Exploring 5 of the Best Neighborhoods to Live in Victoria 🏠

Hi friends! In today's video, Mike and I are exploring 5 of the best neighborhoods to live around Victoria. I hope you enjoy it :)
Thank you for being here, I really appreciate it!
Love + light,
♡ Emily
✵ ✰ ✷ ✭ ✧ ✸ ✵ ✰ ✷ ✭ ✧ ✸ ✵ ✰ ✷ ✭ ✧ ✸
Find me on...
Instagram: emmeoxford
TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@emmeoxford
Blog: www.alohamily.com
#VictoriaBC​ #MovingToCanada #BestPlacesToLive

[@brianpham4767]

thanks Emme! I really like your videos ☺

[@asandi4444]

I have lived in Victoria for nearly 35 years and find it remarkable that you (as a relative newcomer) have such a great grasp on this beautiful place we call home. It took me years to discover what you seem to have learned/absorbed in such a short time. I really enjoy your videos. Thank you!

[@mathematicaleconomist4943]

I suppose it's because it's her job to quickly learn, absorb, and communicate this information. It literally $translates$ for her. So, why not?

[@jackyprado-castor1981]

Hello vegabond, hope you’re well! Just wondering where can you recommend that we live if my school is at Camuson College and I have kids ages 11&6 of course my husband will need to find a job 😅

[@xyu4u]

Normally cities and neighborhoods look drab and depressing in November rain, but your video is gorgeous! You highlighted the pops of colour, quirky elements, the lushness and beauty of rain and wind, and I especially liked the blurred viewed of Oak Bay homes through the raindrops on the car window. Life is all how you look at it I guess! Nice video Emily!

[@EmmeSait]

Aw, this is such a lovely comment - thank you!! My aim was to capture all the little details that give each neighbourhood its personality (I think that’s the best way to get to know a place!) So happy you enjoyed it :)

[@Jay-vr9ir]

@@EmmeSait Do you have money and is it your money or family money ?

[@jesmanalastas4749]

Thanks for the tour, Emily. I just want to let you know, your content about Victoria was one of the reasons why my husband and I decided to move in the island this December. Great visuals and music. Sending love and light from the Philippines. Stay safe and I hope to meet you soon.

[@EmmeSait]

Wow - that’s so exciting!! I’m so happy to hear you enjoy the videos and good luck with your move! :)

[@TheTeeKaii]

Love the vids, I was born in Canada but been in UK since I was a baby, think it's time to go back home

[@forgetthatgirl]

I love cook street village and fairfield. I live just edge of cook street village and i love the walkability of this area. You have literally everything you need within a 15-20 min walk. So different from Toronto

[@EmmeSait]

So true! I love that area, it’s such a great spot to be in ☺️

[@jackyprado-castor1981]

How much is the rent per month for a one bedroom?

[@forgetthatgirl]

@@jackyprado-castor1981 varies depending on location. Ive seen 1 bedrooms in older buildings go for 1600 per month. If you want newer more modern apartment expect to pay closer to 2,000 per month. Check out usedvictortia, devon properties and brown properties for listings. Seems to be more units available recently

[@peterg.newton3257]

Cook St. Village is also my favourite. We rented the top floor of a gorgeous home for a few months during the winter of 2020. So charming, lots of excellent food options and an easy walk to the harbour - in fact to anywhere! Hopefully we will return once the pandemic settles down.

[@thanapongsanthanavibool8947]

i am going to move there very soon and i am so excited to see the villages and houses!Also i think it will be very pretty there❤

[@squamishfish]

We use to catch Shrimp, Salmon , Ling Cod , Crabs , and other types of Rock fish in the 1970s and1980s , from on the Break water ,

[@jl7149]

Thank you for taking the time to go through the 5 districts ...great content !!! As an ex-pat Canadian with a young family wanting to return back to BC, the island life sounds exactly what we need, What do you think about Colwood, Langford, or Saanich ...

[@EmmeSait]

Thank you! I’m so glad you’re enjoying it :) I’m not as familiar with Colwood but I think both Saanich and Langford would be great options!

[@debbielockhart7762]

I don't recommend Colwood or Langford if you work in town. The crawl is terrible. Traffic in Langford is always awful, weekends included. Saanich is huge, you'd need to narrow it down. Some parts are better than others. I live in Saanich.

[@jl7149]

@@debbielockhart7762 Thank you for your input. We are finally able to plan a trip to BC and will be going to the island to explore this coming summer in 2023, as well as scouting areas on the mainland. Nature and family-oriented districts are what we mostly are looking for ...with private schools being an additional main concern. St Margaret in Saanich is one of our top picks and York and LFA in Vancouver. Can't wait to tour the island and see if this will be home in the future.

[@jackyprado-castor1981]

@@debbielockhart7762 hello Debbie, my school is at Camuson College. Where do you recommend we live in? I have a family and a one bedroom or two bedroom apartment will be ideal or a home?

[@jgg308]

Yeih!!! Thanks so much Em❤️ This video is pure gold, thank you for amazing content.

[@EmmeSait]

Aw, I’m so so happy you liked it, Jess! That means a lot 🥺♥️

[@SRY1202]

One thing to remember about Oakbay and places on the peninsula like Sidney and Brentwood bay is that a lot of the condo buildings are 55+, which cuts out a lot of places for young people/families to rent. Just something to keep in mind to check when looking for places to live!

[@EmmeSait]

This is such a great piece of advice^^ Thank you!!! I totally forgot about this 🤔

[@mysticm1543]

Yes I noticed that too

[@octaviocmo]

Thanks Emily for this video, It would be great to have your opinion about other places around Victoria as you commented, looking forward for that other video, thanks.

[@brentwoodbay]

We moved to Victoria in the 80s. I met quite a few people who had this rather strange posh English accent, but when I asked where in the UK they were from, they said Victoria! A few years later I was moved from Downtown out to Oak Bay, which is not just a neighbourhood , but a separate city that adjoins Victoria. It is often termed as beyond the 'Tweed Curtain' because it was the most British part of Victoria. A customer came up to me and said in that funny accent, "Mr Gelli. are you 'Old Victorian' or English?" So that is what that accent is called! "No mun, Welsh I am!" I replied, to which she responded, "Ah well, never mind! " I love it in Victoria, we live in Brentwood Bay, 30 mins from downtown, but I never liked working in Oak Bay!

[@EmmeSait]

That’s so interesting - thank you for sharing!

[@michaeljoseph3623]

Excellent choices and really cool to see the neighbourhoods, even in the rain!

[@EmmeSait]

Thank you! I think the rain is quite pretty 🥰

[@brandonpeniuk]

They all it "wet coast" for a reason. Thanks for the information. For me, it's either James Bay, Saanichton (where I grew up) or Oak bay. Fernwood is nice. Langford is too far for me. Thanks for sharing. One of my favorite spots is Kensington Market in Toronto.

[@EmmeSait]

Victoria has definitely been living up to that name! They’re all great spots :) I really love Kensington, too!

[@markbick3896]

Thank you and Mike for another great video! What are your thoughts on Duncan?

[@timetosparklewithrowenabry7526]

Another lovely video Emily! I'm moving to Fairfield soon so I'm happy to see Victoria in the rain... it is very gorgeous!

[@EmmeSait]

Thank you!! Ahh that’s so excited, Fairfield is such a great spot to be! Sunshine or rain Victoria is very pretty 🤩

[@TheDELE1960]

Are you going to be renting? If yes, how affordable is the community and What do you like about Fairfield? Currently exploring my options. Thanks

[@countroshculla]

Beautiful locations. I love it. Thank you for sharing this.

[@EmmeSait]

So glad you enjoyed it! :)

[@countroshculla]

Yes please also give us a tour of the places next to Victoria. Part of the GVA I guess.

[@liamryan8126]

Thanks for sharing. Still waiting for my Victoria dream as my visa to come to BC keeps being delayed...been a long year! Great insight for the local neighbourhoods and would definitely like to see more areas if possible. Seeing them on rainy or 'coldy' days doesn't seem to dampen the beauty of the city and its surroundings so I feel it would be a privilege to walk around on its best days and worth waiting for 🙂

[@EmmeSait]

Ah, fingers crossed for your visa to come through soon! It will be worth the wait :) I’ll have to look at doing some additional videos for other areas as I think that would be helpful to people! Oh yes, It’s beautiful in any weather :)

[@boscoyu_sci]

Hi, kool video Emme. I am currently living in Toronto and I am moving to Victoria in the summer. I am looking for a place to live. So far, I am very excited about the Island's sustainable life based on all your videos. Looking forward to you having more videos like this. Perhaps talking about suburban areas of Victoria as I prefer nature.. e.g. Saanich and who should live there. :)

[@Dan-nt2yb]

Brings loads of cash.👍🏾

[@Jay-vr9ir]

You must be rich.

[@alicewangui2842]

Hi Emily. l would which is the best neighborhood to choose for a family of 5, three children and their parents. One which has amenities lies schools within reach. Would also mind also informing me if there are any trucking jobs there as will be moving from Toronto.

[@Ezinma88]

Really pleased to see some signage for plant-based food. Would you say it's easy to find good vegetarian food in Victoria?

[@BrentBarrett]

I miss living in cook street village it breaks my heart how expensive it is now.

[@curtistorraville4337]

Next time, could you shoot when it's a hailing and foggy????

[@pambaltazar14]

may i know which neighborhood are closer and accessible to Uvic? thanks Em for the vid! keep going✨

[@EmmeSait]

I’d say UVic is accessible from pretty much any of these neighbourhoods (I believe there are frequent buses) Oak Bay is probably the closest though, but there’s also Cadboro Bay :)

[@goldethersound]

Victoria is so damn beautiful in the rain, great video! I spotted my place 😂❤️

[@EmmeSait]

It really is, isn’t it 😍 Haha, yay! You definitely live in one of the best neighbourhoods 🎉

[@samuelmamza9905]

Hi Emme, Thank you for taking out time to make this video, it's very resourceful I think, especially for someone like that's coming from Nigeria Africa to study @Uvic sept 23 entry...I've been searching online where to get a reasonable accommodation near Uvic even though I intend to apply for on-campus residence but the portal is yet open for sept entry yet. As a backup I would really like to check for off campus as option or get a grasps of how the off campus thing works....I would really appreciate if there's someone within your network I can relate with to guide me on the next info. .....🙏🙏

[@samantharozon1706]

Beautiful filming/representation of these neighbourhoods! Howevvveeeeerrr...... super, super, super disappointed that this list did not include the Westshore!! For people interested in moving to Victoria, the Westshore is most definitely a top place to consider - especially, if they are interested in nature. As you've mentioned in some of your other videos, the incredible nature is one of the top, if not THE top reason, to move to Victoria/Vancouver Island, and the Westshore is the area of Victoria that is 100% the best to move to for nature exposure! (and since you've mentioned it's YOUR favourite part, I am very shocked and sad to not see the Westshore included!!). For anyone reading that is interested, the Westshore is also right on the ocean (and has lots of beaches), but unlike every single one of these other neighbourhoods listed, there is TONS of swimming aside from the ocean (lakes, reservoirs, rivers, etc), and hiking (trails, mountains, riverside/oceanside trails, etc)!!! You need not drive more than 5 minutes to reach any body of water and/or hiking trail. The options are truly unlimited! It's pretty insane (in a good way). Most definitely a top place to live in Victoria if you're interested in nature specifically - the #1 place!

[@akshat3825]

Your videos are really really great!! Ain't got words to express ....😁😁 By the way, do you see any indian living in victoria??

[@dhruvb4333]

There are some Indians in and around Victoria. Most of them live closer to UVic. If you haven't already, you should checkout the FB group for Indians living in Victoria.

[@EmmeSait]

Thank you so much!

[@akshat3825]

@@dhruvb4333 thanks bro! It's great to hear tha

[@thanapongsanthanavibool8947]

victoria is very pretty😊❤

[@mysticm1543]

I was wondering how it is in Victoria West?

[@muhammadtariq7666]

Hi Emma hope u wil b fine can u tell me wt is the main source of income in Victoria.

[@markkennedy5335]

Well done Emily. Is it true Langford is a nightmare commute into Victoria?

[@EmmeSait]

Thanks! I’ve never done it myself, but I’ve heard it can be bad (especially getting to Langford during the evening rush hour).

[@markkennedy5335]

The reason I ask is we are thinking of moving to Victoria. I grew up in Niagara Falls and do not want to live in a full on Tourist city again. 13 km out to Langford can be a bad commute? You are not the first one to say this I just wonder what that all means. You lived in Toronto now that would really define rush hour. 50km/h x 13 km is 16 mins. There's a video for you. Take Mike up to Costco in Langford in rush hour. Now that's a good idea eh?

[@theravyshow2570]

What a wet day today! Yes I love James Bay for the houses...so unique. Cook street Village is my fave village!

[@EmmeSait]

It was! The houses are so cute 🥰

[@meltuc2594]

What about Pandora & Cook, I understand this is the best part of Victoria. Never a dull moment and lots of free drugs to get you going. I lived at Lands-end for 18 years but had to move off island since I was all alone and my kids were all on the Mainland and as I get older I want to nearer to them.

[@tickle296]

Best/Worst. What would be the cost of 1BHK flat(700 sq. ft.)in Victoria compared to Vancouver or Toronto? (BC = Bring Cash 😂).