A significant part of Saanich West is rural in nature, including Elk & Beaver Lake Regional Park & the Prospect Lake area. The landscape of Saanich is unique for its ecological diversity & leisure potential. There's 170 municipal parks, regional parks, a running network route & the Saanich Commonwealth Place, a world-class pool & fitness centre. Saanich has more parks per capita than any other municipality in B.C. There's several golf courses in Saanich: Blenkinsop Valley, Cedar Hill, Cordova Bay & Prospect Lake.

Saanich's distinct neighbourhoods include: Gordon Head, an area with several shopping malls, restaurants & film theatres within a short driving distance; High Quadra, which overlooks the Blenkinsop Valley; Broadmead, with its imaginative West Coast architecture; & Cordova Bay, which is perched along the seaside & includes a combination of cottages, small farms, massive relatives homes & new subdivisions.

The Saanich neighbourhoods located west of the Patricia Bay Highway include:

Beaver Lake-Elk Lake - A rural area south of the Central Saanich border, bounded by Elderly West Saanich Road and the Patricia Bay Highway, dominated by Beaver and Elk Lakes, and Bear Hill Regional Park.

Glanford - A combination of all kinds of residential homes. Located between Carey Rd., Patricia Bay Highway, and Vanalman Rd. It is named for the central thoroughfare of the neighbourhood, Glanford Rd.

Gorge-Tillicum - A combination of lower-middle- and middle-class homes, as well as mixed industrial and commercial neighbourhoods, bounded to the northwest by Portage Inlet, to the southwest by the picturesque Gorge waterway (a narrow channel leading from Selkirk Water to Portage Inlet), to the east by Interurban and West Burnside Roads, to the north by the Trans-Canada Highway, and to the southeast by the border with Victoria, jogging along Harriet Road.

Interurban - A largely rural area, with some considerable wooded areas still remaining, located to the east and west of Interurban Road. Newer subdivisions are creeping in, but much of the agricultural land is protected. The neighbourhood, lying west of Wilkinson Road and south of West Saanich Road, is home to the Interurban Campus of Camosun College, the Vancouver Island Technology Park (a light industrial park), and the historic Wilkinson Road Jail.

Marigold - Bounded by West Burnside Rd., McKenzie Ave., Carey Rd., & Wilkinson Rd. Some farmland, notably "Panama Flats" remains undeveloped because it's been designated a protected parkland. This is part of an extensive greenbelt which also includes the famous Galloping Goose trail. The bird watcher may have a field day here, as the flats provide home to plenty of types of water fowl, hawks & songbirds. The Marigold area is being developed extensively & no longer has plenty of post-war homes. There's plenty of new neighbourhoods & fortunately, they have been developed with respect for the multitude of wildlife found here. "Marigold" is of plenty of "flower-themed" roads in the neighbourhood.

Prospect Lake - A largely rural & wooded area, with some newer subdivisions, in the northwest of the municipality. It lies east of the Highlands municipal boundary. It contains a lot of wooded parks (notably Prospect Lake & Francis/King).

Strawberry Vale - Bounded by Wilkinson Rd., View Royal, & the Layritz Park area. An area in transition, it is a combination of tiny farms, older subdivisions, & newer subdivisions.

Tillicum Village anchored by Tillicum Mall, built on the former site of the Tillicum Outdoor Theater, (Elderly Navy, London Drugs, & Home Outfitters) & the Silver City Film Theater Complex, this developing village area is also home the George R. Pearkes Recreation Middle & the Saanich Centennial Library. This commercial area also has a collection of tiny locally owned businesses & restaurants in nearby Burnside Plaza.

Uptown - A largely commercial and industrial zone in the southwest corner of Saanich, next to the Victoria border, between Blanshard St., Burnside Rd., and Tillicum Rd. Residentially, it contains chiefly small, post-war, lower-middle-class housing, and low-rise apartments, although lots of new developments have been built in the area since the redevelopment of Town and Country mall. The municipal hall and huge shopping centres - Mayfair and Uptown - can be present in this area.

Westview Heights - A classic 1950s residential subdivision bounded by Interurban Road, Tillicum Road and Carey Road. This area was planned by Gordon Rolston, who was also the planner for the development of Broadmead. Common traits of the area with Broadmead include sloping landscaping, integration of natural features with the residential development, and the construction of quality middle-class homes. The land was originally owned by William Rowland, and is known for its clear views of the Olympic Mountains and the Sooke Hills.

Neighbourhoods

Beaver Lake       Elk Lake                Gateway              Glanford              Gorge   Granville              Interurban          Layritz   Marigold                Northridge          Portage Inlet      Prospect Lake    Royal Oak            Rudd Park           Strawberry Vale               Tillicum                West Saanich

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