East Sooke is an unincorporated community south and east of Sooke, British Columbia, Canada. It consists of over 500 houses along with the headquarters of the Royal Marine Search and Rescue organization on the south side of the Sooke Basin. East Sooke borders on East Sooke Regional Park, an area of, with views south to Olympic National Park in the United States. East Sooke does not have a town council. Instead it is governed by a regional director who is also responsible for other unincorporated areas in the Capital Regional District. East Sooke's general character is rural, although it is a bedroom community of Victoria, British Columbia. Its close proximity to Victoria, its character as a bedroom community, and its large tracts of undeveloped land have made it an attractive location for recreation and retirement developments. Political scuffles over the development of the community have led to two large sections of East Sooke splitting off and joining Sooke. Those in Sooke generally consider this to be a positive acquisition, whereas those in East Sooke consider it a non-hostile occupation. Due to these recent incursions into East Sooke territory, the expectation is that East Sooke will ultimately be swallowed by a neighboring community, be it Sooke or Metchosin, British Columbia. The population of East Sooke is roughly 1,500. There is no town core, but there is a single convenience store. Typical of the rural nature of the community, not only can one purchase a litre of milk, or a loaf of bread, but one can buy animal feed, or a truck load of gravel from that store. East Sooke is a mix of small residential subdivisions, small hobby farms, and wilderness. There are currently no schools in East Sooke although there have been plans for an elementary school for a number of years. Some children are bussed to Sooke schools. This community is part of School District 62 Sooke. Many families in East Sooke homeschool their kids negating the need to travel to Sooke for school. This area has a vibrant homeschooling community and there are multiple programs available for families who choose to teach at home.
