and protected living sites. For the Hudson's Bay Company, which established the trading post of Fort Victoria in 1843 near the Inner Harbour, the area offered access to fur supplies, control over ocean shipping routes, and good agricultural land. These advantages were publicized by Sir James Douglas, the chief factor (administrative head) of the company's Pacific Coast operations, who founded the fort. They were in turn recognized by the British Colonial Office, which made Victoria the capital of the colony of Vancouver's Island (the old name for Vancouver Island) in 1849. The community's growing commercial importance during the Fraser River and Cariboo gold rushes of the 1850s led to its incorporation in 1862. In 1868 Victoria became the capital of the colony of British Columbia, which was made a province of Canada in 1871. Facing little mainland competition and guarding coastal shipping routes, Victoria was Canada's most important Pacific port. In the late 19th century, local entrepreneurs managed British Columbia's import-export trade and developed sealing operations, salmon canneries, sawmills, and supporting manufactures such as machinery works. Local business was stimulated by an expanding provincial government and a military presence, with Esquimalt serving as the headquarters of Canada's Pacific fleet. In the early 20th century, investment in urban real estate became a profitable enterprise as Victoria attracted distant investors and migrants alike. The growth of mainland Vancouver after 1886 increased competition, ultimately causing the collapse of Victoria's trade and manufacturing sectors. World War I (19141918) and World War II (1939-1945) briefly fostered shipbuilding on the Inner Harbour and increased defense-related activities in Esquimalt. After World War II, the expanding provincial, national, and global service economies propelled city fortunes. The government sector developed rapidly, the city's role as a retirement center stimulated small businesses, and tourism gained strength. The Commonwealth Games, held in Victoria in 1994, highlighted the city's reputation as a major tourist destination. Contributed By: L. D. McCann Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.