Canada’s oldest Chinatown is in B.C. and it has North America’s narrowest commercial street

Did you know that Victoria’s Chinatown is considered the oldest in Canada? Established in the 1850s during the days of the Fraser River Gold Rush, the community was one of the first of its kind in North America, forming upon the arrival of wealthy San Francisco merchants at Fort Victoria.

According to the Victoria Chinatown Museum Society (VCMS), the historic area is also the only one on the continent with its original 19th-century buildings and “labyrinthine features” still standing.

This gives Victoria’s Chinatown a high heritage value, according to VCMS and Parks Canada.

How Victoria’s Chinatown came to be

When the Chinatown first came to be, merchants were setting up stores near Centennial Square, followed by labourers from San Francisco and China, who were sent to pan for gold to supply these shops.

By 1862, Fort Victoria had become the City of Victoria. The population sat at 5,000 people, with 300 Chinese immigrants settling in the downtown area near Cormorant and Fisgard Streets.

In 1886, the Canadian Pacific Railway was completed, making Granville Village (soon to become the City of Vancouver) Canada’s premier port on the West Coast.

According to the VCMS, the 1911 national census listed 3,559 Chinese residents in Vancouver and 3,458 in Victoria, making it the second-largest Chinese settlement in Canada after Vancouver.

However, Parks Canada adds that Victoria had the largest Chinese population in Canada through the first decade of the 20th century.

In 1955, Victoria’s Chinatown became a designated national historic site.

Today, the buildings retain their picturesque arcades, famous narrow alleys, and enclosed courtyards, representing the rich heritage of Chinese Canadians in B.C.

“Focused on Fisgard Street, Victoria Chinatown’s interior is accessed by a distinctive layout of alleys and passageways,” explains Parks Canada.

North America’s narrowest street

One of the most notable spots is Fan Tan Alley, the narrowest commercial street in North America. At less than three feet wide at its narrowest, the alleyway is now home to a myriad of local shops and galleries, including a record store called The Turntable, a slew of gift shops and specialty stores, Friends and Family Bake, and The Faraway vintage clothing.

And of course, the food in Chinatown is pretty unbeatable.

So no matter what your reason for visiting is, it’s absolutely worth checking out Victoria’s historic Chinatown and all of the architecture, street layouts, and stores that make it so unique.

Where: Victoria, B.C.

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