Victoria

Victoria is the southernmost major city in Western Canada and is about 100 kilometres (62 mi) southwest from British Columbia's largest city, Vancouver, on the mainland. The city is about 100 kilometres (62 mi) from Seattle, Washington, United States, by airplane, seaplane, ferry, or the Victoria Clipper passenger-only ferry, and 25 miles (40 km) from Port Angeles, Washington, United States, by the 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.