Sidney

The small city of Sidney, British Columbia is located on Vancouver Island's Saanich Peninsula. The town presently has a population of approximately 11,500 people. It is part of the 13 member Greater Victoria cities that make up the Victoria metropolitan area. The Victoria International Airport is situated several miles west of Sidney and the BC Ferries' Swartz Bay Terminal could be found several kilometers towards the north. It is the only port-of-call that connects with the Washington State Ferry, with ferries running from Anacortes and the San Juan Islands within Washington to Sidney in British Columbia. Highway 17 intersects the city of Sidney.

The majority of the city lies towards the east of Highway 17 and features lots of single-family houses and light industry buildings. There are single-family units in the eastern sector also, yet there are more condominium-type buildings with several retail venues. The city of Sidney supports a huge boating and marine industry. Marinas, boaters, as well as marine suppliers thrive within the area.

The very first flour mill on Vancouver Island was built within the city of Sidney. When the city of Sidney was first established, the community revolved around farming. Immediately after that, sawmills were constructed to maximize the lush forests which cover the region. The lumber trade still thrives these days and is a vital part of the economy.

The Saanich peoples were the first inhabitants to the area before the arrival of the European people. The Hudson Bay Company in the year 1852, acquired some tracts of forested land from the Saanich People. Shortly after, in 1858, most of the remainder of the land was bought by James Douglas. The very first settlers from Europe William and Charles Reay arrived in the year 1859 and, utilizing land bought from the Hudson's Bay Company, settled the northern part of the Sannich Peninsula. A few of the first village remains part of the city these days. On the 30th of September, the year 1952 the city of Sidney was incorporated as a village officially.

"Sidney" is a name which comes from Sidney Island and the Sidney Channel. Prior to 1859, Sidney Island was called Sallas Island, but was later renamed by Captain Richards. Captain Richards named the island after Fredrick William Sidney, who afterward became a Royal Navy Captain. Before the European people arrived, the Sannich People referred to the area as Tseteenus.

The city of Sidney is situated just 5 minutes from the Victoria International Airport, whereas the BC Ferry operates several minutes north of the city, making is a convenient location surrounded by main transportation hubs. There is a variety of ferries and pleasure trips which start their travels from the city of Sidney and end within the state of Washington and the San Juan Islands.

The city of Sidney has the biggest concentration of marinas on Vancouver Island. Along the eastern seashore, there is a variety of cities and marinas and boating facilities, such as the Port Sidney Marina. The Northwest boating fraternity frequents Sidney normally with boaters arriving on a daily basis from Vancouver and the states of Oregon, Washington and California.