Victoria snuggles into the southern tip of Vancouver Island and is the Capital of British Columbia. It is blessed with the nation's most benign climate: almost Mediterranean like with its dry, coolish summers and mild winters resulting in a true garden city. Victoria has claimed to be a little piece of England and afternoon tea and high tea is still served at the classic Empress Hotel. Horse-drawn carriages have been used for visitor transport for the last eight decades. The woolen merchants, confectioners and antique dealers give the city its British accent.

For its original inhabitants, the Coast Salish peoples, Vancouver was the sacred spot where the mythical Thunderbird and Killer Whale flung wind and rain all about the heavens during their epic battles. The Chinese came to British Columbia during the 1850s seeking the gold and as laborers they built the Canadian Pacific Railway. Vancouver, with a metropolitan-area population of about 2 million, is booming. The mild climate, exquisite natural scenery, and relaxed, outdoor lifestyle is attracting new residents to British Columbia's business center. Many people get their first glimpse of Vancouver when catching an Alaskan cruise, and many return at some point to spend more time here. The heart of Vancouver includes downtown, Stanley Park, Yaletown, and the West End sits on a peninsula bordered by English Bay and the Pacific Ocean to the west.

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