Greater Victoria - Sooke1411279

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

The historical home with the T'sou-ke people, this sheltered harbour containing a salmon bearing river, rich clam beds, and abundant berries and game from the forests was an excellent site along with the people living here thrived. Europeans arrived in the mid 1800's, the other of 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 include the industries that built Sooke, and continue, though with a reduced scale, to contribute to a nearby economy. Tourism is currently one of the greatest 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 decided to exist in Sooke to flee the busyness from the city, plus as a result of lower property values, you get a great deal of deal here! There's a wide variety of housing accessible in Sooke, from condominiums, townhomes and suburban single family residences in and at the village, to country residential, hobby farms, and estate properties away. Across 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 given by the RCMP and there is a volunteer based fire department. Municipal water can be acquired to residences close to the town core along with the sewer product is under expansion. Rural properties can still depend on wells and septic tanks and fields. Sooke possesses his own recreational facility, SEAPARC Leisure Complex, using a swimming pool and skating rink.