Langley, Washington

How Langley is governed

Form of government not yet listed.

0 of 14 positions listed. Gray dashed boxes are placeholders waiting for a name.

• Mayor

  Executive

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  The city's chief elected official. Presides over the executive branch, proposes the budget and represents the city.

  • City Manager / Administrator

    Executive

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    The professional administrator who runs day-to-day operations (in some cities appointed by the council instead of the mayor).

    • Police Chief

      Administration & departments

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      Leads the police department.

    • Fire Chief

      Administration & departments

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      Leads the fire and emergency services department.

    • Public Works Director

      Administration & departments

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      Streets, water, sewer, and city buildings.

    • Finance Director

      Administration & departments

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      The budget, taxes, and city accounts.

    • Planning & Zoning Director

      Administration & departments

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      Land use, zoning, building permits.

    • Parks & Recreation Director

      Administration & departments

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      Parks, programs, and public facilities.

• City Council

  Legislative

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  The elected body that passes ordinances, sets the tax rate and approves the budget.

  • City Clerk

    Administration & departments

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    Keeps the official records, runs meeting agendas and, often, local elections.

  • City Attorney

    Administration & departments

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    The city's lawyer; advises officials and prosecutes ordinance violations.

  • Boards & Commissions

    Legislative

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    Citizen advisory bodies, such as planning, zoning appeals and library boards.

• Municipal Court

  Judicial

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  Hears traffic, ordinance and other minor cases.

  • Municipal Judge

    Judicial

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    Presides over the municipal court.

Website

langleywa.org

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Population over time

From 1,035 in 2010 to 1,147 in 2020 (+10.8%).

History

Pre-contact

Snohomish people have inhabited south Whidbey Island for thousands of years. Langley is known in the Lushootseed language as sc̓q̓abac, meaning "gooseberry bush."

The site of Langley was a camping spot used during clam harvesting in the summer months. Nearby, there was a village of the dəgʷasx̌abš, a Snohomish band, approximately one mile east of Langley on Sandy Point (Lushootseed: č̓əč̓ɬqs). This village had a large potlatch house, which brought visitors, even as distant as the Samish, during festivities.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, smallpox epidemics rocked the Northwest Coast, killing 90 percent of the population. In 1792, the village at č̓əč̓ɬqs was seen by Joseph Whidbey, who noted that the population seemed to be about 200 people. Later, the village would be abandoned in the late 1800s after the removal of the Snohomish people to the Tulalip Reservation.

American settlement

Langley was founded in the 1890s by Jacob Anthes, and was named for J.W. Langley of Seattle. In 1902, Anthes built a logger bunkhouse that still stands in the downtown core (now functioning as the South Whidbey Historical Society Museum). Langley was officially incorporated on February 26, 1913.

In the late 1900s, a number of 4H rabbits escaped their enclosures at the Island County Fair and went on to thrive as a large feral population initially residing around the county fairgrounds and later spreading throughout Langley and south Whidbey Island. In the 2010s the rabbits became a controversial issue in local politics, with citizens and groups advocating for public policy positions from removal and relocation to eradication. Some favored controlling the rabbit population using raptors, while others advocated for a more lenient position of community acceptance. Several diseases decimated the feral rabbit population between 2021 and 2023. The majority of the rabbits to service were native species; however, a very small number of feral rabbits have been seen in the summers of 2024 and 2025.

The Olympic Club

The Dog House was opened in 1908 as an elite gentlemen's club called "The Olympic Club". However, on opening night the founder realized that he didn't have enough money to pay the entertainers, so he left town with all the money. Over the years, the building has acted as host to many businesses.

During the Prohibition era, the building was host to underground boxing and wrestling matches which were illegal on the mainland.

When Prohibition ended, the club became a public bar, and operated as a restaurant and bar until its closure in 2008. The Clyde Theatre began in the top floor of this building.

The building has been undergoing massive renovations by the new owners since the early 2010s. They are hoping to be able to reopen the building to business by 2027.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Other cities in Washington

• Seattle 737,015
• Spokane 228,989
• Tacoma 219,346
• Vancouver 190,915
• Bellevue 151,854
• Kent 136,588
• Everett 110,629
• Renton 106,785

All Washington cities →