Settling on the area of the Fraser River Delta either side of the Chilukthan Slough in 1868, both turned to farming and fishing.

Lying to the south of the delta of the Fraser River, there are numerous islands just off the mainland that are part of Ladner.

The Delta Museum and Archives are in the centre of Ladner Village, along with a town clock that is amongst the oldest in the Lower Mainland.

On Ladner Trunk Road, east of Arthur Drive, two malls with supermarkets, major restaurants and other modern shops and services are found.

A much larger pool is located on Harvest Drive next to the Municipal Hall in the Ladner Leisure Centre.

On March 1, 2006, Ladner made national headlines when an out-of-control house party resulted in hospitalization of the 13-year-old host for alcohol poisoning and nearly CA$70,000 in damage.

It included theatrical performances, a pancake breakfast, clam chowder cookoff, midnight market and street entertainment.

The Ladner Village area is popular with film crews for its "Main Street USA" feel, quaint coastal fishing settings, and heritage church buildings.

The general South Delta area also provides open landscapes of farmland, ocean beaches, forest and wetlands, all within a few kilometres of each other.

These features make the area a popular location for movie productions such as the Air Bud series, Final Destination, Along Came a Spider, 3000 Miles to Graceland, Josie and the Pussycats, Deck the Halls, X-Men: The Last Stand, Shooter, Home Is Where The Hart Is, A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up, Timmy Turner!, 50/50, and Fifty Shades of Grey, as well as various television productions such as Smallville, The X-Files, Stargate SG-1, Supernatural, The Sandlot trilogy, Three Moons Over Milford, Impastor, The Secret Circle, Bates Motel, and Charlie Sheen did Scary Movie 3.