Downtown Victoria BC Homes & Real Estate
Included below are homes for sale and real estate in Downtown Victoria, BC. Downtown Victoria is a soft flavour of cosmopolitan with its picturesque inner harbour, historic architecture, homely eateries, and preserved historical town squares, such as Bastion and Market Square. Its futuristic bascule bridge that crosses the Gorge Waterway — the largest of its kind in Canada — is an aesthetic touch that meshes well the bustle of the inner harbour.
Victoria’s urban centre is home to elegant character homes as well as single family homes, along with townhomes, condos, and traditional apartment buildings. As a central hub for bus routes, seaplanes, and even a ferry to Seattle, WA, Downtown Victoria is highly connected, but chances are you won’t want to go far, simply enjoying the colourful Victoria scene and the rich Salish Sea shoreline in nearly every direction.
Latest Victoria Home Listings
About Downtown Victoria Real Estate
Architecture
As the capital city of British Columbia, Victoria hosts historic architecture, such the neo-baroque-style British Columbia Parliament Buildings, which is reflected in many of its residential houses. With the city’s push to maintain heritage homes from these and other eras, Victoria’s neighbourhoods are rich in a refined charm that is rare in other parts of the country. For another architectural highlight, check out Victoria City Hall’s Second Empire architectural style complete with its bell tower and red brick walls.
Climate
Victoria is the envy of its wetter counterparts, like the Vancouver metropolis and other island communities even a short drive north. Located in a rain shadow, the city gets a startling amount of annual sunshine, with an annual average of 557mm of rain compared to Vancouver’s 1,272mm. All this while being sheltered by the ocean from the temperature extremes that Canada is known for.
History
Fort Victoria, which would later become the capital city of B.C., was built in 1843 on the traditional territory of the Lekwungen-speaking Peoples (pronounced Le-KWUNG-en). In 1844, the Lekwungen-speaking Songhees People were pushed out of Victoria’s eastern shores to make room for the Hudson’s Bay Company. The 1958 gold rush changed Victoria forever, and within a matter of weeks the settlement of some 230 people was met 20,000 miners arriving in search of gold on the Fraser River. The City soon became a lively commercial centre. Victoria’s “Old Town” continues to display historical features and squares, like Bastion and Market Squares, or the colourful Chinatown, which is the oldest in Canada and second-oldest in North America.
Schools
The Greater Victoria School District (GVSD) operates the public and charter schools in Victoria West. Several private or specialty schools are also available
Public
South Park Elementary School - 508 Douglas St, Victoria, BC V8V 2P7
James Bay Community School - 140 Oswego St, Victoria, BC V8V 2B1
Victoria Chinese Public School - 636 Fisgard St, Victoria, BC V8W 1R6
Private
Christ Church Cathedral School - 912 Vancouver St, Victoria, BC V8V 3V7
Greater Victoria Christian Academy - 833 Pandora Avenue Victoria, BC
College
Pacific Rim College - 560 Johnson St #229, Victoria, BC V8W 3C6
Pacific School of Innovation and Inquiry - 808 Douglas St #100, Victoria, BC V8W 2B6
Victoria Academy Of Dramatic Arts: School for Film & Acting Training - 840 Humboldt St #114, Victoria, BC V8V 5B1
Cambria College - 210-702 Fort St, Victoria, BC V8W 1H2
West Coast College of Massage Therapy - Victoria - 818 Broughton St #100, Victoria, BC V8W 1E4
College of Business & Technology - 950 Kings Road, Victoria, BC V8T 1W6
Sprott Shaw College Victoria - 31 Bastion Square #103, Victoria, BC V8W 1J1
Pacific Design Academy - 1252 Wharf St, Victoria, BC V8W 1T8
Victoria Motion Picture School - 751 Discovery St, Victoria, BC V8T
Orane International College - 1675 Douglas St, Victoria, BC V8W 2G5
Language Schools
Global Village English Centres - GV Victoria - 1290 Broad St Suite 200, Victoria, BC V8W 2A5
GEOS Languages Plus Victoria - 1207 Douglas St #225, Victoria, BC V8W 2E7
Sprott Shaw Language College - 31 Bastion Square #103, Victoria, BC V8W 1J1
Inlingua Victoria - 910 Government St #101, Victoria, BC V8W 1X3
Collège Éducacentre - 531 Yates St #301, Victoria, BC V8W 1K7
Victoria Spanish Centre - 620 View St #414, Victoria, BC V8W 1Y5
EF International Language Campus - English courses on Vancouver Island - 1952 Blanshard St, Victoria, BC V8T 4J3
Other:
Victoria Conservatory Of Music - 900 Johnson St, Victoria, BC V8V 3N4
Big Blue Sailing - 100-1019 Wharf St, Victoria, BC V8W 2Y9
Downtown Victoria Stats
Size and Population
Area: 1.88 km2
Population: 6,152 (2016 stats)
Population Density: 3,272 per square kilometre
Zip Code(s): V8W
Interesting Trivia
Victoria’s moderate climate, perfect for plant growth, has given it an internationally recognized title of the “City of Gardens.” For over 50 years Victoria has hosted an annual flower count, the total 2018 tally of which reached 3.4 billion.
Victoria has been awarded as one of the 15 Friendliest Cities in the World, as well as Canada’s Best City to Live in for Women.
Victoria’s waters are home to three resident pods of orca killer whales, totaling 76 whales.