Over at Pemberton Holmes, we love Victoria. Known not only for it’s beauty, year-round indoor and outdoor activities, and some of the worlds friendliest people – we also have a storied history. Read on to learn a few interesting facts about Victoria, B.C.
A Golden Start
Did you know what brought many of the original settlers to Victoria was the discovery of gold on the lower Fraser River in 1858? Word spread quickly and it didn’t take long for the formerly small B.C. settlement to explode with population growth as miners and adventurers from California to Australia journeyed to Victoria to prosper from the gold rush.
Diverse and Ever-Expanding Community
After only two months 30,000 gold miners, many of them American and Chinese, had made their way to Victoria after news spread of the gold discovery. To this day, B.C. continues to blossom as an ethnically diverse province where cultural heritages from around the world are celebrated and multiculturalism is a way of life.
Rich, Indigenous History
Originally, Vancouver Island was home to First Nations people with members of the Songhees Nation inhabiting Victoria for over 5000 years of recorded history. Aboriginal history and culture are still an integral part of Victoria’s identity. Take the Songhees Island Cultural Tour to learn more about this important part of our historical identity as a city and greater community.
Our Special Place in the Victoria History Books
Pemberton Holmes history started in 1850 when Joseph Despard Pemberton served as Surveyor General to the Colony of of Vancouver Island and Fraser River. Later in 1887, with his eldest son Frederick Bernard, Joseph Pemberton opened the firm of Pemberton & Son – Engineers, Surveyors, and Real Estate Agents in the growing and bustling city of Victoria. Fast forward to today and Pemberton Holmes has grown to include seventeen branch offices and boasts over 300 friendly, knowledgeable and talented real estate agents.
Though we’ve branched out to welcome many changes over the years while adapting to an ever changing real estate market, our roots remain the same. Current owner Mike Holmes continues to practice the company’s original, founding principal: “A rustling office would not in the long run pay us as well as one conducted on quiet and strict commercial principles”.
To learn more about Pemberton Holmes history and our real estate offerings we invite you to check out our website today.
