…X marks the spot – James Bay

Ah, X.  Sorry, nothing actually beginning with “X” leapt out at me for this challenge. So, there you have it.

Anyway,  James Bay was kind of the inspiration for this year’s A to Z Challenge. James Bay is where we live, and James Bay is the location of many of the landmarks I’ve featured here (Emily Carr House, Dallas Road, Beacon Hill Park, etc.).  Hence, X marking the “spot” of my A to Z Challenge.

James Bay is a vibrant community. But, back in the day, James Bay was not the draw it is now – ask locals who’ve been here for awhile. It was NOT a place you wanted to live (or be in any way) after dark (well, I may be exaggerating a little…but it was not thought to be a desirable place to live being the home to shipyards, mills and plants of various kinds). Of course, it makes sense that, over time, James Bay became a desired neighbourhood – proximity to downtown and to the ocean of course being the main factors for that.

There are many heritage houses in James Bay. The Victoria Heritage Foundation was established in 1983, after many old historic James Bay homes had been demolished in the 1960s and tall apartment buildings erected in their place. Since then, many old homes have been saved and restored, which makes us very happy!

I love living in James Bay and really don’t want to live anywhere else. Even with the big old heritage house constantly needing work, it’s a great place to be.

Here again, in no particular order, are some of the sights in my ‘hood.  See if you can remember which is which!

Websites of Interest

• James Bay at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Bay,_Greater_Victoria
• James Bay at the City of Victoria: http://www.victoria.ca/EN/main/community/about/neighbourhoods/james-bay.html
• James Bay at the Victoria Heritage Foundation: http://www.victoriaheritagefoundation.ca/Neighbourhoods/jamesbayhistory.html

Part of the April A to Z Challenge.