Hi,
I am visiting Victoria in a couple of weeks and we will be there for just under a week. The aim of the visit is to work out which areas we would consider living in and meet the people my husband will work with.

Does anyone in the Victoria area have any guidance for us on areas to avoid or the best places to look at, as we don't have very long I want to cram as much in as we can.
I don't drive so I need to be relatively close to an elementary school and shops to get the basic food items in if we run out. My husband will be working at Esquimalt harbour as far as I'm aware, he can drive and doesn't mind a shortish commute.

If anyone could point us in a direction to start with that would be great, also what else should I look at while I'm there?

Thankyou
Amy

Hi AmyI live in Mill Bay to the north of Victoria but I'm there all the time and wife works in Colwood (just next to Esquimalt). If you want to PM me I am bored in the office and would be more than happy to chat with you and hubby. Can give you a li8st of ideas better than writing it all down - if you'd like.

It really depends on how much you want to pay in rent/mortgage. I live in Victoria, and my husband is in the Navy, working out of the same area as your OH will be.
I am heading over to the UK for 2 weeks,but if you PM me I am happy to give you a list of areas and pros and cons.
Have a good trip.

If you have some good tips on areas and the pros and cons of them, it would be great if you could post them here - that way, others who are looking in the same areas could get some help too.

Have a great trip back to blighty charlottyb, by the way!

If you like new houses there are massive new builds going on around Latoria, which is very close to Esquimalt. Small gardens but big houses. I think they're around $700,000. You can buy cheaper. I personally wouldn't choose Langford. I think it's a bit grotty personally. Bear mountain is another pretty nice area. My neighbour worked at the naval base for years and he commuted from Mill Bay. It's about 35-40 minutes. I did it this morning to Colwood at commuting time and it too 35 minutes. They have just demolished the old secondary school in Langford and built 2 new ones which are lovely. Can't speak for the elementaries though.

I should add that Metchosin is a nice area, but I think you said you don't drive and it is a bit rural. Very pretty though.

I live in the Jubilee area, not far from Oak Bay, and love it. (East of downtown.) I'm not keen on driving (have a licence, but barely drive at all!), and I can walk to the local supermarket, rec centre, kids' school and loads of little shops and cafes. I use buses to get into town. We have a few routes close to us and it takes about 10 minutes. Walking into town takes about 40 mins.

Fernwood is another good area if you don't drive - really close to downtown, nice community feel. Oak Bay itself is lovely too, but pricier. Fairfield is also handy for town, but again is probably a bit more expensive. Vic West (next to Esquimalt) has nice waterside townhouses just across from downtown. Handy for walking into town.

Don't really know Esquimalt, so can't tell you much about it. My kids love the pool there! Let me know if you have any questions!

Thanks guys, gives me a good idea of where to start.

Fairfield, Jubilee, Cook st village at
Re where the young and the beautiful live. Oak Bay is old money. They're all the other side of town though. Mind you town is small and it depends where you're coming from and how long a commute is acceptable.

For things to see:
BC Museum
Fort Rodd
Sidney
butchart Gardens
Good
Goldstream
Fisherman's Wharf
beacon hill
Capital Iron (???)
Top of the Malahat

To eat:
Pagliaccis ( no idea of spelling)
John's Place
Fan Tan Cafe
Don Me's(again spelling??)
Old Spaghetti Factory
Dutch Bakery

Feel free to PM me when you're over. Happy to meet for a coffee.

Don't choose Langford or Colwood (or do at your peril - take a look at WTF Langford for some history!). We live on Bear Mountain and although it looks nice there is no community, it is also very clique and not much for families to do. The new owner of the mountain is digging up everything Langford's Mayor will let him which is just about anything and done nothing to enhance the community. I heard about the Langford mafia just after I moved and now believe everything I have heard. They ignore by law's when it suites them and the residents come last (unless you are one of the gang). Colwood is not much better. Having lived here for just over 2 years I would rather live nearer town. There are a lot of nice areas to choose from and I would strongly advise to rent first and look around. Get a feel for the area and see what works for you rather than make an expensive mistake and move somewhere that does not work for you. If you don't like power outages don't go rural or make sure you have a good generator.

I've heard similar comments about Bear Mountain. Oddly, even though we live in what would be considered rural, the sense of community here is very strong. I would stay clear of Colwood too - and Langford and even Goldstream. I guess if you don't drive though, your priorities might be rather different to mine. I like the sense of space, privacy and peacefulness where we are, but it I really a car of bike ride to get a pint of milk. As already suggested, renting to start with is what most people do. Get a feel for the various areas for yourself.

To quote an cartoon on facebook: Politicians are like diapers - they need changing frequently for the same reason. We had a good old fashion pub crawl in Victoria for my birthday last weekend. It was great to be able to walk around without using a dam vehicle. If you don't like driving stay close to town. Traffic should be a big consideration, some areas are developing so fast the infrastructure cannot keep up. With the work due to start on the McKenzie interchange the highway may not be a good choice for commuting. With a bit of luck we may have a sewage treatment plant soon! My weekly drive to Jordan River is one of the best parts of my job!

That's a point, heading out Sooke way is also worth a trip. Port Renfrew is a bit of a toddle, but if you've hired a car, it's a lovely drive. Sooke Potholes is generally pretty dramatic at this time of year too.

The loop around to Duncan from Sooke, Renfrew is good to drive. If you try it some parts are at high elevation and could be lots of snow so be warned! I cannot get up to the Dams at Jordan due to snow at the moment and have to use helicopters for access. Hope to go up this week to inspect the dams following the recent earthquake. I guess they haven't failed yet as Jordan River is still there!