Greater Victoria Neighbourhoods - Gonzales

Gonzales Beach is located off Crescent Road, near the South end of Foul Bay Road. The neighbourhood is named for Spanish explorer Gonzalo Lopez de Haro who helped chart the waters around Vancouver Island in 1790. Joseph Despard Pemberton, the first colonial land surveyor, named his home Gonzales. The home stood at St. Charles and Rockland for almost 100 years before being demolished in 1952. And Gonzales Rd, created in the 1920s, derived its name from the house.

Over time, this area has undergone many changes, one of the greatest, as a result of the worst storm in memory, which battered the Victoria shoreline in 1969. Due to the efforts of the beach residents, no homes were lost, but in order to prevent further erosion or loss of property, the City built a retaining wall around most of the bay the following summer, giving the bay a new look.

Gonzales is a beautiful neighbourhood with some lovely amenities such as the Fairfield Shopping Centre, Oak Bay Village, the hospital, clinics and quality schools such as Margaret Jenkins Elementary. It is only minutes to Oak Bay central or to Victoria downtown. Gonzales Beach allows dogs off-leash on the beach from September 1 to May 31.