Langford | |
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| City of Langford | |
 Goldstream Village, centre of Langford | |
 Flag | |
  Langford Location of Langford within the Capital Regional District | |
  Langford Location of Langford within British Columbia Show map of Vancouver Island Langford Langford (British Columbia) Show map of British Columbia | |
| Coordinates:48°27′2″N123°30′21″W / 48.45056°N 123.50583°W /48.45056; -123.50583 | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | British Columbia |
| Regional district | Capital |
| Founded | 1851 |
| Incorporated | December 8, 1992 |
| Government | |
| • Governing body | Langford City Council |
| • Mayor | Scott Peter Goodmanson |
| • Councillors | Colby Harder, Mary Wagner, Keith Yacucha, Kimberley Guiry, Mark Morley, Lillian Szpak |
| Area | |
| • Land | 41.43 km2 (16.00 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 76 m (249 ft) |
| Population | |
• Total | 46,584 |
| • Density | 1,124.4/km2 (2,912/sq mi) |
| Demonym(s) | Langfordite, Langfordian |
| Time zone | UTC−8 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (PDT) |
| Postal code | V9B, V9C |
| Area codes | 250,778,236,672 |
| Highways |  Highway 1 (TCH), Highway 14 |
| Website | langford |
Langford is a city on southernVancouver Island in the province ofBritish Columbia,Canada. Langford is one of the 13 component municipalities ofGreater Victoria and is within theCapital Regional District. Langford was incorporated in 1992 and has a population of over 40,000 people, the largest municipality in theWestern Communities, and third-largest in theCapital Regional District afterSaanich andVictoria.
Its motto is "Golden in setting, determined in Spirit," containing a reference to the natural beauty of the City of Langford, specifically Goldstream Provincial Park, and a comment on the community's drive to enhance Langford's special character and future.[2]
Langford's history of European settlement dates back to 1851, when Captain Edward Langford[3] established one of the fourHudson's Bay Company farms in theVictoria area. He arrived with his family in 1851 as the first English family to emigrate to theColony of Vancouver Island. He was the manager of the Esquimalt farm owned by thePuget Sound Agricultural Company, a subsidiary of theHudson's Bay Company. He returned to England in 1861.[4]: 149
In the early 1860s, the region of Langford experienced a short-lived gold rush in what is nowGoldstream Provincial Park.[5][6] The area was once a favourite recreation destination for thousands of Victorians in the late 1800s: day-trippers travelled via the Canadian Pacific railway to the popular country resort Goldstream House Hotel;[7] hunters built their lodges on the shores of the lakes near the mountains; and a summer colony of the well-to-do city folk relaxed and socialized at Langford Lake.[8]
Langford was incorporated as a district on December 8, 1992,[9] and became a city in 2003.
Langford is the urban core of the five suburban municipalities comprising the region ofWest Shore for a combined population of about 75,000. Its municipal neighbours areColwood to the southeast,Highlands to the north,Metchosin to the southwest, andView Royal to the northeast.
Notable physical features of Langford include the three prominent lakes (Langford Lake, Glen Lake and Florence Lake) stocked with Trout, and theHumpback Reservoir, several peaks such asMount Finlayson andMount Wells, and the notableGoldstream Provincial Park. TheMalahat drive, part of theTrans-Canada Highway, begins in Langford, and theGalloping Goose Regional Trail and theIsland Rail Corridor cross the city.
Langford enjoys atemperate climate with mild temperatures and distinct dry and rainy seasons.[10] Most built-up areas in Langford are onbasalt bedrock, while lower-lying regions of the Langford Plain from Langford Lake to Royal Bay are glacial till, and Happy Valley andGoldstream River valley are on deep sand of the Colwood Delta.[11]
Old growth forestlands were once abundant in Langford buturban sprawl threatens naturalhabitat including coastalDouglas fir,western red cedar,arbutus trees andGarry oak ecosystems. The last remaining pockets ofarbutus groves andGarry oak meadows are unique to southernVancouver Island and only about five percent of the ecosystems remain in their natural state. The unique Mediterranean characteristics of the island's climate support the Garry oak ecosystem in the few remaining undeveloped areas of Langford, and are under threat due to rapid growth, high-density subdivisions, and urbanization.[12]
In the2021 Census of Population conducted byStatistics Canada, Langford had a population of 46,584 living in 19,050 of its 19,968 total private dwellings, a change of 31.8% from its 2016 population of 35,342. With a land area of 41.43 km2 (16.00 sq mi), it had a population density of1,124.4/km2 (2,912.2/sq mi) in 2021.[1]
Langford was ranked as the fastest growing community in British Columbia and the third fastest growing city in Canada in the 2021 census, attracting new residents from all overGreater Victoria, theLower Mainland,Ontario, andAlberta due to new housing developments, a strong real estate market and affordability, a desirable temperate climate with warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters, ample amenities as the commercial centre ofWest Shore, and year-long recreational activities.[19][20]
The median household income in 2015 for Langford was $80,331, which is almost 15% higher than the British Columbia provincial average of $69,995.[21]
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| Population counts are not adjusted for boundary changes. Source: Statistics Canada[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Panethnic group | 2021[1] | 2016[21] | 2011[22] | 2006[23] | 2001[24] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
| European[a] | 35,845 | 77.6% | 29,230 | 83.71% | 25,220 | 87.1% | 20,010 | 89.75% | 17,160 | 91.94% |
| Indigenous | 2,685 | 5.81% | 2,090 | 5.99% | 1,490 | 5.15% | 940 | 4.22% | 665 | 3.56% |
| Southeast Asian[b] | 1,935 | 4.19% | 825 | 2.36% | 410 | 1.42% | 320 | 1.44% | 55 | 0.29% |
| South Asian | 1,880 | 4.07% | 910 | 2.61% | 690 | 2.38% | 490 | 2.2% | 270 | 1.45% |
| East Asian[c] | 1,720 | 3.72% | 1,000 | 2.86% | 655 | 2.26% | 235 | 1.05% | 225 | 1.21% |
| African | 725 | 1.57% | 250 | 0.72% | 180 | 0.62% | 100 | 0.45% | 120 | 0.64% |
| Latin American | 640 | 1.39% | 375 | 1.07% | 155 | 0.54% | 85 | 0.38% | 50 | 0.27% |
| Middle Eastern[d] | 390 | 0.84% | 120 | 0.34% | 80 | 0.28% | 20 | 0.09% | 0 | 0% |
| Other[e] | 370 | 0.8% | 120 | 0.34% | 55 | 0.19% | 105 | 0.47% | 100 | 0.54% |
| Total responses | 46,190 | 99.15% | 34,920 | 98.81% | 28,955 | 99.07% | 22,295 | 99.27% | 18,665 | 99.07% |
| Total population | 46,584 | 100% | 35,342 | 100% | 29,228 | 100% | 22,459 | 100% | 18,840 | 100% |
According to the2021 census, religious groups in Langford included:[1]
Activities in Langford include shopping at the many retail stores on Goldstream Ave, Millstream Village[25] and Westshore Town Centre[26] (formerly Canwest Mall) with its 55 stores and services including major department, grocery, and retail chain stores as well as a seven-screen Cineplex[27] movie theatre.[28][29]
Langford's city parks include City Centre Park,[30] with a family-friendly entertainment zone including a Family Fun Park,a bowling alley and ice rink,[31] and Veterans Memorial Park[32] located in the heart of downtown, and at the centre a cenotaph commemorating the men and women of theCanadian Forces who have given their lives in the line of duty and where Langford holds its yearlyRemembrance Day ceremony on Nov 11.
Community events include parades, a seasonal farmer's market,[33] the Summer Festival, and Luxton Fair in September.[34]Rugby Canada[35] has its headquarters in Langford practising atStarlight Stadium. A new $30 million YMCA/YWCA Aquatic Centre[36] opened in May 2016, acclaimed by the mayor to be the "biggest project in the history of Langford", and features multiple pools, recreation facilities and a new library.[37]
Langford is home to golf courses includingBear Mountain Resort[38] onSkirt Mountain. The large community resort offers a system of mountain bike trails as the training centre for the Canadian National Mountain Bike Team[39] and is planning the development of clay tennis courts for the national team and a professional disc golf course.[40]
There are many lakes in the area for fishing, swimming and non-motorized boating including Langford, Glen and Florence Lake. Langford is known for the many nature parks and a network of trails popular with hikers and walkers alike including Mill Hill Park,Mount Wells,Thetis Lake Regional Park and the challenging high-elevationMount Finlayson. Cyclists enjoy the picturesque multi-useGalloping Goose Trail, formerly a Canadian National railway line, that moves through urban and rural parts of Langford and is used as a commuter trail to downtown Victoria, approximately 45 minutes away by bicycle.The trans Canada trail goes through the cityGoldstream Provincial Park is a large 477 ha (1,180 acres) nature reserve home to old-growth trees, waterfalls, estuaries and a visitor centre and Nature House[41] offering many visitor activities such as camping, picnicking, hiking, and wildlife watching like eagle viewing during the annual salmon run.[5][42]
Langford has three fire stations[43] with a mix of 62 volunteer and career members, led by Chief Chris Aubrey.
The region is policed by the West Shore detachment[44] of theRoyal Canadian Mounted Police. Additionally, Langford is also home to the central BC Ambulance 911 call centre,Ambulance Station 109 located at 2764 Leigh Rd, which provides 911 dispatch services to Vancouver Island and the surrounding islands.[45][46][47][48]
Langford is a part of theSchool District 62 Sooke with approximately 12,900 students in 2023.[49] The school district serves the communities ofSooke,Port Renfrew,Metchosin,Colwood, Highlands, and Langford. Ten of the 25 schools are in Langford including one middle school and one high school. In 2015, two new state-of-the-art high schools[50] were built to aLEED Gold standard to replace the 65-year-old Belmont high school: lake-frontBelmont Secondary School (the largest on Vancouver Island) in Langford with a capacity of 1,200-students, and the ocean-sideRoyal Bay Secondary School inColwood with 800 students.[50] Both high schools are already overcapacity due to rapidly expanding region. There is also the Westshore Centre for Learning and Training, and the Lighthouse Christian Academy[51] which serves Kindergarten to Grade 12.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
Langford travel guide from WikivoyagePlaces adjacent to Langford, British Columbia | |
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