Oak Bay, British Columbia
Encyclopedia : O : OA : OAK : Oak Bay, British Columbia
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'' |- |Census Division | |- |Regional District |Capital Regional District |- | Area: | or 10.38 (use for info after initial value, and for unformatted area field)}}} }}} km²}}} |- |style="padding: 0 5px 0 5px;" | Founded |style="padding: 0 5px 0 0" | |- |style="padding: 0 5px 0 5px;" | Incorporated |style="padding: 0 5px 0 0" | 1906 |- |Population: District Municipality Population | valign="top" | 18,573 (2001) |- |Population density:||1789.3/km² |- | Time zone: | |- |Postal code span: | |- | Latitude: Longitude: | |- |Elevation:|| m MSL}}} |- |Highways |none |- |Waterways |Strait of Juan de Fuca |- | Mayor: | |- |: | |- | align="center" colspan="2" | }}} |- | colspan="2" align="right"| Census.}}}}}}}}} [Edit Template] |} Oak Bay is a municipality in the Capital Regional District on Vancouver Island in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is an upscale suburb east of and adjacent to the city of Victoria. The population of Oak Bay is about 18,000. The current mayor is Christopher Causton, re-elected in 2005 by acclamation. Oak Bay is stereotyped throughout Victoria as a hold-out for older residents and wealthy people, because of a combination of a few things:
HistoryPrior 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.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 the 1920s the former farm lands of the Hudson's Bay Company were subdivided to create the Uplands area, but development was hampered by the Great Depression. After World War II 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. Two public elementary schools and Oak Bay High, a comprehensive public high school, are located within Oak Bay, as well as the private junior schools for Glenlyon Norfolk and St. Michael's University School. Oak Bay boasts a sandy beach (Willows Beach), the Oak Bay Marina and the Royal Victoria Yacht Club located on the shore of Cadboro Bay. Half the expansive campus of the University of Victoria (founded in 1963) is located within the boundaries of the District of Oak Bay. The other half is found in the adjacent District of 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 is considered the Pebble Beach of Canada. Neighbourhoods
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