Rock Bay, Victoria

Last updated

Rock Bay is a neighbourhood bordering downtown Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, whose borders are the Upper Harbour on the west, Bay Street on the north, Dowler Street on the east, and Chatham Street on the south.[ citation needed ] Rock Bay derives its name from the local bay of the same name. [1]

Contents

Community

The neighbourhood is a mix of commercial, retail, industrial parks, and some residential. The neighbourhood includes a Dairy Queen, gas stations, car lots, the Vancouver Island Brewery, Club Phoenix fitness centre, a book publisher, and a massage school. It is in the ivy-covered former BC Hydro building on Bay and Government.

History

Located southeast of the Bay Street Bridge, Rock Bay was encroached upon by the growth of the downtown core in the mid-1800s. Historically, the bay was larger, with many islets for which it was named. The islets were engulfed within an encompassing shoreline, extending far enough eastward to present-day Government Street. Currently located in the corner of the Inner Harbour, it is surrounded by industrial activities; with polluted water.

Around 1885, the urban areas of Victoria continued to expand, and a bridge crossed the eastern section of Rock Bay, linking Government Street to the northern extension. During the mid-to-late 19th century, Fernwood contained a swampy marshland, and Hillside Farms existed between Bay Street and Hillside Avenue. Until c. 1888, a creek visibly connected all these areas to discharge into Rock Bay of Victoria Upper Harbour.

An unnamed creek once ran southwest from the swampy marshlands in Fernwood, under a bridge on Cedar Hill Road and past Hillside Farm. The creek meandered in the area of Kings Road to eventually provide a source of fresh water for Rock Bay. Around 1888, the creek was enclosed in pipes to provide direct drainage to the area and prevent floods in the expanding paved streets of Victoria.

In 1887, a second wooden bridge known as Rock Bay Bridge connected the north and south shores of Rock Bay. The Rock Bay Bridge originally connected Bridge Street and Constance Street. Around 1903, the approach to Rock Bay Bridge was switched along the southern shore to Store Street. During the 1920s, the Rock Bay bridge was dismantled while the eastern indent of Rock Bay was simultaneously filled to the west side of Government Street. Progressive shoreline changes continued until the late 1950s, resulting in the smaller Rock Bay area.

Historical activities along the shores of Rock Bay included a tannery, sawmills, a coal gasification plant, a propane tank farm, and more recently, a concrete batch plant and an asphalt plant.

Present-day

Rock Bay, which is purported to be one of the most highly contaminated bodies of water in the province, is (as of 2006) undergoing extensive cleanup by the federal government. [2] Decades of runoff and pollution dumping from nearby gravel operations and former mills have led to current pollution levels. With the recent trend in urban living movements (more people moving into the downtown core), as is the case in many cities, Rock Bay is one of the few areas remaining in Victoria that lends itself to high development potential.[ original research? ] [3] Rock Bay is also the present site of Rock Bay Landing, a homeless shelter with transitional housing apartments which first opened in 2010.

Related Research Articles

The ecology of Hong Kong is mostly affected by the results of climatic changes. Hong Kong's climate is seasonal due to alternating wind direction between winter and summer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parramatta River</span> River in Australia

The Parramatta River is an intermediate tide-dominated, drowned valley estuary located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. With an average depth of 5.1 metres (17 ft), the Parramatta River is the main tributary of Sydney Harbour, a branch of Port Jackson. Secondary tributaries include the smaller Lane Cove and Duck rivers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater Victoria</span> Metropolitan area in British Columbia, Canada

Greater Victoria is located in British Columbia, Canada, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. It is usually defined as the thirteen municipalities of the Capital Regional District (CRD) on Vancouver Island as well as some adjacent areas and nearby islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toronto waterfront</span> Shore of Lake Ontario in Toronto, Canada

The Toronto waterfront is the lakeshore of Lake Ontario in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It spans 46 kilometres between the mouth of Etobicoke Creek in the west and the Rouge River in the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salsette Island</span> Island off the coast of Maharashtra, India

Salsette Island is an island in Konkan division of the state of Maharashtra, on India's west coast. Administratively known as Greater Mumbai, the city district of Mumbai, Mumbai Suburban district, Mira Bhayander, and a portion of Thane lie within it, making it very populous and one of the most densely populated islands in the world. It has a population of more than 20 million inhabitants living on an area of about 619 square kilometres (239 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fernwood, Greater Victoria</span>

Fernwood is a neighbourhood near downtown Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, bounded by the neighbourhoods of North/South Jubilee, North Park, Fairfield, Rockland, Hillside-Quadra, Oaklands and Harris Green.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">False Creek</span> Inlet in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

False Creek is a short narrow inlet in the heart of Vancouver, separating the Downtown and West End neighbourhoods from the rest of the city. It is one of the four main bodies of water bordering Vancouver, along with English Bay, Burrard Inlet, and the Fraser River. Granville Island is located within the inlet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toronto Harbour</span> Bay on the north shore of Lake Ontario, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Toronto Harbour or Toronto Bay is a bay on the north shore of Lake Ontario, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is a natural harbour, protected from Lake Ontario waves by the Toronto Islands. Today, the harbour is used primarily for recreational boating, including personal vessels and pleasure boats providing scenic or party cruises. Ferries travel from docks on the mainland to the Islands, and cargo ships deliver aggregates and raw sugar to industries located in the harbour. Historically, the harbour has been used for military vessels, passenger traffic and cargo traffic. Waterfront uses include residential, recreational, cultural, commercial and industrial sites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Shore Boulevard</span> Street in Toronto

Lake Shore Boulevard is a major arterial road running along more than half of the Lake Ontario waterfront in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Prior to 1998, two segments of Lake Shore Boulevard were designated as part of Highway 2, with the highway following the Gardiner Expressway between these two sections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunnyside, Toronto</span> Lakefront district

Sunnyside is a lakefront district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It includes a beach and park area along Lake Ontario's Humber Bay, from west of Exhibition Place to the mouth of the Humber River. The area has several recreation uses, including rowing clubs, sports clubs, picnic areas, playgrounds, a nightclub, a bathing pavilion and public pool. The area is a 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) long strip along the lakeshore, bounded by the Gardiner Expressway and rail lines, which separate it from the Parkdale, Roncesvalles and Swansea neighbourhoods to the north. The name originates in a local farm owned by John Howard, which was situated just to the north, on the location of the current St. Joseph's Health Centre hospital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Vancouver</span> Neighbourhood of Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada

Downtown Vancouver is the central business district and the city centre neighbourhood of Vancouver, Canada, on the northwestern shore of the Burrard Peninsula in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. It occupies most of the north shore of the False Creek inlet, which cuts into the Burrard Peninsula creating the Downtown Peninsula, where the West End neighbourhood and Stanley Park are also located.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humber Bay</span>

Humber Bay is a bay of Lake Ontario south of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located between Ontario Place on the east and Mimico Creek to the west. The bay gives its name to Etobicoke's Humber Bay neighbourhood.

Fairfield is a neighbourhood of Victoria, British Columbia. It is bounded by the James Bay, Downtown, Harris Green, Fernwood, Rockland, and Gonzales neighbourhoods, and meets the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Queensway–Humber Bay</span> Neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The Queensway–Humber Bay, known officially as Stonegate–Queensway, is a neighbourhood in the southwest of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the southeast area of the former City of Etobicoke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Hamilton, Ontario</span>

Hamilton is located on the western end of the Niagara Peninsula and wraps around the westernmost part of the Lake Ontario. Most of the city including the downtown section lies along the south shore. Situated in the geographic centre of the Golden Horseshoe, it lies roughly midway between Toronto and Buffalo. The two major physical features are Hamilton Harbour marking the northern limit of the city and the Niagara Escarpment running through the middle of the city across its entire breadth, bisecting the city into 'upper' and 'lower' parts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Bay, Greater Victoria</span> Neighbourhood of Victoria, British Columbia

James Bay is a high density neighbourhood of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It is the oldest residential neighbourhood on the west coast of North America that is north of San Francisco. It occupies the south side of the Inner Harbour close to downtown. Access to the neighbourhood is along Belleville Street, Government Street, Douglas Street and Dallas Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria Harbour (British Columbia)</span> Port in Canada

Victoria Harbour is a harbour, seaport, and seaplane airport in the Canadian city of Victoria, British Columbia. It serves as a cruise ship and ferry destination for tourists and visitors to the city and Vancouver Island. It is both a port of entry and an airport of entry for general aviation. Historically it was a shipbuilding and commercial fishing centre. While the Inner Harbour is fully within the City of Victoria, separating the city's downtown on its east side from the Victoria West neighbourhood, the Upper Harbour serves as the boundary between the City of Victoria and the district municipality of Esquimalt. The inner reaches are also bordered by the district of Saanich and the town of View Royal. Victoria is a federal "public harbour" as defined by Transport Canada. Several port facilities in the harbour are overseen and developed by the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority, however the harbour master's position is with Transport Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria West, Greater Victoria</span>

Victoria West, commonly called Vic West, is an historic neighbourhood of the city of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, located just west of downtown across Victoria Harbour, bordering on the Township of Esquimalt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fishguard and Goodwick</span> Human settlement in Wales

Fishguard and Goodwick is the name of a community that wraps around Fishguard Bay, on the northern coast of Pembrokeshire, Wales. It comprises the two towns of Fishguard and Goodwick, with their neighbourhoods of Dyffryn, Harbour Village, Penyraber, Lower Town, and Stop-and-Call. Within the community are two railway stations and Goodwick Ferry Terminal, which is the terminus of the A40 London to Fishguard Trunk Road.

References

  1. "Rock Bay (bay)". BC Geographical Names .
  2. "Working together to clean up Victoria Harbour - May 19, 2004". Archived from the original on 2004-06-04.
  3. "D'Ambrosio architecture and urbanism". www.fdarc.ca. Archived from the original on July 30, 2005.

50°20′N125°29′W / 50.333°N 125.483°W / 50.333; -125.483