Ladner, British Columbia
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Ladner was created as a fishing village on the banks of the Fraser River. It is now part of the Municipality of Delta, British Columbia, Canada, and a suburb of Vancouver.
Named for one of the founding families, it developed as a center for farming and fishing. The ferry at Captain's Cove allowed for access across the river to Richmond, British Columbia. The George Massey Tunnel provided a permanent connection in 1959.
Paired together with its suburban neighbour to the south, Tsawwassen, these two communities make up the unofficial region known as "South Delta".
Ladner had a population of 21,360 in the 2001 census.[Corporation of Delta website], retrieved April 4, 2006
Location and Features
Ladner is bound to the west by the Strait of Georgia, the south by Tsawwasen, to the east by North Delta, and north by the Fraser River. Ladner is bisected by Highway 17, which runs north-south from Highway 99 to the BC Ferries terminal. The term East Ladner is often applied to the portion of the community east of the highway. The major east-west artery is called Highway 10 (which runs east into the Fraser Valley) east of Highway 17, and is called Ladner Trunk Road west of Highway 17, until it passes Arthur Drive, a north-south road that connects it with Tsawwassen. West of Arthur Drive it is simply called 47A Avenue.
River Road runs east from the north end of Highway 17 along the Fraser River into North Delta and Surrey. The area between Highway 17 and North Delta is referred to as Tilbury and is one of the major industrial centres of the Lower Mainland, with many large warehouses, industrial parks and factories.
Lying to the south of the delta of the Fraser River, there are numerous islands just off the mainland that are part of Ladner. Most are small and only reachable by boat, with exceptions like Reifel Island, which hosts a large bird sanctuary and is dedicated to protecting and preserving the numerous bird species found in the area, especially bald eagles and various owl species. Westham Island is a fairly large island and a popular destination for its numerous organic farms, especially its berry farms.
A major feature of Ladner is the portion called Ladner Village, which is in the section of the town north of Ladner Trunk Road and west of Arthur Drive. This is an heritage community with wide, boulevarded sidewalks, open-air cafes and local shops. There are some heritage residences in this area, mostly built in the 1930s, but apartment complexes replaced many of them some decades back. 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 is found. The town is experiencing a boom of condominium development in this area, and the population is growing accordingly. Numerous parks are found throughout the community, especially along the canals which used to be used for transport through the area. No longer passable for boats, today they are still clean and fresh enough to allow fishing along their banks.
Ladner is the location of the Delta Municipal Hall, police station, and the Delta Hospital. Public education is administered by School District 37 Delta. Schools include Delta Secondary School and K-7 elementary schools including Hawthorne, Delta Manor, Holly, Ladner, and Port Guichon. Independent K-7 schools [Sacred Heart] and Delta Christian also serve local students.
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.[Edmonton Sun], March 1, 2006 It was the third such party in South Delta in the last year.[The Delta Optimist], March 1, 2006
Holidays and Attractions
Each spring Ladner hosts the Ladner Pioneer May Days (commonly referred to by residents simply as May Days), the longest-running festival in Delta, which is held on the weekend following the holiday commemorating Queen Victoria's birthday. It includes a parade, a carnival, and other local events. Every other Sunday during the summer months the major streets in the village are reserved for a farmer's market featuring live music, food, entertainment, fresh local produce and homemade arts and crafts. Vendors from as far away as Kelowna and Vancouver Island, along with many local farmers and artisans, set up stalls selling hand-crafted and locally grown products. This market has become a major draw to the community, attracting a few thousand out-of-town visitors each market day.
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 Final Destination, Josie and the Pussycats, and X-Men 3, as well as various television productions such as Smallville and The X-Files. The town is currently standing in for the fictional town "Milford" in the new ABC series Three Moons Over Milford.
External links and references
Notes
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