Fort Langley, Murrayville and Brookswood: Three Township of Langley Neighbourhoods

Fort Langley, Murrayville and Brookswood are three distinct communities in the Township of Langley: a heritage village on the Fraser River; the Township's traditional civic core, home to Langley Memorial Hospital; and an area of mostly single-family homes among trees and parkland in the south. Here is what each is like, how to get around, and what to check before you buy.

The short version

Three communities in the Township

Fort Langley, Murrayville and Brookswood are communities in the Township of Langley, a separate municipality from the City of Langley, with its own council, taxes and zoning. The Township had 132,603 people in the 2021 Census, on about 307 km² of land. Addresses in both municipalities often just say Langley, so check a home's property tax notice. I compare the two in City of Langley or Township of Langley?, and cover the Township's northwest in Willoughby and Walnut Grove.

Fort Langley

The Township describes Fort Langley, on the banks of the Fraser River, as the birthplace of BC, with museums, shops, restaurants, art galleries, parks, trails and the Langley Rowing and Paddling Centre.

• The fort. The Hudson's Bay Company built its first fort on the lower Fraser in 1827 and moved to the present site in 1839. In 1858, the British government chose the fort as the place to proclaim the new colony of British Columbia. Fort Langley National Historic Site, run by Parks Canada, sits on the south bank of the river, about 48 km east of downtown Vancouver.
• The Bedford Channel. North of the fort, across the Bedford Channel, a side channel of the Fraser, lies McMillan Island, where the Kwantlen First Nation, important trading partners of the fort, still live. Brae Island, also across the channel, is home to Metro Vancouver's Brae Island Regional Park, where you can stroll, cycle, paddle, picnic and camp along the river.
• Heritage. Fort Langley has one of the Township's two heritage conservation areas, and the Fort Langley Community Plan, first adopted in 1987, places the village's commercial core in it. In a heritage conservation area, subdividing, altering or demolishing a building, or constructing a new one, typically needs a heritage alteration permit. The plan also names the Fort Langley Community Hall and the Canadian Northern Railway station as designated heritage buildings.
• Homes and farmland. The plan describes single-family homes as the main use in the village's residential areas, and the village as surrounded by the Salmon River and by farms on its floodplain, in the Agricultural Land Reserve.

Murrayville

Murrayville grew from Murray's Corners, which its community plan describes as the first community in Langley to develop outside Fort Langley, serving travellers and local farmers. The plan area lies on both sides of Fraser Highway, just east of the City of Langley, and the Township calls Murrayville its traditional civic core. The Township's second heritage conservation area is here, and the plan places it around the historic core.

• Civic services. Langley Memorial Hospital, the Langley RCMP main detachment and the Langley School District offices are all in Murrayville.
• Shops and recreation. The community plan puts shops and offices along 48 Avenue, on either side of the civic core, and W.C. Blair Recreation Centre, at 22200 Fraser Highway, is the closest recreation centre.
• The airport. Langley Regional Airport is also in Murrayville. The community plan says federal height restrictions around it must be observed and that development nearby must consider noise and safety, so ask about both if you plan to build.

Brookswood-Fernridge and Aldergrove

In the south of the Township, Brookswood-Fernridge is noted, in the Township's words, for its abundance of parkland, trees, natural spaces and conservation areas, and its homes are mainly single-family. It has the George Preston Recreation Centre, a BMX track, a skateboard park and the Brookswood Library on 40 Avenue.

• Planning for more homes. Growth there is guided by the Brookswood-Fernridge Community Plan, adopted in October 2017, and by neighbourhood plans for the Booth, Fernridge and Rinn areas, which Council approved in July 2023 and revised in 2024. Together they plan for small-scale multi-unit housing, rowhouses and townhouses, and commercial areas for shops and services. Ask the Township what the plans allow on a given street before you buy.
• Aldergrove. On the Township's eastern border, Aldergrove has a mix of rural, residential and business uses, with the Gloucester Industrial Park, parkland, shops and the Aldergrove Community Centre on Fraser Highway.

Getting around

• Fraser Highway. It runs east from the City of Langley through Murrayville, past Langley Memorial Hospital and W.C. Blair Recreation Centre, and on to Aldergrove, where the community centre is at 27032 Fraser Highway.
• Highway 1 and SkyTrain. The Province has been widening Highway 1 between 216 Street and 264 Street, and the Surrey Langley SkyTrain, named the Dave Barrett Extension in September 2026 and expected to open in late 2029, will end at Langley City Centre, in the City of Langley. I cover both in my Willoughby and Walnut Grove guide.
• Buses. Check TransLink's trip planner for service to a particular address before you buy, especially in the more rural parts of the Township.

Schools and health care

All three communities are in the Langley School District (School District 35), which serves both the City and the Township. It offers French Immersion, Fundamental and Alternate programs, and its School Locator and catchment maps show the schools for an address.

• Langley Fine Arts School. At 9096 Trattle Street in Fort Langley, it pairs a full academic program with visual arts, creative writing, dance, drama, music and photography, and students apply to attend.
• Langley Memorial Hospital. Fraser Health's community hospital, at 22051 Fraser Highway in Murrayville, has a 24/7 emergency department, general surgery, maternity care with a neonatal intensive care unit, an intensive care unit and an inpatient psychiatry unit.

Before you buy

• Floodplain. The Fort Langley plan describes the village as surrounded by the floodplain of the Fraser and Salmon rivers. The Province's floodplain map for this part of the Township covers both rivers and Brae Island and shows a Fort Langley Dike, with the Township as the local diking authority, and it warns that flooding may occur outside the floodplain areas shown. Ask the Township about a specific property, and ask your insurer about overland flood coverage; I explain more in Floodplains and Flood Insurance.
• Farmland. About 75% of the Township's land is in the Agricultural Land Reserve. ALR land can generally have only one residence per parcel unless it qualifies for an additional residence, and local zoning can restrict homes further. See Buying an Acreage in the Fraser Valley.
• Heritage. If a home is in the Fort Langley or Murrayville heritage conservation area, or is a designated heritage property, changes generally go through a heritage alteration permit, so ask the Township before you plan a renovation or rebuild. A listing on the Township's Community Heritage Register isn't heritage designation or permanent protection, but it flags heritage factors for owners and buyers and lets the Township monitor proposed changes through its permit process.
• More homes per lot. Since November 18, 2024, eligible Township lots can have three units, or four on lots over 280 m². A lot generally has to be inside the urban containment boundary, connected to municipal water and sewer, no larger than 4,050 m² and not designated heritage by bylaw, so confirm eligibility with Township staff. I explain the rules in More Homes per Lot.

Questions buyers often ask me

Is Fort Langley part of the City of Langley?

No. Fort Langley, Murrayville and Brookswood are all in the Township of Langley, a separate municipality from the City. The Township had 132,603 people in the 2021 Census.

Why is Fort Langley called the birthplace of BC?

In 1858, the British government chose the Hudson's Bay Company's Fort Langley as the place to proclaim the new colony of British Columbia. The fort is now a national historic site run by Parks Canada.

Which hospital serves Murrayville?

Langley Memorial Hospital, Fraser Health's community hospital at 22051 Fraser Highway, is in Murrayville itself. It has a 24/7 emergency department, general surgery and maternity care.

Is Fort Langley in a floodplain?

Its community plan describes the village as surrounded by the floodplain of the Fraser and Salmon rivers, and the Province's floodplain map shows a Fort Langley Dike. Ask the Township about a specific property, and check overland flood coverage with your insurer.

Can I build more homes on a Brookswood lot?

Possibly. Since November 18, 2024, eligible Township lots can have three or four units, but a lot generally has to be inside the urban containment boundary and connected to municipal water and sewer. Confirm with the Township, and ask what the area's neighbourhood plans allow for that lot.

Browse homes for sale in Langley, and if you are looking at an older home in Fort Langley or Murrayville, read Buying an Older Home in BC.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Population figures are from the 2021 Census, and other details are from the Township of Langley and its community plans, Parks Canada, Metro Vancouver, the Langley School District, Fraser Health, the Agricultural Land Commission and the Province at the time of writing. For the Township's plans, see community and neighbourhood plans.