Victoria is located on the sunny southern tip of Vancouver Island. It is a 1 hour and 40 minute ferry ride west of Vancouver B.C., and about a 25 minute plane ride north of Seattle Washington. Greater Victoria is a metropolitan area of about 350,000 people, consisting of the city of Victoria and 12 other municipalities. The core municipalities include Victoria, Saanich, Oak Bay and Esquimalt. Sidney North Saanich and Central Saanich lie to the North. To the West of is Colwood, Langford, the Highlands and Metchosin (called The West Shore locally). Victoria is the capital of the province of British Columbia.
Victoria is one of the top tourist destinations in the world and was voted #1 in environmental ambiance by Con de Naste travel magazine. It has been twice named best city in the Americas. Victoria is imbued with the beauty and amenities of a historic capital city and blessed by magnificent scenery all around. It has superb cuisine, museums, galleries and glorious beaches and outdoor adventure opportunities.
Victoria boasts the mildest climate in Canada. Victoria is one of Canada's driest areas, with an average snowfall of only 25 centimetres (9.5 inches) and an average rainfall of 592 millimetres (23 inches), about 38% less than recorded precipitation in Vancouver, BC or Seattle, Washington. Summers are pleasantly warm, but never too hot and the winters are mild. Located in a sub-Mediterranean zone, Victoria receives an average of 2,183 hours of sunshine each year, with flowers in bloom all year long and an eight month or more frost-free season. The mild Spring arrives as early as February, with some Rhodos and some trees often blossoming in January. Summer is comfortably warm and dry with temperatures from 18° to 32°C (65° to 90°F). Victoria has a very low humidity ratio & almost constant offshore breezes, which keep summer days from becoming too hot & summer evenings somewhat cool.
Victoria is located on Vancouver Island. The total population of the island is about 750,000. A good portion of the Island is below the 49th parallel (American Border). Vancouver Island is over 500 kilometers long (300 miles). It takes about 6.5 hours to drive from Victoria BC on the south end of the Island to Port Hardy on the north end of the Vancouver Island. There are small towns and cities along the way so you will never be far from the services you need. Although Vancouver Island is well inhabited, there are many places where you will find wilderness and wild life is abundant throughout the Island.
One of the largest ferry fleets in the world serve Vancouver Island with service every hour between Vancouver and Victoria. Victoria also has a good International airport for hourly flights to Vancouver and a host of national and international destinations.
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