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Oak Bay is a municipality in the Capital Regional District on Vancouver Island in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is a suburb east of and adjacent to the city of Victoria. The population of Oak Bay was 17,908 in the 2006 census.[1] The current mayor is Christopher Causton, re-elected in 2008 for his 5th term.
Oak Bay is stereotyped throughout Victoria as a hold-out for older residents and wealthy people because of a combination of a few things:
- The upscale area of the Uplands, a well-established exclusive residential neighbourhood featuring underground wiring, uniform lamp posts, and many multi-million-dollar houses, including stately 1900s mansions of the Arts and Crafts and Faux Tudor styles as well as new upscale construction. The neighbourhood is known for its large private gardens, sweeping views of Haro Strait, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Mt. Baker and the Olympic Mountains. Some of the waterfront residential properties in the Uplands count themselves amongst the most expensive private residential real estate in North America.
- Well-maintained homes with equally well-tended gardens throughout much of the municipality.
- A large number of retirement homes and communities (in fact, many of the municipality's most controversial issues have involved the construction and/or renovation of retirement condominiums).
- Oak Bay has many English-style tea rooms, restaurants, antique shops, and other establishments geared towards seniors.
- A long-standing opposition to large commercial development.
Oak Bay also self-stereotypes as being a community of British heritage, and tour guides have referred to it "more English than England itself." The Oak Bay border, at Foul Bay Road and Oak Bay Avenue, has been referred to as the "tweed curtain"[2], a lighthearted comparison to the Iron Curtain.
Oak Bay takes its name from the Garry Oak tree, which are plentiful 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 the quaint Oak Bay Village along Oak Bay Avenue.
Oak Bay is home to many regionally famous beaches. For the young crowd, Gonzales Beach has proven to be a local favorite. Meanwhile, Willows Beach is a favorite for families and children and is a frequent location for outdoor community events.
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 Salish 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. Oak Bay boasts beaches, the Oak Bay Marina and the Royal Victoria Yacht Club located on the shore of Cadboro Bay.
Oak Bay Secondary School, with the largest student population on Vancouver Island, is located within the municipality.[citation needed]
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.[3]
Neighbourhoods & Parks
Education
Oak Bay is within School District 61. There is only one public elementary school, Willows Elementary School, one public middle school, Monterey Middle School, and one public high school, Oak Bay Secondary 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 also two junior private schools located in Oak Bay: Glenlyon Norfolk School and St. Michael's University School.
References
External links
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