Langley, British Columbia (city)

Twentieth-century improvements in transportation access, including the construction of the British Columbia Electric Railway in 1910, Fraser Highway in the 1920s, and Pattullo Bridge in 1937, profoundly impacted the area, transforming it from rural into the main urban and commercial core of the Township.

[5] In turn, this birthed the need for upgraded and new amenities, especially with respect to health, infrastructure, safety and sanitation.

The municipal government, however, refused to finance these projects as it bowed, instead, to politically influential farming communities and smaller, mostly rural, business centres, like Fort Langley, Milner and Murrayville, that viewed such spending as unnecessary.

First was street lights, which Langley Prairie argued were needed not only for safety but also progress, yet on which reeve George Brooks declared "not a nickel" would be spent.

Second was Langley Prairie's belief that it had neither the political sway nor fair share of municipal services that it deserved relative to its local tax contribution.

Many streets come to an abrupt halt when reaching the river and continue on the other side without a connecting bridge.

Even Grade Crescent, which is much further south than these roads, follows this same angle, demonstrating the impact Fraser Highway had on the development of Langley.

This stretch is often affectionately referred to by residents as "The One-Way" and is lined with restaurants and shops on either side, making it a retail centre in the city.

They range from small neighbourhood adventure playgrounds, to larger parks with nature trails, wildlife, and various sporting fields and equipment.

This park contains an adventure playground, a paved play area for ball hockey and basketball, an intermediate soccer field, and a softball diamond.

Public washrooms are available, though a close eye on your children is advisable, as used needles and other drug paraphernalia are often found lying in the open.

[11] This park features Al Anderson Memorial Pool, a children’s waterpark and playground, a lacrosse box, twelve picnic tables, and public washrooms.

Douglas Recreation Centre, situated in the park, offers many programs for the citizens of Langley and is also available for rentals such as wedding receptions or banquets and other events.

Featuring a permanent stage, the park is equipped for live performance of music, theatre and other arts.

[11] This park is home to North America's largest Parkour Course, with an in-ground trampoline, numerous climbing walls, balance beams, and swinging bars will provide hours of creative physical fun.

In addition, there is a kid size parkour course, a basketball court with optional volleyball net, dirt jumps for mountain bike enthusiasts, and a pump track.

This park contains a playground, ball diamond, senior soccer field, display garden beds, and public washrooms.

The tropical greenhouse has a wide variety of exotic plants and is open to the public April 1 to October 1.

A major rail corridor runs alongside the Langley Bypass and towards the Roberts Bank Superport, which handles the export and import of various commodities coming in and out of Asia.

[18] The City of Langley is served by TransLink, which operates the regional transportation network of Metro Vancouver.

As of December 1, 2012,[21] TransLink had created a new "555 Port Mann Express / Lougheed Town Centre Station" rapid bus service which operates between Carvolth Exchange (in Langley Township) and Lougheed Town Centre Station[22] (in Burnaby) via Highway 1, with just one stop along the way in Surrey.

Aerial View of Langley City in 1959
One-way section of Fraser Highway
McBurney Plaza in Downtown Langley
Douglas Park in Downtown Langley
Street banners in Langley's commercial area.