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The Township of Langley is a district municipality east of Vancouver, located south of the Fraser River in southern British Columbia. It is not to be confused with the City of Langley. Langley Township is home to Trinity Western University.
Government structure
The Township of Langley is composed of an eight member council in addition to a mayor. All members of council are elected to three year terms in elections that take place in late November.
- Mayor: Kurt Alberts
- Councillors:
- Incorporation date: 1873
- Population (estimate): 100 000
- Area: 303 square kilometres
Community attractions
The Township of Langley is home to a number of well known structures. They include the Willowbrook Shopping Mall, the Famous Players Colossus Theatre Complex, Fort Langley, the Twilight Drive-in, numerous parks, beaches, and horse farms - which garner Langley the title of "Horse Capital of British Columbia"
History
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.
Education
Schools
Langley Township is served by the School District 35 Langley.Colleges and universities
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.Recent changes
Recently, the Township of Langley has moved its Municipal Hall to a different area. The original Hall was placed in the "core area" of the Township. The new Civic Facility, however, is located in the growing Willowbrook area. A complete move was completed in February 2006. 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. The new facility's address is 20338 - 65 Avenue in Langley, British Columbia, Canada.
Construction of the Golden Ears Bridge has started.
Communities
- Aldergrove
- Brookswood
- Fernridge
- Forest Knolls
- Fort Langley
- Glen Valley
- Hopington
- Milner
- Murrayville
- Willoughby
- Walnut Grove
Surrounding municipalities
External links
District municipalities in British Columbia | Langley (township), British Columbia
"Langley, British Columbia (district municipality)"