Oak Bay
| Oak Bay | ||
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| District municipality | ||
| The Corporation of the District of Oak Bay | ||
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| Coordinates: 48°25′35″N 123°19′22″W / 48.42639°N 123.32278°WCoordinates: 48°25′35″N 123°19′22″W / 48.42639°N 123.32278°W | ||
| Country |
 Canada
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| Province |
 British Columbia
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| Regional District | Capital | |
| Incorporated | 1906 | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Nils Jensen | |
| • Governing Body | Oak Bay Municipal Council | |
| • MP | Murray Rankin (New Democratic Party (Canada)) | |
| • MLA | Andrew Weaver (BC Green) | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 10.53 km2 (4.07 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 34 m (112 ft) | |
| Population (2016) | ||
| • Total | 18,094 | |
| • Density | 1,717.7/km2 (4,449/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | Pacific Time Zone (UTC−8) | |
| • Summer (DST) | Pacific Daylight Time (UTC−7) | |
| Area code(s) | 250, 778 | |
Oak Bay is a municipality located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, in the Canadian province of British Columbia, Canada, and is a seaside community. A member municipality of the Capital Regional District, it is a community east of and adjacent to the city of Victoria. It is one of the 13 municipalities of Greater Victoria.
Oak Bay has several notable features which include:
Oak Bay is home to several popular beaches, most notably Willows Beach.
Oak Bay's motto, from its coat of arms, is Sub Quercu Felicitas, Latin for "Under the Oak, Good Fortune".
Prior to the arrival of Europeans, Oak Bay was home to the local Coast Salish people of the Songhees First Nation. Evidence of their encampments has been found along local shores, including Willows Beach, where an ancient Lkwungen seaport known as Sitchanalth was centred around the mouth of the river now known as Bowker Creek. Sitchanalth is hypothesized to have been destroyed by the great Tsunami of 930AD.
Oak Bay takes its name from the Garry Oak tree, which are found throughout the region, and the name of the large bay on the Eastern shore of the municipality, fronting onto Willows Beach.
Originally developed as a middle class streetcar suburb of Victoria, Oak Bay was incorporated as a municipality in 1906. Its first Council included Francis Rattenbury, the architect who designed the Legislative Buildings and Empress Hotel located on the inner harbour in Victoria. Rattenbury's own home on Beach Drive is now used as the junior campus for Glenlyon Norfolk School. In 1912 the former farm lands of the Hudson's Bay Company were subdivided to create the Uplands area, but development was hampered by World War I. After the war, development of expensive homes in the Uplands was accompanied by the construction of many more modest dwellings in the Estevan, Willows and South Oak Bay neighbourhoods. In addition to being an attractive retirement area, Oak Bay has also long appealed to families with young children and others seeking safe and well-maintained neighbourhoods. Oak Bay boasts wonderful beaches, the Oak Bay Marina, the Oak Bay Beach Hotel, and the Royal Victoria Yacht Club located on the shore of Cadboro Bay.
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Wikipedia