I've lived in Victoria, BC (southern tip of Vancouver Island) all my 51 years. Love it. Here's a quick assessment.
Weather: Moderate, moderate and more moderate! We're in a rain shadow with the Olympic mtns to our south and Coastal mnts to our east, therefore systems tend to come our way off the pacific then dump when they get close to the mountains. Consequently, although we'll get our share of dreary days, there's actually not as much rain as one would guess. I've heard it said that Victoria gets 1/3 the rainfall that some parts of Vancouver get. Summer days are typically about 23c (about 77f), though there's a few days of mid to high twenties. This July was fantastic as we went for something like 35 days with no measurable rain, and high temps between 23 and 26. Falls are lovely with pleasant temp's extended to mid-October. Winters are generally mild. I'd love more snow. We usually get at least one snowfall, perhaps 3-4 inches if we're lucky. This last winter I didn't see a flake!
The City: We're a government (capital of the province) town, a both a tourist and retirement destination with things like the Butchart Gardens, Empress Hotel, and a very Englandish feel, especially downtown. Lots of great pubs. Pop is around a half-million I believe. No crime to speak of.
The Area: There's a wide range of topography/geography on Vancouver Island. We're within 4 hours of Long Beach (Tofino), Parksville (great tides where, at peak low tides, you can walk out the sandbar for a good 10 minutes before hitting ocean), Mt Washington (ski hill), Carmanah valley (trees, lots of them and big ones) and probably others I'm not thinking of.
I think I'll stop there. Dont' want our population swelling anymore than it is
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