About Esquimalt
Counting many historic properties and a rich naval heritage, Esquimalt is home to a vibrant community with a healthy mix of commercial, residential, and industrial development. Just five minutes from downtown Victoria, Esquimalt is at once regal and rugged, with residents enjoying extensive shorelines, a multitude of public parks and trails, convenient access to downtown and the surrounding neighbourhoods, as well as a wide range of homes available at any budget.

Real Estate
Whether you’re looking for a condominium, townhome or single-family home, or luxury residence, Esquimalt has opportunities to suit your needs. Many waterfront, and ocean view homes are available throughout this area. More modest single-family offerings become more typical as one moves further from the shore.

Lifestyle & Recreation
Surrounded by water, Esquimalt is blessed with over 30 parks, beaches, and green spaces some of the most popular of which include Macaulay Point, Fleming Beach, the West Bay Walkway, Esquimalt Gorge Park, Saxe Point, Highrock park, and of course Esquimalt’s five historic walking tours.

Both the Archie Browning Sports Centre, as well as the Esquimalt Recreation centre offer residents access to many indoor recreational activities including curling, hockey, lacrosse, swimming, as well as convention spaces for meetings, conferences, events, and trade shows.

Nearby golf courses include Olympic View Golf Club, Metchosin Golf Course, and the Royal Colwood Golf Club.

Amenities & Transportation
Centrally located, no more than 10 minutes from downtown Victoria by car or bike, Esquimalt boasts many public transit options, as well as easy access to the famous Galloping Goose Trail which connects inner Victoria to Sooke, as well as the Lochside trail which runs all the way north to Sidney.

History
Inhabited by the Coast Salish peoples for over four thousand years prior to the arrival of European settlers, the name Esquimalt is derived from an original first nation’s expression meaning “the place of shoaling waters”. First visited by the Spanish in 1790, established as a naval base for the British Royal Navy in 1837, and later visited by the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1843 who established a new fort on the shore of the Victoria Harbour, along with a series of treaties with the local peoples. The municipality was later used as an agricultural settlement and has been home to the Royal Canadian Naval Base since 1910.

Schools
Esquimalt falls within the Greater Victoria School District 61 and offers 3 public schools and a French first language school operated by the Conseil Scolaire Francophone. Given that Esquimalt is so central, access to nearby public and private schools prove to be easily capable.

Location
Esquimalt is located four kilometres (2.5 miles) west of Victoria's inner harbour on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. It borders Colwood to the west, with View Royal and Saanich to the north. Esquimalt’s southern shores are the banks of the Juan de Fuca Strait across which the state of Washington is ever visible.

Surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, the Strait of Georgia and the Inside Passage, Vancouver Island is known as “the Hawaii of the North”. With its vast wilderness, picturesque peaks, and temperate climate, this stunning locale is a paradise for those seeking serenity and natural beauty. A breadth of lifestyles are available here from charming coastal communities and pastoral estates, to busy urban centres.

Unlike much of Canada, Vancouver Island's weather is mild year-round. Spring comes early, with cherry blossom, tulip, and daffodil blooms lit by sparkling ocean sunsets. Summer is close behind, with the first sightings of migrating whales and local fishermen. In fall, a plethora of farms, vineyards, orchards, cideries, and breweries take local culinary culture to new heights. Come winter, cars loaded with kayaks, surfboards, paddle boards, skis, and snowboards come out to play, while golfers teeing off, and joggers taking to the trails remain common sights. Whatever the season, there’s plenty to enjoy on Vancouver Island.

From the remote Canadian surf-capital, Tofino in the north, to the tech-friendly historic harbour city of Victoria in the south, Vancouver Island is a mecca of world-class destinations, and facilities:

Known also as "The Garden City" for its perpetual greenery and rarely freezing temperatures, Victoria is the capital of British Columbia, and is a thriving collection of municipalities from it's historical urban centre, to it's various suburban, and rural developments both inland and oceanfront.

Located 15-minutes from Victoria in fast-growing Langford, Bear Mountain Mountain Resort is one of North-America's finest recreational developments, It is home to Canada's only 36 holes of Nicklaus Design golf, its largest indoor/outdoor red clay court tennis centre, and an extensive network of top-tier mountain bike trails. It is the headquarters of Golf Canada's National Development Team, the Canadian National Mountain Bike Team and is supported by Tennis Canada and Tennis BC.

The Victoria International Marina, completed in 2019 offers full-service premium luxury yacht moorage for yachts from 65-feet to 175-feet in the heart of Victoria. With 28-slips, upscale security and safety, amenities, concierge services and crew facilities, this is the ultimate port-of-call from which to cast off and explore North America's most spectacular cruising waters, the Pacific Northwest and Inside Passage,

Centrally situated in the lush Cowichan Valley, Vancouver Island Motorsport Circuit is Canada's only year-round motorsport circuit. This highly technical circuit features 19 corners and 11.5% in elevation changes, and is committed to providing the highest quality professional training, track-side support, and driver's education available.

Only a 45-minute drive from Victoria, the Cowichan Valley often referred to as the "Napa of the North" is home to 14 unique wineries. This cool climate viticulture is paired with a growing list of craft cideries, breweries, and distilleries located throughout the island, but mostly concentrated in the south in and around the agriculturally-rich Saanich Peninsula.

There are more than 200 islands in the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve located between Vancouver Island and mainland British Columbia. Teeming with land and sea life including seals, whales, eagles, otters, and porpoises this area is home to numerous rarely explored precious ecosystems. The larger islands are serviced by BC Ferries while the smaller ones can only be reached by private boat or float plane.

Convenient international access to Vancouver Island includes numerous ferry routes to and from mainland Canada and the USA, the award-winning Victoria International Airport, as well as numerous private flight operators, airfields and heliports scattered island-wide.

Sotheby’s International Realty Canada
752 Douglas Street
Victoria, British Columbia, V8W 3M6