PlaceDossier / BC places / Capital

Oak Bay

A district municipality in the Capital Regional District. 17,990 people lived here in 2021, down 0.6% from 2016.

Land and hazards

HereRank in BC
In the farmland reserve (ALR)8.4%140th of 267
Burned by wildfire since 19960.0%
Years with a mapped wildfire since 19190
Under mineral, placer or coal titles0.0%
Land area11 km²

Shares of the land area, measured by us from the provincial maps. Fire perimeters before the 1950s are less complete. A title or a past fire somewhere in the area says nothing about a given lot: a property report checks the parcel itself.

Source: Agricultural Land Reserve polygons, Agricultural Land Commission (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Fire perimeters – historical, BC Wildfire Service (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Mineral, placer and coal tenures, Mineral Titles Branch (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).

Water wells

18 water-supply wells on record; half are deeper than 136 m, and the median tested yield is 28 L/min. Wells here rank 2nd of 296 for depth.

Source: Groundwater wells (GWELLS), Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia).

Climate

HereRank in BC
January mean temperature5.7 °C
July mean temperature16.4 °C182nd of 237
Yearly precipitation944 mm
Yearly snowfall14 cm234th of 237

Normals for 1981-2010 at the William Head station, about 20 km from the centre of the area. Elevation matters a lot in BC: a hillside lot can be much colder and snowier than the station.

Source: Climate normals 1981-2010, Environment and Climate Change Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada).

People and homes

HereBC
Population, 202117,9905,000,879
Change since 2016-0.6%+7.6%
Median age54.442.8
Under 1512.8%14.3%
65 and over34.2%20.3%
Median household income (2020)$107,000$85,000
Homes owned by the people living in them74.5%66.8%
Single-detached houses63.0%42.4%
Movable dwellings (mobile homes and the like)0.0%2.5%
Built before 196159.0%12.5%
Needing major repairs5.7%5.8%
Median home value (owners' estimate)$1,400,000$785,000
Median monthly rent$1,300$1,370
Worked from home37.6%22.6%
Unemployment rate7.0%8.4%

Bars: the dark bar is this place, the gold mark is BC.

Source: Census of Population 2021, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).

Who lives here

HereBC
Indigenous identity2.0%5.9%
Immigrants21.9%29.0%
Visible minority12.8%34.4%
No religion or a secular outlook58.1%52.1%

Bars: the dark bar is this place, the gold mark is BC.

Shown for context, like the other census figures. We don't rank or score places on these.

Source: Census of Population 2021, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).

Census figures are from 2021; the next census results start in 2027. Area boundaries are Statistics Canada's census subdivisions, which follow municipal and electoral area lines.