Langford is one of the fastest growing communities in British Columbia, attracting new residents from all over Greater Victoria, the Lower Mainland, and Alberta due to new housing developments; strong real estate market and affordability; desirable temperate climate with warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters; ample amenities as the commercial centre of West Shore; and year-long recreational activities. It is the largest municipality in the Western Communities, and third-largest in the Capital Regional District after Saanich and Victoria.
Activities in Langford include shopping at the many retail stores at Millstream Village and the large Westshore Town Centre with its 55 stores and services including major department, grocery, and retail chain stores as well as a seven-screen Cineplex movie theatre. Many city parks are attractions in Langford including City Centre Park, with a family-friendly entertainment zone including a Family Fun Park, and Veterans Memorial Park located in the heart of downtown, and at the center a cenotaph commemorating the men and women of the Canadian Forces who have given their lives in the line of duty and where Langford holds its yearly Remembrance Day ceremony.
Community events include many parades, seasonal farmer’s market, the Summer Festival, and Luxton Fair. Rugby Canada has its headquarters in Langford practicing at Westhills Stadium. A new YMCA/YWCA Aquatic Centre, features multiple pools, recreation facilities and a new library. Visitors can also participate in go-karting and mini-golfing, and watch stock-car racing and demolition derby at Western Speedway.
Langford is home to world-class golf courses including Bear Mountain Resort on Skirt Mountain. The large community resort offers a system of mountain bike trails as the training centre for the Canadian National Mountain Bike Team and is currently planning the development of clay tennis courts for the national team and a professional disc golf course.
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 network of trails popular with hikers and walkers alike including Mill Hill Park, Mount Wells, Thetis Lake Regional Park and the challenging high-elevation Mount Finlayson. Cyclists enjoy the picturesque multi-use Galloping Goose Trail, formerly a railway line that moves through urban and rural parts of Langford and is used as a commuter trail to downtown Victoria. Goldstream Provincial Park is a large 477 hectare nature reserve home to old-growth trees, waterfalls, estuaries and offering many visitor activities such as camping, picnicking, hiking, and wildlife watching like eagle viewing during the annual salmon run.