Greater Victoria - Sooke8791320

The District of Accommodations Sooke may be the westernmost of Greater Victoria's western communities. Only recently incorporated (1999), Sooke is often a largely rural municipality with a developing residential core. The people of 11,000 is growing slowly but steadily.

The historical home of the T'sou-ke people, this sheltered harbour containing a salmon bearing river, rich clam beds, and abundant berries and game in the forests was an excellent site as well as the people living here thrived. Europeans arrived in the mid 1800's, and one in the first to achieve Sooke was Captain Walter Colqohoun Grant in the Royal Scots Greys, who apparently brought seeds from Scotland of his cherished Scottish Broom, that's now an extremely maligned invasive species overtaking native habitat from Alaska to California.

Fishing and logging will be the industries that built Sooke, and continue, though over a reduced scale, to help with a nearby economy. Tourism is one of the primary employers, both adventure related and cultural. There exists a vibrant arts community here, and Sooke hosts the premiere juried art display on Vancouver Island - the Sooke Fine Arts Show each summer.

Many residents of Accommodations Sooke commute to Victoria but chose to reside in Sooke to emerge from the busyness with the city, as well as as a result of lower property values, you have a great deal of bargain here! There exists a wide array of housing available in Sooke, from condominiums, townhomes and suburban single family residences in and close to the village, to country residential, hobby farms, and estate properties on vacation. Across the Sooke basin there are several amazing waterfront and waterview properties. Neighborhoods of Sooke include:

· North Sooke;

· Saseenos;

· Milne's Landing;

· Sunriver Estates;

· Sooke Town Centre or "UpSooke";

· Broom Hill;

· Whiffin Spit;

· Otter Point, and

· Kemp Lake

Policing in Sooke is supplied from the RCMP and there is a volunteer based fire department. Municipal water is available to residences close to the town core and also the sewer system is under expansion. Rural properties can still depend upon wells and septic tanks and fields. Sooke has its own recreational facility, SEAPARC Leisure Complex, with a children's pool and skating rink.