Sooke, British Columbia
Encyclopedia
Sooke is a district municipality
District municipality
A district municipality is a designation for a class of municipalities found in several locations, including Canada, Lithuania, and South Africa.-Usage in British Columbia:...
situated on the southern tip of Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. About a 45 minute drive from the city of Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
(the capital of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
), Sooke is considered the westernmost of the Greater Victoria region
Greater Victoria, British Columbia
Greater Victoria is located in British Columbia, Canada, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. It is a cultural rather than political entity, usually defined as the thirteen easternmost municipalities of the Capital Regional District on Vancouver Island but also includes adjoining areas and...
's "Western Communities
Western Communities
The Western Communities or WestShore is a term used to describe the suburban municipalities of Colwood, Langford, Metchosin and The Highlands. Greater Langford and unincorporated districts west of Esquimalt Harbour and Portage Inlet, and south of the Malahat in the Capital Regional District ,...
." It is situated to the north and west of the Sooke Basin
Sooke Basin
Sooke Basin is a small body of water on the southern end of Vancouver Island in southwestern British Columbia. It is connected to the Strait of Juan de Fuca by Sooke Harbour, a 4 km long narrow natural harbour.-Geography:...
.
Education
Sooke is a part of the School District 62 SookeSchool District 62 Sooke
School District 62 Sooke is a school district in British Columbia, Canada. It includes the suburbs of Victoria known as the Western Communities as well as the mostly rural areas around the sea-side villages of Sooke and Port Renfrew...
. There is one high school, Edward Milne Community School
Edward Milne Community School
Edward Milne Community School is one of three secondary schools in the School District 62 Sooke. It is located in Sooke, British Columbia, Canada. Roughly 700 students attend in grades 9 to 12 in both regular and French immersion programs. The school services the areas of Sooke, East Sooke, Jordan...
, and one junior high school, Journey Middle School. Efforts at community/adult education are delivered by the Edward Milne Community School (EMCS) with day, evening and weekend programs.
Tourism and recreation
Sooke's popularity as a scenic tourist destination has existed for generations. Well-known destinations in Sooke, such as Whiffin Spit Park, the Sooke Potholes Regional ParkSooke Potholes Regional Park
The Sooke Potholes Regional Park is a 55 hectare park along the Sooke River in British Columbia, known for its rocky pools and canyon-like features...
, and adjacent Sooke Potholes Provincial Park
Sooke Potholes Provincial Park
Sooke Potholes Provincial Park is a 7.28 hectare provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. It is adjacent to Sooke Potholes Regional Park.The Sooke Flowline constructed in 1915 snakes through the nearby hills around the Sooke Potholes and travels all the way to the Humpback Reservoir near Mt....
attract visitors both locally and from around the world. Sooke is also home to the Sooke Region Museum and Visitor centre; where visitors and locals are able to get information on regional attractions and history. The area's popularity has increased as a base for visiting the wilderness parks of Vancouver Island's southwest coast — the West Coast Trail
West Coast Trail
The West Coast Trail is a long backpacking trail following the southwestern edge of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. It was built in 1907 to facilitate the rescue of survivors of shipwrecks along the coast, part of the treacherous Graveyard of the Pacific...
and the Juan de Fuca Provincial Park
Juan de Fuca Provincial Park
Juan de Fuca Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. The park was created in 1996 by combining the former China Beach Provincial Park, Loss Creek Park, Parkinson Creek Park and Botanical Beach Park and the trail connecting them into one park.-History:The park was...
which includes the now highly popular Juan de Fuca Marine Trail.
Back country recreation, or off-road recreation brings a constant stream of 4X4s, quads, ATVs, dirt bikes, and home built off-highway vehicles through Sooke as people search out back country access. Hundreds of kilometres of logging roads thread through the hills north of Sooke in the Rural Resource Lands of the Juan de Fuca electoral area, enabling access to several community lakes and small reservoirs. Two large reservoirs, Bear Creek and Diversion, are popular destinations north and west of Sooke. The acquisition of large areas of formerly logged land for CRD regional park use in 2000 terminated vehicular access to the nearest four community lakes north of Harbourview; Shields, Peden, Grass, & Crabapple, provoking a public outcry in the community.
Mountain biking
Mountain biking
Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...
is growing in popularity in British Columbia
Mountain biking in British Columbia
Mountain biking in British Columbia is a popular sport as well as a thriving manufacturing, service/retail and tourism industry.-The North Shore:...
, and Sooke is establishing itself as a destination for the sport. Local advocacy groups are working to have areas such as Broom Hill
Broom Hill (Greater Victoria)
Broom Hill is a hill and eponymous rural neighbourhood in Sooke, British Columbia. Its residential subdivisions surround Broom Hill proper, which is composed of gabbro which rises to an elevation of 283 metres . Above the subdivisions, most of the terrain has a forest cover dominated by Douglas-fir....
set aside as parkland.
The Galloping Goose Regional Trail, part of the Trans-Canada Trail, runs through Sooke and is a popular cycling route to Victoria.
The Sooke Flowline
Sooke Flowline
The Sooke Flowline is an abandoned 44 kilometer concrete aqueduct that snakes through the Sooke Hills from Sooke Lake to the Humpback Reservoir near Mt. Wells Regional Park. From this reservoir, a buried, riveted steel pressure main transported water to Victoria. In between 1994 and 2007, this...
constructed in 1915 snakes through the nearby hills around the Sooke Potholes and travels all the way to the Humpback Reservoir near Mt. Wells Regional Park.
The Arts Community in Sooke
The vibrant arts community of Sooke enjoys the annual Sooke Fine Arts Festival (in its 23rd year in 2009) which brings hundreds of tourists to Sooke each summer by featuring the adjudicated art of local and regional artists. Sooke is known for its plethora of painters, writers, sculptors, potters, fabric artists, jewellery crafters, and more. The Sooke Community Arts Council plays a large role in fostering art in the region. The Sooke Harbour House art gallery is a main display opportunity for many local artisans.Real Estate in Sooke
Housing prices in Sooke are among the lowest in British Columbia. According to the Victoria Real Estate Board the 6-month average in Sooke (as of May 2009) was $372,994 compared to the Greater Victoria area's overall average of $550,756. Lower real estate prices are one of the main driving forces that bring new residents to Sooke.Neighbourhoods of Sooke
(in order from east to west)- North Sooke
- Saseenos
- Milne's Landing
- Sunriver Estates
- Sooke Town Centre or "UpSooke"
- Broom HillBroom Hill (Greater Victoria)Broom Hill is a hill and eponymous rural neighbourhood in Sooke, British Columbia. Its residential subdivisions surround Broom Hill proper, which is composed of gabbro which rises to an elevation of 283 metres . Above the subdivisions, most of the terrain has a forest cover dominated by Douglas-fir....
- Whiffin Spit
- Otter PointOtter Point (Greater Victoria)Otter Point is a rural neighbourhood of Sooke, British Columbia. It references the immediate area around Otter Point Road, a 10 km crescent-shaped thoroughfare beginning and terminating on West Coast Road...
- Kemp Lake
Neighbouring Communities
- MetchosinMetchosin, British ColumbiaThe District of Metchosin is a small, coastal community in the metro Greater Victoria region of British Columbia. It is part of the Western Communities and one of the 13 regional municipalities. Many Metchosinites are small farmers . Most are retired or work outside the community...
- East of Sooke - East SookeEast Sooke, British ColumbiaEast Sooke is an unincorporated community situated south and east of Sooke, British Columbia, Canada. It consists of over 500 houses on the south side of the Sooke Basin. East Sooke borders on East Sooke Regional Park, an area of , with views south to Olympic National Park in the United...
- South of Sooke - Otter PointOtter Point (Greater Victoria)Otter Point is a rural neighbourhood of Sooke, British Columbia. It references the immediate area around Otter Point Road, a 10 km crescent-shaped thoroughfare beginning and terminating on West Coast Road...
- West of Sooke