What Vancouver Island is known for

The Vancouver Island Destination consists of the Vancouver Island, which is located off southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It has an area of 12,079 square miles, making it one of the largest islands on the Pacific Coast of North America. The island is separated from Canada by the straits of Johnstone, Georgia, and Queen Charlotte. It is separated from America by Juan de Fuca Strait. The island averages 50 miles in width. Vancouver Island extends 285 miles along a northwest-southeast axis that parallels the mainland. The island is the top of a partially submerged mountain system. Several of the peaks on the island reach more than 7,000 feet. There are multiple parks on the island, including the Strathcona Provincial Park, Pacific Rim National Park, and Cape Scott Provincial Park.[1]

Vancouver Island gets around 11 million visitors a year from around the area, along with other parts of the world. The island receives more than 280 cruise ship calls annually. Each cruise ship contributes nearly $3 million in economic activity. Tourism on the island contributes around $14 billion in total revenues. The money supports 104,000 full-time jobs. Municipal taxes contributions add up to around $308 million. On Vancouver Island, 161,500 people are employed in jobs that help with tourism. The total number of tourism businesses is about 19,329 in operation.[7]

On Vancouver Island, there is an assortment of things to do. Activities on the island include the Royal BC Museum, the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, Cathedral Grove, Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park, Cowichan Valley, Craigdarroch Castle, and Mount Washington Alpine Resort. The Pacific Rim National Park Reserve is known for its rugged coast and rainforests. Visitors can go on the 75km West Coast Trail and see the temperate rainforests and rugged coasts. The Broken Group Islands that are in the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve consist of over 100 small islands. The Long Beach section is the most visited part of the reserve, and includes the coast between Tofino and Ucluelet, along with Long Beach itself. Cathedral Grove can be wandered and toured, consisting of multiple walking and biking trails. The trees in the grove are over 800 years old, 75m in height, and 9m in circumference. Many people visit Cathedral Grove every year.[2]

The Craigdarroch Castle, which is located in the Vancouver Island Destination, was built between 1887 and 1890 on a hill that overlooks the City of Victorica. The man who built the house, Robert Dunsmuir, died in 1889, leaving the entire estate to his wife, who was named Joan. Joan lived in the castle until she died in 1908. After Joan passed in 1908, the house was renovated by the federal Department of Soldiers Civil Re-establishment. The castle was later opened as a military hospital in September of 1919. 

For a few years, the Craigdarroch Castle also served as a music conservatory and college. The castle is decorated with artifacts from when the castle was initially built, along with stained-glass windows. The Craigdarroch Castle is decorated to look as if it were still the 1880s when the house was originally built. All the furniture and other features are meant to be from the late 1880s when the house was originally built. The stained-glass windows, along with the structure of the building, have been preserved over the years.[8] The Craigdarroch Castle is one of the most popular places to visit in the Vancouver Island Destination.

In Victoria, a city in Vancouver Island Destination, there are multiple experiences for guests to participate in. Some of these features include the Half-Day Whale Watching Adventure from Victoria, the Victoria Panorama Seaplane Tour, Cowichan Valley, the Butchart Gardens, the Victoria Castles, and Neighborhoods Bike Tour, and the Private Saanich Peninsula Wine Tour. Cowichan Valley has multiple experiences that people can choose from, including wine tasting, food discoveries, and private tours. The activities take up to 6 hours and include things like eating, wine tasting, and walking. 

The Butchart Gardens take around five and a half hours to fully tour, depending on which tour is taken. There are multiple options for tours that go over different areas of the gardens. There are various flowers, grasses, trees, and other plants within the Butchart Gardens, along with a building that can be toured. The building is also lit up with lights during December, along with a few bushes and other plants. The Victoria Castles and Neighborhoods Bike Tour takes around two hours. During the tour, guests go through historical districts in Victoria and learn about the history of the area. There are also multiple parks during the tour, along with the Craigdarroch Castle.[3]

Geography

The Vancouver Island Destination is made up of Vancouver Island, which is located just off of British Columbia, Canada. The destination has an oval shape around the island and includes a small part of multiple other islands, including West Cracroft Island and Harbledown Island. Also located within the area is a series of islands near the United States border. Some of these islands involve Galiano Island, Valdes Island, Thetis Island, Salt Spring Island, and North Pender Island. The landscape of the region consists of mountains, peaks, lakes, rivers, and forests. Cities within the zone count Victoria, Nanaimo, Port Hardy, Port McNeill, Campbell River, and Courtenay. 

The weather in the destination fluctuates throughout the year, with the coldest month being in January and the warmest month in August. The average high temperature of the region is around 58 degrees Fahrenheit, and the average low temperature is about 40 degrees. It rains throughout the year on Vancouver Island, with the highest chance of rain in November. The rainy season can last from October through January. It snows in the area from December to March. The most snow falls in December, getting up to approximately half an inch of snow. The sector is very humid, with humidity up in the 90% range. The most humid time of the year is during the month of January. The most popular time to visit Vancouver Island is from the middle of June to the middle of September.[4]

Animals on Vancouver Island consist of black bears, black-tailed deer, California sea lions, cougars, pacific gray whales, grizzly bears, humpback whales, orca whales, pacific white-sided dolphins, river otters, sea otters, steller sea lions, and grey wolves. The animals live throughout the island and in the water surrounding the island.[5] Plants on the island like bedstraws, camas, cattails, common chickweed, chocolate lilies, clasping twisted stalk, fiddlehead ferns, pacific water parsleys, pink fawn lilies, skunk cabbages, spiny wood ferns, stinging nettles, and wild ginger grow in the forests of the island.[6]

History

The Vancouver Island Destination consists of Vancouver Island, an island that was first discovered by Captain James Cook in 1778. The island was later surveyed by George Vancouver In 1792. The island was held by Hudson's Bay Company until 1849, when it was made a British Crown Colony. Vancouver Island was united with British Columbia, a mainland colony, in 1866. The island's main industries consist of lumbering, fishing, mining, agriculture, and tourism. The island mines coal, iron ore, and copper. 

The agriculture industry includes dairy products, fruits, and vegetables. A significant portion of the population is located along the east coast. Cities that were built on the east coast include Victoria, Nanaimo, Port Alberni, Courtenay, Campbell River, North Cowichan, Port Hardy, and Duncan. The island is served by airplane and ferry services to the mainland of Canada and the United States.[1]

Sir James Douglas, who moved the Hudson's Bay Company headquarters to Vancouver Island, was born in 1803 and died in August of 1877. Sir James Douglas, also known as "The father of British Columbia," became the first governor when British Columbia was newly formed. He joined the Hudson's Bay Company in 1821 and later became a senior member of the board. He was in charge of operations west of the Rocky Mountains. 

After a border was established between the island and the United States, Douglas moved the headquarters from Oregon to Vancouver Island. The movement of the headquarters happened in 1849. Douglas became the governor of Vancouver Island from 1851-1864. He was the governor when gold was discovered on the Fraser River in 1858. As a result, he extended his authority to the mainland. His actions were approved by the British government, which created the colony of British Columbia. Douglas became governor of British Columbia in 1858 after ceasing to work for Hudson's Bay Company. He was knighted in 1863 and retired one year later in 1864.[1] Sir James Douglas helped Vancouver Island by developing and leading it, thus helping the Vancouver Island Destination to become what it is today.

The cities in the Vancouver Island Destination are highly populated. In Victoria, there is a population of 367,770 people. In Nanaimo, there are 104,936 people. Courtenay has 54,157 people, while Duncan has 44,451 residents. Other towns and cities include Campbell River with 37,861 residents, Parksville with 28,922, and Port Alberni with 25,112 individuals.[9]