8/19/2019 Langley Advance Welcome to the Neighbourhood page 10

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A Better Way of Life

Langley AdvanceWelcome to the Neighbourhood, 2016   WELCOME

area in Langley’sern edge ised for some majorges in the future.

 minor boomtownbuilt around orchardsand poultry farms,Aldergrove has long

mong the quietest ofy’s many neighbourhoods.ough settlers had arrivedears previously, the storyrgrove began in 1909and promoter Frederickart essentially foundede of the community’sown.in a year the new townchurch, a pub, a hotel,her shop, even an opera

erly known as Alderthe town’s name became

e word and quickly gainedsidents.e several neighbourhoods

went a pre-First Worlduilding boom, Aldergroveped its own identity. Theunity, a fair distance eastgley Prairie, Murrayville,

southeast of Forty, founded its own localunity organizations.912, the Aldergrovetural Association had first fall fair, a traditioncontinues to this day and

remains one of the long-est-running public celebra-tions in the Langleys.

Aldergrove also hostsits own annual Christmasparade, and a large con-tingent of the communitycomes out every year tomarch in or to watch theRemembrance Day paradedown Fraser Highway tothe local Royal CanadianLegion branch.

The population of Aldergrovehas grown to about 12,300people, with suburban homesand a few condos to both thenorth and south of the down-town.

For decades, the downtownof Aldergrove, along FraserHighway and centered near272nd Street, has served as a

place where the farmers of thesurrounding area could findshops, services, and schools.

In the 1980s, industrialdevelopment took place, both onAldergrove’s western edge near264th Street, and to the north inthe Gloucester Industrial Park.

One of the last remainingdrive-in movie theatres inCanada relocated to Aldergrove,and the Twilight Drive-In still

shows new movies every week-end in the off season, and everynight as soon as the weatherimproves.

Aldergrove is notable for hav-ing or being near a large numberof parks. Its athletic parks havebeen expanded over the lastdecade, and to the south is theAldergrove Regional Park, whichsprawls into nearby Abbotsford.

In recent years, the Township

council has been pushing for

Aldergrove’s future develop-ment.Surrounded by the Agricultural

Land Reserve, Aldergrove hadnowhere to sprawl, so the

decision was madeto let the town growupwards.

In 2010, Townshipcouncil approved anew Core Plan forAldergrove that wouldallow for more mixed-use housing andsix-storey developmentsin the downtown area.It aims to ultimatelyincrease the populationin the downtown corefrom about 500 peopleto as much as 5,000.

In 2015, plans were unveiledfor a major new downtown reccentre that is hoped will helpkick off the development.

The Aldergrove Rec Centre wilcreate a new ice rink, outdoorpool, and water park along withother amenities into one facility.

It will be located on the edgeof the downtown, and construc-tion began in 2016.

dergrove one of Langley’s emerging areasDowntown Aldergrove hosts localshops and services, as it has for acentury. The annual RemembranceDay ceremony (below left) draws acrowd of thousands. Aldergrove’shistory is preserved by localvolunteeers at venues like the AlderGrove Telephone Museum.Langley Advance files