When people ask me where to live in Victoria, I answer with a question. What do you want your Saturday morning to feel like?
If you want to walk to coffee, it is usually Oak Bay. The village on Oak Bay Avenue, Willows Beach at the end of the street, a pace that is unhurried on purpose. Families love it for the schools and the sense that everyone knows each other.
If you want privacy and gardens, look at the Uplands. Wide, winding roads and large lots under old oaks, planned more than a century ago by the Olmsted Brothers. It feels like a park you happen to live in, with the ocean a short walk away.
If you want to feel tucked away without being far, Ten Mile Point and Cadboro Bay. Waterfront and forest, the village and beach below, the university close by. Quiet in the best sense.
If you want space to breathe, the Saanich Peninsula. Farm stands, Brentwood Bay, Sidney by the sea, acreage and ocean views, and still close to the airport and the ferries. For anyone splitting time with Vancouver, that last part matters.
There are wonderful homes beyond these four too: Fairfield and Rockland close to downtown, Cordova Bay above the water, the Highlands for land and forest. The right neighbourhood is the one that fits the life in your Sanctuary Brief, not the one with the best reputation.
Spend a weekday morning and a Sunday evening in each before you decide. You will know.
Questions
What are the best neighbourhoods in Victoria for families?
Oak Bay, Fairfield, Cadboro Bay and parts of Saanich are popular with families for schools, parks and walkability. The best fit depends on your daily routine.
Which Victoria neighbourhoods are best for privacy and larger lots?
The Uplands, Ten Mile Point and the Saanich Peninsula offer larger lots, mature trees and more privacy.
Living in Oak Bay, Uplands, Ten Mile Point and the Saanich Peninsula
Sanctuary Homes in Victoria and Vancouver
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