Oak Bay, British Columbia
Encyclopedia
Oak Bay is a municipality
located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island
, in the Canadian Province of British Columbia
, Canada
. A member municipality of the Capital Regional District, it is a community east of and adjacent to the City of Victoria
. Oak Bay has been referred to as being located "Behind the Tweed Curtain", a lighthearted allusion to the Iron Curtain
.
Oak Bay has been stereotyped as a community of British heritage, and tour guides continue to refer to it as "more English than England itself."
Oak Bay takes its name from the Garry Oak
tree, which are found throughout the region. It is also the name of the large bay on the eastern shore of the municipality, fronting onto Willows Beach. The centre of Oak Bay is Oak Bay village along Oak Bay Avenue.
Oak Bay is home to several popular beaches, including Gonzales and Willows beaches.
Oak Bay's motto, from its coat of arms, is Sub Quercu Felicitas, Latin for "Under the Oak, Good Fortune".
people of the Songhees
First Nation. Evidence of their encampments has been found along local shores, including Willows Beach. Following the establishment of Fort Victoria
on the Inner Harbour, the Hudson's Bay Company
established Cadboro Bay Farm to supply food for the small settlement. Cattle Point, where cattle were brought ashore to avoid taxes, between Cadboro Bay and Willows Beach recalls the early history of this area. Early European settlers of the area included John Tod, whose home still stands and is reputed to be haunted.
Originally developed as a middle class streetcar suburb
of Victoria, Oak Bay was incorporated as a municipality in 1906. Its first Council included Francis Rattenbury
, the architect who designed the Legislative Buildings and Empress Hotel located on the inner harbour in Victoria. Rattenbury's own home on Beach Drive is now used as the junior campus for Glenlyon Norfolk School. In 1912 the former farm lands of the Hudson's Bay Company
were subdivided to create the Uplands area, but development was hampered by World War I
. After the war, development of expensive homes in the Uplands was accompanied by the construction of many more modest dwellings in the Estevan, Willows and South Oak Bay neighbourhoods. In addition to being an attractive retirement area, Oak Bay has also long appealed to families with young children and others seeking safe and well-maintained neighbourhoods. Oak Bay boasts beaches, the Oak Bay Marina and the Royal Victoria Yacht Club located on the shore of Cadboro Bay.
Oak Bay High School, with the largest student population in the Greater Victoria School District, is located within the municipality.
Half of the University of Victoria
campus is located within the District of Oak Bay, while the other half is in adjacent Saanich
.
The Victoria Golf Club is located in South Oak Bay. It was founded in 1893, and is the second oldest golf course west of the Great Lakes. It is a challenging 6000 yard links course which hugs the oceanside, and claims to be the oldest golf course in Canada still on its original site.
. There are two public elementary schools, Willows Elementary and Uplands Elementary, one public middle school, Monterey Middle School, and one public high school, Oak Bay High School, in Oak Bay. Residents in the South Oak Bay area may also register their children at the nearby Margaret Jenkins Elementary (in Victoria). There are two private junior schools located in Oak Bay, Glenlyon Norfolk School
and St. Michael's University School.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
, in the Canadian Province of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. A member municipality of the Capital Regional District, it is a community east of and adjacent to the City of Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
. Oak Bay has been referred to as being located "Behind the Tweed Curtain", a lighthearted allusion to the Iron Curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
.
Notable features
Oak Bay has several notable features which include:- The discrete area of the Uplands is a residential neighbourhood that is home to many of the most expensive properties in Canada, including stately turn of the century houses of the Arts and CraftsArts and Crafts movementArts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
and Faux TudorTudorbethan architectureThe Tudor Revival architecture of the 20th century , first manifested itself in domestic architecture beginning in the United Kingdom in the mid to late 19th century based on a revival of aspects of Tudor style. It later became an influence in some other countries, especially the British colonies...
styles, as well as new high-end construction. The neighbourhood is generally known for its large private gardens, sweeping views of Haro StraitHaro StraitHaro Strait, often referred to as the Haro Straits because it is really a series of straits, is one of the main channels connecting the Strait of Georgia to the Strait of Juan de Fuca, separating Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands in British Columbia, Canada from the San Juan Islands of...
, the Strait of Juan de FucaStrait of Juan de FucaThe Strait of Juan de Fuca is a large body of water about long that is the Salish Sea outlet to the Pacific Ocean...
, Mt. Baker and the Olympic MountainsOlympic MountainsThe Olympic Mountains is a mountain range on the Olympic Peninsula of western Washington in the United States. The mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are not especially high - Mount Olympus is the highest at - but the western slopes of the Olympics rise directly out of the Pacific...
. Several of the waterfront residential properties in the Uplands and South Oak Bay count themselves amongst the most expensive private properties in Canada and North America; - Well-maintained houses and gardens throughout the municipality;
- Independent bakeries, coffee shops, and other small high-end businesses;
- Retirement homes and communities;
- A selection of generally English-style tea rooms, restaurants, antique shops, as well as an English-style pub, and other establishments geared towards both families and seniors; and
- A long-standing opposition to large commercial development and suited homes.
Oak Bay has been stereotyped as a community of British heritage, and tour guides continue to refer to it as "more English than England itself."
Oak Bay takes its name from the Garry Oak
Garry Oak
Quercus garryana, the Garry Oak, Oregon White Oak or Oregon Oak, has a range from southern California to extreme southwestern British Columbia, particularly southeastern Vancouver Island and the adjacent Gulf Islands. It grows from sea level to 210 m altitude in the northern part of its range, and...
tree, which are found throughout the region. It is also the name of the large bay on the eastern shore of the municipality, fronting onto Willows Beach. The centre of Oak Bay is Oak Bay village along Oak Bay Avenue.
Oak Bay is home to several popular beaches, including Gonzales and Willows beaches.
Oak Bay's motto, from its coat of arms, is Sub Quercu Felicitas, Latin for "Under the Oak, Good Fortune".
History
Prior to the arrival of Europeans, Oak Bay was home to the local Coast SalishCoast Salish
Coast Salish languages are a subgroup of the Salishan language family. These languages are spoken by First Nations or Native American peoples inhabiting the territory that is now the southwest coast of British Columbia around the Strait of Georgia and Washington state around Puget Sound...
people of the Songhees
Songhees
The Songhees or Songish, also known as the Lekwungen or Lekungen, are an indigenous North American Coast Salish people who reside on southeastern Vancouver Island, British Columbia in the Greater Victoria area...
First Nation. Evidence of their encampments has been found along local shores, including Willows Beach. Following the establishment of Fort Victoria
Fort Victoria (British Columbia)
Fort Victoria was a fur trading post of the Hudson’s Bay Company, the headquarters of HBC operations in British Columbia. The fort was the beginnings of a settlement that eventually grew into the modern Victoria, British Columbia, the capital city of British Columbia.The headquarters of HBC...
on the Inner Harbour, the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
established Cadboro Bay Farm to supply food for the small settlement. Cattle Point, where cattle were brought ashore to avoid taxes, between Cadboro Bay and Willows Beach recalls the early history of this area. Early European settlers of the area included John Tod, whose home still stands and is reputed to be haunted.
Originally developed as a middle class streetcar suburb
Streetcar suburb
A streetcar suburb is a residential community whose growth and development was strongly shaped by the use of streetcar lines as a primary means of transportation. Early suburbs were served by horsecars, but by the late 19th century cable cars and electric streetcars, or trams, were used, allowing...
of Victoria, Oak Bay was incorporated as a municipality in 1906. Its first Council included Francis Rattenbury
Francis Rattenbury
Francis Mawson Rattenbury was an architect born in England, although most of his career was spent in British Columbia, Canada where he designed many notable buildings. Divorced amid scandal, he was murdered in England at the age of 68 by his second wife's lover.- Architectural career :Rattenbury...
, the architect who designed the Legislative Buildings and Empress Hotel located on the inner harbour in Victoria. Rattenbury's own home on Beach Drive is now used as the junior campus for Glenlyon Norfolk School. In 1912 the former farm lands of the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
were subdivided to create the Uplands area, but development was hampered by World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. After the war, development of expensive homes in the Uplands was accompanied by the construction of many more modest dwellings in the Estevan, Willows and South Oak Bay neighbourhoods. In addition to being an attractive retirement area, Oak Bay has also long appealed to families with young children and others seeking safe and well-maintained neighbourhoods. Oak Bay boasts beaches, the Oak Bay Marina and the Royal Victoria Yacht Club located on the shore of Cadboro Bay.
Oak Bay High School, with the largest student population in the Greater Victoria School District, is located within the municipality.
Half of the University of Victoria
University of Victoria
The University of Victoria, often referred to as UVic, is the second oldest public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It is a research intensive university located in Saanich and Oak Bay, about northeast of downtown Victoria. The University's annual enrollment is about 20,000 students...
campus is located within the District of Oak Bay, while the other half is in adjacent Saanich
Saanich, British Columbia
The District of Saanich is a municipality on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. It is located north of the provincial capital, Victoria. It has a population of 108,265 people, making it the most populous municipality on Vancouver Island, and the seventh most populous in the province...
.
The Victoria Golf Club is located in South Oak Bay. It was founded in 1893, and is the second oldest golf course west of the Great Lakes. It is a challenging 6000 yard links course which hugs the oceanside, and claims to be the oldest golf course in Canada still on its original site.
Climate
Neighbourhoods & Parks
- North Oak Bay
- South Oak BaySouth Oak BaySouth Oak Bay is a neighbourhood located in the Municipality of Oak Bay, British Columbia, to the south of Oak Bay Avenue and lying east of the boundary between Oak Bay and Victoria, British Columbia.- History :...
- Uplands
- Willows BeachWillows BeachWillows Beach, Victoria is a beachfront neighbourhood in the Municipality of Oak Bay, in Victoria, British Columbia. It takes its name from the Willows Fairground built in 1891 and which remained Greater Victoria's main horse-racing venue during the early years of the twentieth century...
- Windsor Park
- Uplands ParkUplands ParkUplands Park is located in the municipality of Oak Bay, adjacent to the city of Victoria, British Columbia.Uplands Park consists of of woodland trails and undeveloped natural reserve land. It is among North America's first natural preserves to be set aside in an urban region...
(A Garry OakGarry OakQuercus garryana, the Garry Oak, Oregon White Oak or Oregon Oak, has a range from southern California to extreme southwestern British Columbia, particularly southeastern Vancouver Island and the adjacent Gulf Islands. It grows from sea level to 210 m altitude in the northern part of its range, and...
Meadow Ecosystem. FLICKR photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/imagerambling/sets/1069399/)
Education
Oak Bay is within School District 61School District 61 Greater Victoria
School District 61 Greater Victoria is a school district in the Canadian province of British Columbia. This includes the municipalities of Victoria, Esquimalt, Oak Bay, View Royal, and parts of Saanich.-History:...
. There are two public elementary schools, Willows Elementary and Uplands Elementary, one public middle school, Monterey Middle School, and one public high school, Oak Bay High School, in Oak Bay. Residents in the South Oak Bay area may also register their children at the nearby Margaret Jenkins Elementary (in Victoria). There are two private junior schools located in Oak Bay, Glenlyon Norfolk School
Glenlyon Norfolk School
Glenlyon Norfolk School is an independent, co-ed, university preparatory school in Victoria, British Columbia. It was formed in 1986 with the amalgamation of Glenlyon School and Norfolk House. The school offers instruction from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12, and teaches according to the...
and St. Michael's University School.
External links
- The Corporation of the District of Oak Bay
- Oak Bay Tourism
- Oak Bay Village
- The History of the Municipality of Oak Bay, by G. Murdoch, taken from the Corporation of the District of Oak Bay website
- The History of Oak Bay Website
- Oak Bay News
- Oak Bay Secondary School