Murrayville is a small community in the

Township of Langley The Township of Langley is a district municipality immediately east of the City of Surrey in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It extends south from the Fraser River to the Canada–United States border, and west of the City of Abbotsford. ...

in the

Lower Mainland The Lower Mainland is a geographic and cultural region of the mainland coast of British Columbia that generally comprises the regional districts of Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. Home to approximately 3.05million people as of the 2021 ...

region of

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

.BC Names entry "Murrayville (community)"
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History

In 1870, Paul Murray settled in this location and together with his sons owned a quarter section of land on each of the four corners of Yale Road and what now is 216th Street. This area became known as "Murrays corner" after Alexander Murray, who drowned in the

Fraser River The Fraser River () is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Blackrock Mountain (Canada), Blackrock Mountain in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia just south of the City of V ...

in January 1884 while attempting in vain to save a friend. Originally Murray was buried at the

Fort Langley Fort Langley is a village community in Township of Langley, British Columbia, Canada. It has a population of approximately 3,400 people. It is the home of Fort Langley National Historic Site, a former fur trade post of the Hudson's Bay Company ...

Cemetery but when the

Odd Fellows Odd Fellows (or Oddfellows when referencing the Grand United Order of Oddfellows or some British-based fraternities; also Odd Fellowship or Oddfellowship) is an international fraternity consisting of lodges first documented in 1730 in 18th-cen ...

Cemetery opened his family exhumed his body and relocated it so that he would be closer to home. In 1925, the post office named it "Murrayville". The area between 216 street, 216a street, 48th ave and 48A avenue is one of the oldest subdivisions in Langley. Of the eight building lots in this subdivision there are still 6 heritage houses (built before 1930).

Features

Murrayville is the location of the Township of Langley Operations Centre,

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...

offices, and the Langley school board office. The neighbourhood is home to the W.C. Blair Recreation Centre, which houses a

wave pool A wave pool is a swimming pool in which there are artificially generated, large waves, similar to those of the ocean. Wave pools are often a major feature of water parks, both indoors and outdoors, as well as some leisure centres. History Th ...

with six 25m swimming lanes and a shallow children's area, as well as a

sauna A sauna (, ) is a room or building designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions or an establishment with one or more of these facilities. The steam and high heat make the bathers perspire. A thermometer in a sauna is used to meas ...

and

hot tub A hot tub is a large tub full of water used for hydrotherapy, relaxation or pleasure. Some have powerful jets for massage purposes. Hot tubs are sometimes also known as "spas" or by the trade name Jacuzzi. Hot tubs may be located outdoors or ...

. The building also contains a Fitness Room, a weight room, a meeting room, and a multi-purpose room. Among the historical buildings is an old church building that is currently being used by Holy Nativity Orthodox Church, and the Murrayville Community Hall which has been recently renovated inside to try to bring back some heritage aesthetic. The hall was originally donated by P.Y. Porter and is now used by area residents to hold many different types of functions.

Education

Served by

School District 35 Langley School District 35 Langley is a school district in British Columbia. This includes the municipalities of Langley Township and Langley City. History The Langley School District is one of the earliest school districts in British Columbia. It w ...

, Murrayville has two elementary schools and one high school; James Hill Elementary School, Langley Fundamental Elementary School, and

Langley Secondary School Langley Secondary is a public high school in Langley, British Columbia part of School District 35 Langley. It is the oldest secondary school in the Langley School District, having been opened in 1949. Langley Secondary offers programs for stu ...

. The historic garage has been restored to home the Langley Montessori Elementary School and Early Learning Centre. It also has a Christian elementary and secondary school: Credo Christian Elementary School and Credo Christian High School.

Famous residents

Robb Gordon Robb Gordon (born January 13, 1976)https://www.nhl.com/player/robb-gordon-8460530 is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey centre who played briefly in the National Hockey League for the Vancouver Canucks. Selected by the Canucks in the 1 ...

Danny Lorenz Danny Lorenz (born December 12, 1969) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He was drafted in the third round of the 1988 NHL Entry Draft and played in eight National Hockey League games for the New York Islanders from 1990 to 1 ...

Ben Heppner Thomas Bernard Heppner (born January 14, 1956) is a renowned Canadian tenor and broadcaster, now retired from singing, who specialized in opera and other classical works for voice. Early life Heppner, was born in Murrayville, British Columb ...

Ryan Reynolds Ryan Rodney Reynolds (born October 23, 1976) is a Canadian and American actor, producer and businessman. Known for starring in comedic and superhero films, he was the List of highest-paid film actors, world's second-highest-paid actor in 202 ...

References

{{coord, 49, 05, 00, N, 122, 37, 00, W, display=title Neighbourhoods in Langley, British Columbia Langley, British Columbia (district municipality)