Greater Victoria - Sooke9879586

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

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

Fishing and logging include the industries that built Sooke, and continue, though with a reduced scale, to bring about a nearby economy. Tourism has become one of the primary employers, both adventure related and cultural. There is a vibrant arts community here, and Sooke hosts the premiere juried art visible on Vancouver Island - the Sooke Fine Arts Show each summer.

Many residents of Accommodations Sooke commute to Victoria but have chosen to reside Sooke to leave the busyness in the city, and in addition due to the lower property values, you receive a great deal of bargain here! There's a wide selection of housing obtainable in Sooke, from condominiums, townhomes and suburban single family residences in and nearby the village, to country residential, hobby farms, and estate properties away. Down the Sooke basin there are a few 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 provided from the RCMP and there's a volunteer based fire department. Municipal water is available to residences nearby the town core along with the sewer method is under expansion. Rural properties might still count on wells and septic tanks and fields. Sooke features its own recreational facility, SEAPARC Leisure Complex, having a pool and ice rink.