ABOUT OUR NEIGHBOURHOOD
North Park is a diverse, mixed-income, mixed-use community adjacent to the City of Victoria’s downtown core. Read about our history. An area of about one square kilometre, our vibrant neighbourhood is bounded by Blanshard, Bay, Cook and Pandora streets, and is home to about 2,800 people and numerous vibrant businesses, services and recreational facilities. To learn about all the many economic, social and community assets in our neighbourhood, check out our new online community map.
The North Park Neighbourhood Association (NPNA) is a non-profit, membership-driven society that cares about our neighbourhood and brings neighbourhood concerns to City Hall, sometimes in partnership with other neighbourhood groups. For more information about the NPNA see the Our Association page.
North Park History
North Park is part of the ancestral territories of the Songhees First Nation, who harvested bark from meadows and alongside creeks to make a variety of household objects. In 1843 James Douglas arrived to set up a new trading post for the Hudson Bay Company. North Park was created in the 1860s as part of HBC’s early town plans. Today North Park is a vibrant, diverse, mixed-income, mixed-use neighbourhood in Victoria’s downtown core. Our one-square-kilometre neighbourhood is home to about 3,400 people from all walks of life.
Some of North Park’s heritage homes are featured in a neighbourhood heritage walking tour published by the Victoria Heritage Foundation. Click here for walking tour information.
Community Superheroes of North Park
Highlighted below are some of the unsung heroes of the North Park community identified by community members, business and residents.
“I think this particular person has exemplified herself as a community superhero, she is just the only person I know that is connected with the North Park Neighborhood Association. She cares enough to spend time in meetings, and stay engaged with the issues that support the diversity of people in this community. Anybody that has the patience to give back and contribute to a community that’s larger than the four walls of their home to me is a hero and is part of the solution”
– Holt, Our Place (personal interview March 2020)
“I think the Police, frankly, are community superheroes. They are really good for the neighborhood. I think they have a great community presence, as opposed to a typical police presence. I see them much more as community partners. The local police come into the Victoria Curling Club constantly, to have coffee and to have lunch. And they’re just sort of in the neighborhood and I find that it is a really cool part of the Curling Club and for North Park, it’s awesome”.
– Paul Dixon, Victoria Curling Club (personal communication, March 2020)
“I would like to say that Nicole, the cook street WIN store manager, is a bit of a community superhero. I think she brings a really important grounding and friendly presence to the store and neighbourhood. I hear from customers all the time that Nicole and the other staff make the store a wonderful place to shop.”
– Jasmine Philip, WIN (personal communication, March 2020)
“One day I came across Yoka’s Coffee on Mason Street. It is owned and operated by Yoka and Tristan. They hadn’t been there long. I love coffee and they were welcoming and independent thinkers who enjoyed a conversation. They became my go-to first walk of the day. Unbeknownst to them, they became allies in my recovery. Superheroes do hidden acts of kindness that they probably would be surprised to know they had actually done”.
-North Park Community Member (personal communications, March 2020)
“This particular person is a long-time North Park board member is a community superhero. She has been very caring, energetic and passionate about the community. Our neighborhood association is lucky to have this level of dedication.”
-Ellen & Amy, Toes and Tap, (personal communications, 2020)
“One day I came across Yoka’s Coffee on Mason Street, which is owned and operated by Yoka and Tristan. They hadn’t been there long. I love coffee and they were welcoming and independent thinkers who enjoyed a conversation. They became my go to the first walk of the day. Unbeknownst to them, they became allies in my recovery. Superheroes do hidden acts of kindness that they probably would be surprised to know they had actually done.
“They fit right into the great history of coffee shops all over the world.”
– Community Member, (personal communications, March 2020)
How the Community Describes North Park
