Greater Victoria - Sooke5289572

The District of Accommodations Sooke is the westernmost of Greater Victoria's western communities. Only recently incorporated (1999), Sooke is often a largely rural municipality having a developing residential core. The populace 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 a great site along with the people living here thrived. Europeans arrived in the mid 1800's, and one from the first to reach Sooke was Captain Walter Colqohoun Grant in the Royal Scots Greys, who apparently brought seeds from Scotland of his cherished Scottish Broom, that is now a lot maligned invasive species overtaking native habitat from Alaska to California.

Fishing and logging will be the industries that built Sooke, and continue, though on a reduced scale, to contribute to a nearby economy. Tourism is currently one of the primary employers, both adventure related and cultural. There is 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 have selected to reside in Sooke to flee the busyness of the city, and in addition because of the lower property values, you receive a lot of value for your money here! There is a wide variety 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 out of town. Along the Sooke basin there are some 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 close to the town core and also the sewer product is under expansion. Rural properties may still depend upon wells and septic tanks and fields. Sooke has its own recreational facility, SEAPARC Leisure Complex, having a swimming pool and skating rink.