Langley, British Columbia (district municipality)
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| Langley Township | |||
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_Location.png/250px-Langley,_British_Columbia_(district_municipality)_Location.png) |
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| Country | Canada | ||
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| Province | British Columbia | ||
| Regional District | |||
| Incorporated | April 26, 1873 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Kurt Alberts | ||
| - Councillors |
List of Councillors
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| - MP | Mark Warawa (Conservative) | ||
| - MLA | Mary Polak (BC Liberal Party) Rich Coleman (BC Liberal Party) |
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| Area [1] | |||
| - Total | 316 km² (122 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2006) | |||
| - Total | 93,726 | ||
| Time zone | PST (UTC-8) | ||
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| Website: Township of Langley | |||
The Township of Langley is a district municipality east of Surrey, located south of the Fraser River in southern British Columbia. It is not to be confused with the City of Langley.
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[edit] History
From time immemorial, the area that is now Langley was inhabited by various Stóːlō nations, including the Katzie and Kwantlen, who continue to live in the area and fish along the Fraser River.
The Township is home to the birthplace of British Columbia, the historic fur trade post of Fort Langley.
The first Europeans to stay in the area permanently were the traders of the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC). In 1827, Fort Langley was built on the banks of the Fraser River, in the area now known as Derby Reach. It was one of a string of trading posts built up and down the Pacific Coast to compete with American fur traders for the rich pelts available in the region.
The first fort, built with two bastions, a wooden stockade and several buildings, proved to have been built too close to a fast-moving part of the river, in an area prone to flooding. It was rebuilt in 1839 farther upstream. As the HBC's network of forts in the interior grew, Fort Langley became a hub for farming, smithing and for shipping furs back to Europe.
In 1858, gold was discovered in the Fraser River in what is now the interior of British Columbia. With thousands of gold prospectors streaming into the province, the British government created British Columbia as a colony. James Douglas was sworn in as the new colony's first governor in Fort Langley, which was briefly the capital of the new region. The fort also became important as a supply station for the miners heading up the river toward the gold fields.
When the capital was moved to New Westminster, Fort Langley's importance began to decline. The Hudson's Bay Company subdivided and sold its farm on Langley Prairie. Logging and farming replaced fur trading as the dominant local industries.
[edit] Recent developments
In February 2006 the Township of Langley moved its Municipal Hall from the "core area" of the Township to the growing Willowbrook area. The new facility also includes a new library, fitness room (which incorporates a special type of hardwood floor room) and a new community policing station.
Since the 1980s, Langley City and surrounding lands administered by the Municipality have been subject to extensive strip mall development. The old town core remains pleasant to walk through, however many core businesses (including the civil courts and several banks) have moved to the malls, fostering an automobile-dominated community. In addition to this, the community allowed extensive strip development along the Langley Bypass, which has become the new sprawled business area of the city.
Construction of the Golden Ears Bridge has started.
[edit] Demographics
- Population (2006): 93,726
- Area: 306.93 square kilometres (118.5 sq mi)
[edit] Culture of Langley
The Township of Langley is largely a suburban community, but while the centre is increasingly urban, but periphery (particularly in the South and Southeast) maintains is agricultural nature. The neighbourhoods of Willoughby and Walnut Grove are quite suburban, and feature large numbers of big-box stores, the Willowbrook Shopping Centre, and the Famous Players Colossus Theatre Complex. Other areas of the city feature Fort Langley National Historic Site, the Twilight Drive-in, the Canadian Museum of Flight, numerous parks, beaches, and horse farms - which garner Langley the title of "Horse Capital of British Columbia." The Otter Co-op is a major commercial and agricultural centre for the community of Aldergrove.
Langley is also home to the Langley Ukulele Ensemble and many sports clubs. There are several ice-rinks in town, including the George Preston Centre in Brookswood, the Sportsplex in Walnut Grove, and the Aldergrove arena.
[edit] Education
- Schools
Langley Township is served by the School District 35 Langley. It also contains one francophone elementary school, which is part of the province-wide CSF (conseil scolaire francophone), School District 93.
- Post-secondary
Langley is home to Trinity Western University, a private Christian liberal arts university, and the Langley satellite campus of Kwantlen University College, a public undergraduate university college.
[edit] Government
The Township of Langley is composed of an eight-member council and a mayor. All members of council are elected to three-year terms in elections that take place in late November.
- Mayor: Kurt Alberts
- Councillors:
- Jordan Bateman
- Steve Ferguson
- Charlie Fox
- Mel Kositsky
- Bob Long
- Kim Richter
- Howie Vickberg
- Grant Ward
- Incorporation date: 1873
[edit] Communities
- Aldergrove
- Brookswood
- Fernridge
- Forest Knolls
- Fort Langley
- Glen Valley
- Hopington
- Milner
- Murrayville
- Willoughby
- Walnut Grove
[edit] References
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This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (February 2008) |
[edit] External links
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Pitt Meadows, Barnston Island | Maple Ridge | Mission |
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| Surrey, Langley City |  |
Abbotsford | |||||
 Township of Langley  |
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| Blaine (Washington, USA) | Lynden (Washington, USA) | Sumas (Washington, USA) |
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