Take a Trip Back In Time Down Sooke Road With Google Streetview

Back to the Future Delorean Time Machine

Recently, Google added a neat little feature to its Street View product – the ability to go back in time by displaying their previously-captured images of the streets and towns in its Street View database. Street View was launched in 2007, so for many areas you can see how they’ve changed over the past seven years. For Sooke, most of the community was first captured in 2009, then again in 2011 and 2012. 

I first had a look at my house, to see what had changed in my neighbourhood over the past five years. Then I thought about new developments in the town core since 2009, and had a look there.

The Shoppers Drug Mart Development
The Shoppers Drug Mart Development was almost done when the 2011 photo was taken

 

What a difference the sale of this next building made – the new owners completely renovated it and it now houses three businesses in Sooke including a much-needed new dentist office:

What a difference from the drab shoebox that used to be there!
What a difference from the drab shoebox that used to be there!

 

This last one surprised me – I thought that it was torn down before 2009.

After a lengthy vacant period, this property now houses a modern TD Bank branch
After a lengthy vacant period, this property now houses a modern TD Bank branch

Have a look around Sooke and see what you can see. When zoomed in on Street View, you can preview the historical images by clicking on them on the left (look for the new text and the clock icon). To make them full screen, click on the magnify image.

I’ve heard that the Street View car has been spotted around the greater Victoria region, so it sounds like Google is updating Street View over the coming months.

 

 

 

Published by Tim Ayres

Tim Ayres is a Sooke and Victoria BC REALTOR®, with Royal LePage Coast Capital Realty. Tim is actively involved in helping clients buying and selling real estate in the southern Vancouver Island region. Tim is an active member of the Victoria Real Estate Board and served seven years (2009-2015) as a director, including serving as President in 2014.

One thought on “Take a Trip Back In Time Down Sooke Road With Google Streetview

  1. boy I would have LOVED to have lived in Sooke back before 2009. Ideally I would have liked to have lived there around the late 1990s. I’ll take what I have now though, because I know damned well that it will all just be more urban sprawl in ten years, with only one road in and zero access to the back country.

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