WATCH: Victoria has long been known as the city of the newly wed and nearly dead but it is getting a makeover as a cool hip city. Monica Martinez explains.
Victoria is known for its Instagram worthy snaps, year long flower bloom, and summer like days when parts of the country are still shoveling snow.
And then there’s that well know tag line.
“We used to be referred to before as the city of the nearly dead and newly wed,” said Peter Goodman.
But now there’s a lot more young people and that’s helping the City of Gardens shed its retirement town image for a hipper, cooler vibe.
“You don’t want to tear down your old perceptions you want to build on them, you want to add depth and dimension and layers beyond that. I think it’s great to see a progressive vibrant Pacific northwest city that we are,” said Tourism Victoria CEO Paul Nursey.
High profile publications like Vogue Magazine, and the Toronto Star and are taking notice labelling Victoria as a “cool” Northwest getaway, in the same league as Vancouver, Seattle and Portland.
The Vogue article singles out the city’s trendy spots like the newly opened Fol Epi on Yates Street.
“In the past people could only go so far in Victoria and would leave to go to Vancouver or Toronto and now more and more people are deciding that Victoria is a great place to live and so a project like this is the efforts of a number of people coming together,” said Fol Epi owner Cliff Leir.
It highlights the fashion forward LoJo district known for its independent boutiques, vintage shops and jewellery stores.
The image makeover is largely driven by the city’s booming tech sector made up of 900 companies employing about 23,000 people and ringing in $3-billion in revenue.
Dan Gunn, who branded Tectoria, says this city has a lot to offer young, creative entrepreneurs.
“Most of the tech companies in Victoria don’t sell a single product in Victoria. They are here because there are two universities and a college and there are 10 federal research labs and centre of excellences with an amazing lifestyle, a very walkable place with short commutes that is affordable. We have great advantages plus way less rain and more sunshine,” he said.
With a slowly changing demographic, growing arts and music culture, and great food scene, Victoria has finally become En Vogue.
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