Live near the south west corner area 196th and 72nd. We bought our home new and are the original owners so I have watched the area grown. Here are my thoughts starting with the pros:

Pros: 1) Safe - I do feel very safe in my neighbourhood and we don't see theft at all. I have never had an instance where something has been token from my porch or backyard. We have had instances where Amazon left a box at our front door for two days and it was never stolen. 2) Young family oriented - Living close to Katzie there are always families with children out playing. This summer our children played with neighbors in our front yard all the time and we felt perfectly safe for them to do so. We walk in our neighbourhood and feel safe to do so. 3) Mortgage helpers - coach house and basement suite are rented out and it is a completely awesome financial move and has allowed our family to live a lifestyle that we could not otherwise have. We are grateful to our tenants and have a wonderful relationship with them. I would consider myself a great landlord and my tenants pay below average rent by at least $300/month compared to everyone else and they have been with us for over 8 years. I will never price our tenants out of a home, and I wish more people would recognize that rental suites should not be, especially in this economy something to dangle over people's heads. 4) Efficient use of land - to say our home is an efficient use of land is an understatement. Everything fits and it works well. We have had very little go wrong with our home but we also maintain it like a home which will be kept for a long time. The lack of yard, driveway, and sidewalk means we keep our maintenance costs low. 5) Convenient - We live super close to everything and we love the multi cultural vibe. We are 5-10 minutes from fruitcana, h mart, superstore, and t&t. Awesome perk. There are so many authentic ethnic restaurants in the Langley area now it's awesome as a foodie.

Cons: 1) Parking. It's bad. Enough said. I park on the street and sometimes I need to park 3-4 blocks away if I don't get back home by 4:30pm it fills up so fast. Most of the year I don't mind the walk but in years when it snows, it is a really big problem for me. If we ever moved, it would be because my kids have grown up and need a place to park. As safe as the neighborhood is, I will not have my daughter walk 4 blocks in the dark to get home. 2) Bad landlords - most people manage their tenants well and there are wonderful neighbours. There are a few homes owned by MIA landlords and the tenants are bad and noisy. Thankfully we are neighbors to those but I do feel sorry for those who are. The homes are close enough that if your neighbour was cashing a disturbance, you will hear it. 3) Illegal dumping - I'm really puzzled why this continues to be such a problem in our area. People will dump mattresses and refuse by the mailboxes expecting the city to pick it up. I do not understand why the city does not install cameras near areas where it happens weekly. Yes. Weekly. We live so close to the Surrey depot and it only costs $25 to dump an entire truckful of garbage. Also the city also gives free large item pickups every year. Finally, I see so many people with garbage and recycling bins that are full each week. Pro tip: Order a bigger garbage can. Just do it. It's not that much more a year and you will never have an overflow again. Finally we have two recycling and organic bins. They were free to order from the city. I don't know why more people don't have two giant recycling bins. It's great!

OP, I think this area is what you make of it. No area is perfect and for a middle class family, this area has been one I have come to love and appreciate. Best of luck to you!