Metchosin

Following the establishment of farms by the Puget Sound Agricultural Company in the Victoria area, independent settlers entered the Metchosin area. In 1851, Captain Cooper bought land on the shores of Witty’s Lagoon, that became the first farm in Metchosin, called Bilston Farm and farmed by Thomas Blinkhorn. Other settlers followed and cleared the arable land.{{cite web |title=Community History: History and Heritage of Metchosin |url=https://www.metchosin.ca/community/community-history |website=www.metchosin.ca |publisher=District of Metchosin |access-date=21 October 2024 |date=2024}}

In 1861, Race Rocks Lighthouse was built. In the early 1880s, two quarantine stations were built by the federal government, first on Albert Head in 1883 and then William Head, which inspected and controlled all people entering Canada for infectious diseases. Starting in 1924, Bentinck Island was used as a leper colony. As medical procedures progressed, the leper colony was closed in 1956, and in 1958, the quarantine station at William Head was converted into a minimum-security prison. The station at Albert Head became part of CFB Esquimalt.{{cite web |title=Quarantine Station |url=https://metchosinmuseum.ca/heritage-sites/quarantine-station/ |website=metchosinmuseum.ca |publisher=Metchosin Museum Society |access-date=21 October 2024 |date=2024}}

In 1984, the Municipality of the District of Metchosin was incorporated, mainly to protect its rural character from the encroaching suburban sprawl.

Metchosin has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csb) in parts caused by the rain shadow and to the east of the strait of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, but keeping some oceanic characteristics (Cfb).{{Cite web|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=990068&cityname=Metchosin,+British+Columbia,+Canada&units=|title=Metchosin, British Columbia Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)|website=Weatherbase|access-date=2019-05-24}} Sligo, Ireland has very close temperatures with only a slightly warmer summer. The biggest difference is in the summer drying, common of the Pacific Northwest.{{Cite web|url=https://pt.weatherspark.com/compare/y/469~32692/Compara%C3%A7%C3%A3o-das-caracter%C3%ADsticas-meteorol%C3%B3gicas-m%C3%A9dias-em-Metchosin-e-Sligo |title=O clima típico de qualquer lugar da Terra - Weather Spark|website=pt.weatherspark.com|access-date=May 24, 2019 }}

{{Weather box

| width = auto

| location = Metchosin. elevation: {{convert|164|m|abbr=on|disp=or}}, extremes 1911-1938

| metric first = Yes

| single line = Yes

| Jan record high C = 12.2

| Feb record high C = 15

| Mar record high C = 18.3

| Apr record high C = 23.9

| May record high C = 29.4

| Jun record high C = 32.2

| Jul record high C = 32.2

| Aug record high C = 31.1

| Sep record high C = 30

| Oct record high C = 24.4

| Nov record high C = 15.6

| Dec record high C = 14.4

| year record high C = 32.2

| Jan record low C = -13.9

| Feb record low C = -12.2

| Mar record low C = -4.4

| Apr record low C = -2.8

| May record low C = -0.6

| Jun record low C = 1.7

| Jul record low C = 3.9

| Aug record low C = 5.6

| Sep record low C = -0.6

| Oct record low C = -5

| Nov record low C = -6.1

| Dec record low C = -12.2

| year record low C = -13.9

| rain colour = green

| Jan rain mm = 159.5

| Feb rain mm = 100.5

| Mar rain mm = 85.8

| Apr rain mm = 59.8

| May rain mm = 39.9

| Jun rain mm = 28.0

| Jul rain mm = 16.5

| Aug rain mm = 24.8

| Sep rain mm = 32.6

| Oct rain mm = 112.5

| Nov rain mm = 207.8

| Dec rain mm = 140.6

| Jan snow cm = 8.6

| Feb snow cm = 7.0

| Mar snow cm = 3.4

| Apr snow cm = 0.0

| May snow cm = 0.0

| Jun snow cm = 0.0

| Jul snow cm = 0.0

| Aug snow cm = 0.0

| Sep snow cm = 0.0

| Oct snow cm = 0.3

| Nov snow cm = 5.2

| Dec snow cm = 6.2

| precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation mm = 168.1

| Feb precipitation mm = 107.5

| Mar precipitation mm = 89.2

| Apr precipitation mm = 59.8

| May precipitation mm = 39.9

| Jun precipitation mm = 28.0

| Jul precipitation mm = 16.5

| Aug precipitation mm = 24.8

| Sep precipitation mm = 32.6

| Oct precipitation mm = 112.8

| Nov precipitation mm = 213.0

| Dec precipitation mm = 146.8

| unit rain days = 0.2 mm

| Jan rain days = 18.7

| Feb rain days = 14.4

| Mar rain days = 17.5

| Apr rain days = 14.6

| May rain days = 11.7

| Jun rain days = 8.8

| Jul rain days = 4.8

| Aug rain days = 4.9

| Sep rain days = 7.2

| Oct rain days = 14.9

| Nov rain days = 20.6

| Dec rain days = 17.6

| unit snow days = 0.2 cm

| Jan snow days = 1.7

| Feb snow days = 1.7

| Mar snow days = 0.92

| Apr snow days = 0.0

| May snow days = 0.0

| Jun snow days = 0.0

| Jul snow days = 0.0

| Aug snow days = 0.0

| Sep snow days = 0.0

| Oct snow days = 0.08

| Nov snow days = 0.8

| Dec snow days = 1.4

| unit precipitation days = 0.2 mm

| Jan precipitation days = 19.5

| Feb precipitation days = 15.2

| Mar precipitation days = 17.7

| Apr precipitation days = 14.6

| May precipitation days = 11.7

| Jun precipitation days = 8.8

| Jul precipitation days = 4.8

| Aug precipitation days = 4.9

| Sep precipitation days = 7.2

| Oct precipitation days = 15.0

| Nov precipitation days = 21.0

| Dec precipitation days = 18.3

| source = Environment Canada{{cite web

|url= http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_1981_2010_e.html?stnID=5051&lang=e&dCode=0&province=ONT&provBut=Go&month1=0&month2=12

|work= 1981 to 2010 Canadian Climate Normals

|title=Metchosin - Canadian Climate Normals

|publisher= Environment Canada

|id= Climate ID: 6158350

|date=March 21, 2019

|access-date= May 24, 2019 }}

}}

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Metchosin had a population of 5,067 living in 1,856 of its 1,938 total private dwellings, a change of {{percentage|{{#expr:5067-4708}}|4708|1}} from its 2016 population of 4,708. With a land area of {{cvt|69.57|km2}}, it had a population density of {{Pop density|5067|69.57|km2|sqmi|prec=1}} in 2021.

{{Historical populations

|title = {{Nowrap|Historical census populations –}} Metchosin

|align = none

|cols = 2

|percentages =

|footnote =

|source = Statistics Canada

| 1986 |3676

| 1991 |4232

| 1996 |4709

| 2001 |4857

| 2006 |4795

| 2011 |4803

| 2016 |4708

| 2021 |5067

}}

According to the 2021 census, religious groups in Metchosin included:

• Irreligion (3,120 persons or 66.2%)
• Christianity (1,480 persons or 31.4%)
• Buddhism (20 persons or 0.4%)
• Other (80 persons or 1.7%)

• Albert Head Lagoon Regional Park{{cite web|url=http://crd.bc.ca/parks/map.htm|title=Regional Parks and Trails Maps |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706165815/http://crd.bc.ca/parks/map.htm|archive-date=July 6, 2011|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}
• Blinkhorn Nature Park
• Buckbrush Swamp
• Devonian Regional Park
• Matheson Lake Regional Park
• Witty's Lagoon Regional Park
• Galloping Goose Regional Park{{Cite web |url=http://www.district.metchosin.bc.ca/content/regional-parks |title=District of Metchosin Regional Parks |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161028021120/http://www.district.metchosin.bc.ca/content/regional-parks |archive-date=October 28, 2016 |url-status=dead }}

{{Wide image|Mount Helmcken from across the valley - panoramio.jpg|800px|Mount Helmcken}}

{{notelist}}

{{reflist}}

{{Commons category}}

• {{Official website|http://www.metchosin.ca}}

{{Geographic location

| Centre = Metchosin

| N = Langford / Colwood

| E = Strait of Juan de Fuca

| S = Becher Bay 1 / Strait of Juan de Fuca

| SW = Juan de Fuca Pt. 1 (East Sooke)

| W = Sooke

| NW = Juan de Fuca Pt. 1

}}

{{Navboxes|list =

{{VictoriaNeighbourhoods}}

{{CapitalRegionalDistrictBC}}

{{VancouverIslandCommunities}}

{{Subdivisions of British Columbia|district=yes}}

}}

{{authority control}}

Category:District municipalities in British Columbia

Category:Greater Victoria

Category:Populated places in the Capital Regional District