| District of Sooke | |
|---|---|
| — District — | |
| Location of Sooke in British Columbia | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | British Columbia |
| Region | Vancouver Island |
| Regional district | Capital Regional District |
| Incorporated | December 7, 1999 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Wendal Milne |
| • Councillors | Bev Berger, Herb Haldane, Rick Kasper, Kevin Pearson, Kerrie Reay, Maja Tait |
| Area | |
| • Total | 50.01 km2 (19.3 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 50 m (164 ft) |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Total | 9,704 |
| Time zone | PST (UTC-8) |
| Highways | 14 |
| Waterways | Strait of Juan de Fuca |
| Website | District of Sooke |
Sooke is a district municipality situated on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, Canada. About a 45 minute drive from the city of Victoria (the capital of British Columbia), Sooke is considered the westernmost of the Greater Victoria region's "Western Communities." It is situated to the north and west of the Sooke Basin.
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Sooke is a part of the School District 62 Sooke. There is one high school, Edward Milne Community School, and one junior high school, Journey Middle School. Efforts at community/adult education are delivered by the Edward Milne Community School (EMCS) with day, evening and weekend programs.
Sooke's popularity as a scenic tourist destination has existed for generations. Well-known destinations in Sooke, such as Whiffin Spit Park, the Sooke Potholes Regional Park, and adjacent Sooke Potholes Provincial Park attract visitors both locally and from around the world. Sooke is also home to the Sooke Region Museum and Visitor centre; where visitors and locals are able to get information on regional attractions and history. The area's popularity has increased as a base for visiting the wilderness parks of Vancouver Island's southwest coast — the West Coast Trail and the Juan de Fuca Provincial Park which includes the now highly popular Juan de Fuca Marine Trail.
Back country recreation, or off-road recreation brings a constant stream of 4X4s, quads, ATVs, dirt bikes, and home built off-highway vehicles through Sooke as people search out back country access. Hundreds of kilometres of logging roads thread through the hills north of Sooke in the Rural Resource Lands of the Juan de Fuca electoral area, enabling access to several community lakes and small reservoirs. Two large reservoirs, Bear Creek and Diversion, are popular destinations north and west of Sooke. The acquisition of large areas of formerly logged land for CRD regional park use in 2000 terminated vehicular access to the nearest four community lakes north of Harbourview; Shields, Peden, Grass, & Crabapple, provoking a public outcry in the community.
Mountain biking is growing in popularity in British Columbia, and Sooke is establishing itself as a destination for the sport. Local advocacy groups are working to have areas such as Broom Hill set aside as parkland.
The Galloping Goose Regional Trail, part of the Trans-Canada Trail, runs through Sooke and is a popular cycling route to Victoria.
The Sooke Flowline constructed in 1915 snakes through the nearby hills around the Sooke Potholes and travels all the way to the Humpback Reservoir near Mt. Wells Regional Park.
The vibrant arts community of Sooke enjoys the annual Sooke Fine Arts Festival (in its 23rd year in 2009) which brings hundreds of tourists to Sooke each summer by featuring the adjudicated art of local and regional artists. Sooke is known for its plethora of painters, writers, sculptors, potters, fabric artists, jewellery crafters, and more. The Sooke Community Arts Council plays a large role in fostering art in the region. The Sooke Harbour House art gallery is a main display opportunity for many local artisans.
Housing prices in Sooke are among the lowest in British Columbia. According to the Victoria Real Estate Board the 6-month average in Sooke (as of May 2009) was $372,994 compared to the Greater Victoria area's overall average of $550,756. Lower real estate prices are one of the main driving forces that bring new residents to Sooke.
(in order from east to west)
The weekly newspaper is the Sooke News Mirror published by Black Press. The quarterly news magazine is MapleLine Magazine published by Brookeline Publishing House Inc. The Rural Observer is a non-profit newsletter published by the Juan de Fuca Rural Publication Society. Several tourism publications are distributed in the region.
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