Cloverdale, British Columbia

Cloverdale is a historic town and designated town centre of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, located west of the City of Langley, an eastern suburb of Vancouver. The town was founded initially as a small farm community in 1870 for its fertile land and temperate climate, and has since become enveloped by suburban sprawl from Surrey, making it a small town in the suburbs. Cloverdale is known by some as the historic centre of Surrey, B.C., and is home to many heritage sites. One of its oldest buildings, Christ Church, was built in 1882 and still stands today. Cloverdale is also the home to the City of Surrey's official Museum.HistoryWilliam Shannon was one of the first settlers to the Surrey region, homesteading at this location in 1875. He was inspired to name the area from the clover that grew there in abundance.Film industryCloverdale is best known outside its immediate vicinity as the primary "main street" and "downtown" sets for the television show Smallville. In the past, a billboard once stood on the edge of the community that read, "Destination Cloverdale - Home of Smallville."The community has been home to other filming, including one of Coca-Cola's Christmas commercials. Despite filming during summer, the town square was decked with Christmas decorations, including fake snow.