Victoria is the capital of the province of British Columbia, and part of the province’s urban core.

Once an important trading and manufacturing center, it now functions as a government, educational, military, and tourist center. It is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, next to the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

The Victoria cityscape is set against the mountainous backdrop of mainland Washington State and British Columbia, as well as the local Sooke Hills.

On the south, the city is flanked by the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

The business core overlooks the Inner Harbour, where the renowned Parliament Buildings (1898), the Empress Hotel (1908), the Royal British Columbia Museum (renovated 1996), and the historic district known as Old Town greet ferry passengers and other visitors.

A number of historic sites, including Helmcken House (1852), Beacon Hill Park (1872), Crystal Gardens (1925), and City Hall (1878), are within walking distance, as is the Chinatown district.

Downtown Victoria also supports many cultural institutions, including historic churches; the Provincial Archives; the Maritime Museum; Thunderbird Park, with its towering totem poles; the Victoria Symphony; the Pacific Opera Victoria; and various live theater groups.

Summer concerts are hosted on the grounds of the Parliament Buildings. The Victoria Jazz Festival and the theatrical Victoria Fringe Festival take place each year.

Across the harbor from Old Town, the Songhees redevelopment area, first an Indian Reserve and later an industrial district, now is occupied by expensive condominiums.

North and south of downtown, historic 19th-century architecture is displayed in some of British Columbia’s oldest houses, now functioning as museums; these include the Point Ellice (1861) and Emily Carr (1863) houses.

To the east, the Rockland neighborhood features Government House (the residence of the lieutenant governor, 1903), the Victoria Art Gallery, Craigdarroch Castle (1885), and other turn-of-the-century mansions.

A significant element of metropolitan Victoria’s urban fabric is the Uplands area of Oak Bay, an elite neighborhood designed by the famous Olmsted landscaping firm of Boston, Massachusetts.

Called the City of Gardens, Victoria has many gardens, including the world-famous Butchart Gardens on the Saanich Peninsula.

In recent years, the provincial government has created a number of regional parks throughout the northwestern metropolitan area.

Four institutions of higher learning serve Victoria: the University of Victoria (founded 1903, independent in 1963), Royal Roads University (1995), Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific (1974), and Camosun College (1971).