Victoria City Hall

Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. Victoria is the 7th most densely populated city in Canada with 4,405.8 inhabitants per square kilometre (11,411/sq mi).Victoria is the southernmost major city in Western Canada and is about 100 km (62 mi) southwest from British Columbia's largest city of Vancouver on the mainland. The city is about 100 km (62 mi) from Seattle by airplane, seaplane, ferry, or the Victoria Clipper passenger-only ferry, and 40 km (25 mi) from Port Angeles, Washington, by ferry Coho across the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Named for Queen Victoria, the city is one of the oldest in the Pacific Northwest, with British settlement beginning in 1843. The city has retained a large number of its historic buildings, in particular its two most famous landmarks, the Parliament Buildings (finished in 1897 and home of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia) and the Empress hotel (opened in 1908). The city's Chinatown is the second oldest in North America, after San Francisco's. The region's Coast Salish First Nations peoples established communities in the area long before European settlement, which had large populations at the time of European exploration. Known as "the Garden City", Victoria is an attractive city and a popular tourism destination with a regional technology sector that has risen to be its largest revenue-generating private industry. Victoria is in the top twenty of world cities for quality-of-life, according to Numbeo. The city has several schools including Victoria College of Art, the Canadian College of Performing Arts, and high school programs run by the Greater Victoria School District#61. Victoria has rugged shorelines and several beaches. Victoria is popular with retirees, who come to enjoy the temperate and usually snow-free climate of the area as well as the usually relaxed pace of the city.

Centennial Square is a plaza in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It was built to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the incorporation of the City of Victoria. The Victoria Police Station, city hall and McPherson Playhouse are adjacent to the square. There is a fountain in the square.In the summer, the city hires musicians to perform every weekday, charging no admission fee. For the British Columbia Day holiday, Centennial Square is one of the venues for the Victoria Electronic Music Festival, where musicians and DJs play for free.In the winter, the Downtown Victoria Business Association has temporarily set up Christmas lights, a Ferris wheel, and an ice skating rink in the square.In 2011, Occupy Victoria protesters camped in the square until a court, at the behest of the city, ordered them to leave.

The Doane Block is a historic building in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

The Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association and Chinese Public School is a historic building is located in the downtown core of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.The Chinese Public School was built in 1909 by the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA) in response to the racial and cultural segregation imposed by the school board and government, which banned Chinese students from City schools until they spoke English. The school continues to provide Cantonese and Mandarin-language education.

The Gee Tuck Tong Benevolent Association Building is an historic building in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

Mable Carriage Works is an historic building in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

The McPherson Playhouse, known as The Mac, is a theatre and concert hall in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Part of the Centennial Square complex on the north side of downtown Victoria, adjacent to the intersection of Pandora and Government streets across from the CTV Vancouver Island studios and the Victoria City Hall, it was originally built as a Pantages Theatre in 1914. In the 1960s it was donated, with supporting funding for its renovation, to the people of Victoria by Thomas Shanks McPherson. It became part of the Centennial Square redevelopment, finished in 1965. Renovations preserved and refurbished the Neo-Baroque auditorium but added a modern lobby and various technical improvements.The theatre hosts professional, community and amateur events year-round and is operated as a licensee/rental venue, under the administration of the Royal and McPherson Theatres Society, which also manages the Royal Theatre. The theatre has one large balcony and two sets of boxes, and has a total capacity of 772.

Downtown Victoria is a neighbourhood of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada that serves as the city centre and the central business district for the City of Victoria, and the Greater Victoria regions.

The Duck's Block is an historic building in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

The University of Victoria Legacy Art Galleries (Legacy) is the university's art museum in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, responsible for the accessibility and stewardship of an art collection which consists of approximately 18,000 objects including Canadian, Indigenous and international historic and contemporary art. Legacy activates the collection for research, teaching and learning for students, faculty and the general public through exhibitions, campus displays, publications, web-projects, public programs, and events—on site and through digital resources. Legacy has three main sites for rotating exhibitions including the Legacy Art Gallery at 630 Yates Street in Downtown Victoria, on campus at the Legacy Maltwood in the Mearns Centre for Learning - McPherson Library, and in the First Peoples House. Additionally, more than 2000 works from the collection are on display in buildings across campus and in the community, underlining the educational and community-building roles of art. The Legacy Downtown is also a site for public programs, and both university and community events.

The Hook Sin Tong Charity Building is an historic building in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

Market Square is a town square and shopping centre located in the downtown core next to Chinatown in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. There are more than 35 shops, restaurants, and clubs in the square.