Victoria (pop. 91,867; met. area pop. 397,237) is the capital of British Columbia. Victoria lies along a picturesque harbor at the southeastern tip of Vancouver Island.
Victoria receives millions of visitors each year. The city’s attractions include its scenic surroundings and pleasant climate. Its narrow streets and neat gardens resemble those of England. Victoria has a milder climate than any other Canadian city. Its temperatures average 40 °F (4 °C) in January and 60 °F (16 °C) in July.
The buildings of the British Columbia legislature overlook Victoria Harbour. The nearby Empress Hotel is famous for its elegance. An outstanding collection of totem poles may be seen in the Royal British Columbia Museum and adjoining Thunderbird Park. Victoria’s City Hall borders Centennial Square downtown. Butchart Gardens, which has beautiful flowers, lawns, ponds, shrubs, and trees, lies north of Victoria at Brentwood Bay. The University of Victoria lies just outside the city.
Many workers in the Victoria metropolitan area have jobs related to the tourist industry. Many others are employed by the federal, provincial, or local government. Canada’s chief naval base on the west coast is at nearby Esquimalt Harbour. Boatbuilding, fishing, forestry, and research and technology are important industries in the Victoria area. Retired people make up nearly a fourth of Victoria’s population.
Coast Salish Indigenous (native) people lived in what is now the Victoria area before white settlers arrived there. The Hudson’s Bay Company of London, a fur-trading organization, founded Victoria in 1843. The settlement was named for Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. It was the capital of the crown colony of Vancouver Island from 1849 to 1866, when the island became part of the colony of British Columbia. Victoria became the capital of colonial British Columbia in 1868. It has been the capital of the province of British Columbia since British Columbia joined Canada in 1871.
The British Royal Navy established the naval base at nearby Esquimalt Harbour in 1865. Tourism became important to the city after the Canadian Pacific Railway opened the Empress Hotel in 1908. Ferry lines linked the city with railroad terminals on the mainland. Victoria Harbour and Esquimalt Harbour were key Canadian shipbuilding centers during World War I (1914-1918) and World War II (1939-1945).
During the 1960’s and 1970’s, Victoria completed several projects that beautified the city and preserved its older areas. These projects included the renewal of a historic downtown residential district and the construction of new docks and walkways for the harbor. Today, the city has a growing industry in research and technology. It has a mayor-council form of government.
