Auckland Park

Auckland Park
Auckland Park Show map of Gauteng Auckland Park Show map of South Africa
Coordinates: 26°11′20″S28°00′32″E / 26.1890°S 28.0089°E / -26.1890; 28.0089 Coordinates: 26°11′20″S28°00′32″E / 26.1890°S 28.0089°E / -26.1890; 28.0089
Country	South Africa
Province	Gauteng
Municipality	City of Johannesburg
Main Place	Johannesburg
Established	1888
Area [1]
• Total	1.50 km2 (0.58 sq mi)
Population  (2011) [1]
• Total	3,276
• Density	2,200/km2 (5,700/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011) [1]
•  Black African	51.7%
•  Coloured	3.3%
•  Indian/Asian	13.2%
•  White	29.9%
• Other	1.9%
First languages (2011) [1]
•  English	41.2%
•  Afrikaans	17.4%
•  Zulu	9.5%
•  Tswana	7.2%
• Other	24.7%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)	2092
PO box	2006
Area code	010

Auckland Park is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. It lies on a gentle slope, and is in close proximity to the suburbs of Melville, Brixton, Westdene and Richmond. Auckland Park is one of the few suburbs close to the Johannesburg city centre that has remained largely unaffected by the recent migration of Johannesburg residents to the city's northern suburbs. ^[2] Auckland Park is home to a mix of nationalities and cultures, ^[2] and the suburb is well known as the location of the South African Broadcasting Corporation headquarters. ^[3]

History

The suburb was laid out by John Landau in 1896, a New Zealander who named the area due to the similarities he experienced between the region and the city of Auckland, his native home. ^{[4] [5] : 177} It was established in 1888 after the land was purchased from Petrus Lindeque and was part of an old Witwatersrand farm called Braamfontein. ^[4] Landau would open the Auckland Park Hotel. ^{[5] : 57}

Street names in the area are named after places along the river Thames: Richmond, Twickenham, Ditton and Kingston, among others. ^[2] Some of the city of Johannesburg's first residents settled in Auckland Park, as the region was still considered to be "in the country" relative to the city centre. Victorian gentry who had made South Africa their home would have had weekend homes in the area. The original site offered a boating lake, located where the Country Club Johannesburg is today, as well as a horse racing track, where the University of Johannesburg (formerly RAU) is. ^[2]

The Country Club Johannesburg, was built by the Auckland Park Real Estate Company on the grounds of the old hotel, opening on 22 December 1906 by Mayor W. Kidger Tucker with the lake fed by the Braamfontein Spruit. ^{[5] : 57}

Education

Auckland Park is home to a number of academic institutions including the University of Johannesburg and private schools such as the Auckland Park Academy of Excellence, The Johannesburg Bible College (Auckland Park Campus), Auckland Park Nursery School and Auckland Park Preparatory School. The Deutsche Internationale Schule Johannesburg is in Auckland Park. ^[6]

References

1. "Auckland Park". census2011.adrianfrith.com. Archived from the original on 25 August 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
2. "About Auckland Park". www.SA-Venues.com. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
3. "Contact Us". SABC. Archived from the original on 10 August 2015. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
4. Raper, P. E.; Moller, Lucie A.; du Plessis, Theodorus L. (2014). Dictionary of Southern African Place Names (4th ed.). Johannesburg: Jonathan Ball Publishers. p. 1412. ISBN   978-1-86842-550-1.
5. Musiker, Naomi; Musiker, Reuben (2000). A Concise Historical Dictionary of Greater Johannesburg. Cape Town: Francolin Publishers. ISBN   1-86859-071-2.
6. "Contact". Deutsche Internationale Schule Johannesburg. Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2015.