The Langleys:

City of Langley & Township of Langley

The City of Langley has a pedestrian-oriented downtown core, and with its high-end shopping centre, independent stores, farmer's markets, antique retailers and a Kwantlen University College campus right in town, the City of Langley is a growing business centre that has held onto its heritage feeling. With beautiful wineries, over 300 acres of parklands, many farms and nurseries, and a robust arts community, Langley has something for everyone.

The most popular attraction in the Langley area is Fort Langley, a national historic site. Restored to its historic condition (circa 1850) Fort Langley is a valuable historic museum as is the Langley Centennial Museum.

The Langley area was the first part of the lower mainland of British Columbia where European settlement was established. Fort Langley was built in 1827 under the direction of James McMillan, Chief Trader of the Hudson's Bay Company. It was situated about 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the mouth of the Fraser River. The prime objectives of the Fort were to establish a fur trading post and to initiate some agricultural activities, which would secure a steady supply of food for the occupants of the various fur trading posts west of the Rockies.

The Township remained largely rural in nature as New Westminster, and later Vancouver, became the focus of urban settlement in the lower mainland. Langley's growth through the first half of the 20th Century was for the most part slow and steady. The construction of the Fraser Highway in the 1920's and the construction of the Patullo Bridge in 1937 increased the importance of Langley Prairie in the commercial life of the area. The Trans Canada Highway was completed through Langley in 1964.

Rapid population growth experienced in the Greater Vancouver area in the late 1960's and early 1970's led to the establishment of the Agricultural Land Commission in 1972. Much of rural Langley was included in an Agricultural Land Reserve, ensuring that future growth would be directed to land of minimal agricultural significance.

In 1979, the Langley Official Community Plan was adopted to guide development in the Township. Urban growth has been directed to areas such as Brookswood, Aldergrove, Willowbrook, Murrayville, and Walnut Grove, while major industrial and commercial developments have been designated in Northwest Langley, Willowbrook, Aldergrove and Gloucester Industrial Estates.

Within just 10 square kilometres (4 square miles), the City of Langley contains established residential neighbourhoods, a natural wetland of regional significance, parkland exceeding 300 acres, high density residential development, a revitalized pedestrian-oriented downtown, a regional shopping centre and one of the most active industrial and service commercial land bases found in the Fraser Valley and Lower Mainland. The City of Langley has managed to retain its small city atmosphere and community spirit while offering all the amenities of a major urban centre, a unique trait that appeals to a wide spectrum of people and businesses. It continues to be a community where elected officials are visible neighbours and tax dollars are spent to address issues of local significance.

 

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