Sooke is a district municipality situated on the
southern tip of Vancouver
Island
, Canada
.
About a 45
minute drive from the city of Victoria
(the capital of British Columbia
), Sooke is considered the westernmost of the
Greater Victoria
region's "Western
Communities." It is situated to the north and west of the
Sooke
Basin
.
Population
The population of The District of Sooke is approximately 11,000.
The town core straddles the
Sooke Road for about one
kilometer. Off the highway, Sooke is a mix of growing residential
subdivisions, small
hobby farms, larger
working farms, light industry, and wilderness.
Sooke is proud of its past and
fishing
community, and All Sooke Days has been a popular annual event
featuring
lumberjack sports and
competitions. Logging is still an important activity in the areas
north and west of Sooke, and a small fishing fleet is still
operated out of the Harbour. Many residents, however, are active in
the local
hospitality industry,
operating small retail businesses, and running online and/or
home-based businesses. A good number of residents are
commuters to jobs in the Greater Victoria
area.
Education
Sooke is a part of the
School
District 62 Sooke.
There is one high school in Sooke,
Edward Milne Community School
and a 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 the
Sooke Harbour House, Whiffin Spit Park,
and the
Sooke Potholes
Regional Park and adjacent
Sooke Potholes Provincial
Park attract visitors both locally and from around the world.
The area's
popularity has increased as a base for visiting the wilderness
parks of Vancouver Island's southwest coast — the West Coast Trail and the Juan de Fuca
Provincial Park
which includes the now highly popular Juan de Fuca
Marine Trail.
Mountain biking is growing in
popularity in
British Columbia, and Sooke is establishing itself as a
destination for the sport. Local advocacy groups are working to
have areas such as
Broom
Hill 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.
Recreational fishing and boating have been popular for many years
in the Sooke area.
There are many local bed-and-breakfast establishments in Sooke
which play a large role in the local tourism business sector,
notably Sooke Harbour House, Salty Towers, and others.
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 Hill
- Whiffin Spit
- Otter Point
- Kemp Lake
Neighbouring Communities
Publications in Sooke
The weekly newspaper is the Sooke News Mirror published by Black
Press. The quarterly news magazine is MapleLine Magazine published
by Brookeline Publishing House Inc. The Rural Observer is a
non-profit newsletter published by the Juan de Fuca Rural
Publication Society. Several tourism publications are distributed
in the region.
External links
- East of Sooke
- South of Sooke
Wikis
Quiz
Map
Search