WEATHER: the Soft Sell
You won’t need snow tires or parkas. But you will need a proper raincoat, waterproof boots, and a sense of humor about the drizzle. When it snows (rare, but not impossible), the city shuts down. There are few plows, most drivers don’t have snow tires, and side streets become temporary parking lots. It’s both hilarious and horrifying.
Welcome to La La Land: Driving & Infrastructure
There’s one highway. Literally. Connecting us to the mainland (via ferry)
Downtown parking is a bloodsport now that city council has raised bike lanes galore, changed trajectories of through streets and made downtown an obstacle course for cars.
Crosswalks are sacred. Pedestrians rule. Everyone thanks the bus driver—and so will you.
Social Life & Cliques
Victoria is a paradox: too big to be cozy, too small to be truly urban. Social circles are often closed, and the arts community can be oddly defensive of mediocrity. If there is any truth to the oft-repeated thing about Victoria being “cliquey” and unfriendly to out-of-towners, I think it’s related to that.
You might find it hard to break in—unless you join a class, club, or sport. Friendships form through structured activities here, not spontaneous pub nights and probably not from associates at work. However, professionally you can leverage the insular nature of the place quite well – networking works very, very well in this town, and jobs are advertised word of mouth.
Oh, and the city is jam packed with tourists all summer. I wouldn’t even bother going downtown between June and August; it’s impossible to find parking and, unless you’re looking for souvenir totem pole key chains, there’s nothing worth going there for except possibly evening dining options.
The town is neither as metropolitan, nor as community minded as it’s inhabitants would like to think. It’s hard to make friends outside of extracurriculars.
Culture
No food culture, really. Since Victoria can be a tourist town (actually, the technology sector has double the revenues of tourism), most of the restaurants cater to tourists, so it’s a lot of bland, homogenous touristy dreck. Rebar? Overpriced organic vegetables thrown on a plate by snooty pseudo-hipsters
People are willing to stand in line for brunch. Try arguing with a group of friends that Jam Cafe’s Charlie Bowl (crumbed biscuit, hash browns, diced ham green onions, cheddar and sausage topped with two sunny side eggs) may not be worth the wasted 45 minutes. You won’t win. Just be the hero and grab coffee for the group on your way to the pre-brunch, outdoor gathering.
You’ll have to camp. Don’t fight it. At some point, you’ll borrow that small tent, sleeping bag and hand-pump air mattress. You’ll hike out to some remote location “up island”, drink more Blue Buck than necessary, make great memories and post too many Instagram photos (if and when you get reception) to prove you’ve shed your east coast/city skin and you’re being super adventurous on the best coast.
Your composting and recycling skills will go up another level.
You’ll never be tough enough to swim in the freezing Pacific. This isn’t Hawaii. However, there are groups that take the annual “polar bear plunge” usually on New Years’ day and some heartier groups engage more frequently.
Downtown has its charms, but it’s also cluttered with tacky tourist crap polluting what could be a sophisticated city with the usual tacky tourist fare—reeking horse-drawn carriages, a variety of street performers, a swarm of pedicabs, and more souvenir shops than anyone ever asked for.
Luckily, just a few blocks away, the miles of oceanfront park along Dallas Road more than make up for it.
Conclusion
Victoria is not for everyone. It can be dull. It can be frustrating. It can be wildly expensive. But it’s also peaceful, scenic, and unlike anywhere else in Canada. If you can let go of the rat race, adapt to island time, and find joy in the little things—a sunny patch in February, a seal bobbing offshore, a neighbour who nods at you every morning—you might just love it here. Everywhere you look there is beauty. From the sea to the mountains to the hills and forest, it’s all here. You’ll surely miss some things you became accustomed to but the mountains and ocean will make up for anything you left behind.
