Florida, Gauteng

Last updated

Florida
South Africa Gauteng location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Florida
South Africa adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Florida
Coordinates: 26°10′30″S27°55′23″E / 26.175°S 27.923°E / -26.175; 27.923
Country South Africa
Province Gauteng
Municipality City of Johannesburg
Main Place Roodepoort
Established1890
Area
[1]
  Total6.32 km2 (2.44 sq mi)
Population
 (2011) [1]
  Total20,082
  Density3,200/km2 (8,200/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
[1]
   Black African 35.9%
   Coloured 29.6%
   Indian/Asian 9.5%
   White 23.1%
  Other1.8%
First languages (2011)
[1]
   English 48.1%
   Afrikaans 23.6%
   Zulu 8.2%
   Tswana 5.2%
  Other14.9%
Time zone UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)
1709
PO box
1710
Area code 010

Florida is a location in Gauteng province, South Africa. It is located about 16 kilometres west of Johannesburg. The area which is referred to as Florida was originally established as the farm Vogelstruisfontein. Today, it is a suburb of Roodepoort.

Contents

History

Confidence Reef Mines Confidence Reef Mines 06.jpg
Confidence Reef Mines
Plaque at Confidence Reef Confidence Reef 04.jpg
Plaque at Confidence Reef

Vogelstruisfontein and the farms Roodepoort and Paardekraal were established as mining camps after the discovery of gold in 1881. The suburb was laid out in 1889 and then proclaimed the following year on 14 April 1890 and by 1904 became a suburb of Roodepoort. [2] It was either named after Florida, USA or the suburb's originator Hendrik van Hoven whose late niece was called Florrie. [2]

Geography

Communities

Although Florida was declared as a white area during apartheid, more than half of Florida's residents today are coloured. This is mainly because it is in close proximity to the coloured townships of Bosmont, Coronationville, Newclare, Westbury and Riverlea. Florida Lake is a large area of water south of the railway line. It is flanked by residential properties to the north, and parklands to the east and west.

The main road through Florida, Goldman Street, forms the spine for local business activity and civic services. The local library is one of the best facilities of its kind in Johannesburg.[ citation needed ] The western end of Goldman street is home to a number of antique dealers specialising in Afrikana furniture.

Economy

Retail

Flora Centre is located in Florida Hills and is Florida’s largest and most popular shopping centre.

Sports

The local sports field at Trezona Park is the home to Florida Albion Football Club as well as having facilities for hockey, cricket, tennis and squash.

Education

It is served by Arthur Matthews Primary School, Florida Primary School, Florida Park High School, Afrikaans language Hoërskool Florida and Laerskool Florida as well as private schools such as Victory House Private School and Royal King's School. It is also served by Saint Catherine's Convent: a private all-girls Catholic School. It also is home to a number of pre-schools; most notably, Barbara's Pre-Play School, which was established in 1984.

Infrastructure

Transportation

The railway station is on the Springs to Randfontein line with easy access to Johannesburg. There is a taxi rank around the area of the springs.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johannesburg</span> Largest city in South Africa

Johannesburg is the most populous city in South Africa with 4,803,262 people, and is classified as a megacity; it is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. It is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa. Johannesburg is the seat of the Constitutional Court, the highest court in South Africa. Most of the major South African companies and banks have their head offices in Johannesburg. The city is located within the mineral-rich Witwatersrand hills, the epicentre of the international-scale mineral, gold and (specifically) diamond trade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandton</span> Area in Gauteng province, South Africa

Sandton is a financial, commercial and residential area, located in the northern part of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. Formerly an independent municipality, Sandton's name came from the combination of two of its suburbs, Sandown and Bryanston.

Ashwood is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 14 km south east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Monash local government area. Ashwood recorded a population of 7,154 at the 2021 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randburg</span> Place in Gauteng, South Africa

Randburg is an area located in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Formerly a separate municipality, its administration devolved to the newly created City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, along with neighbouring Sandton and Roodepoort, in the late 1990s. During the transitional period of 1996–2000, Randburg was part of the Northern Metropolitan Local Council (MLC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Springs, South Africa</span> Place in Gauteng, South Africa

Springs is a former independent city that is now part of the City of Ekurhuleni, based in the east of Johannesburg, in Gauteng Province, South Africa. It lies 50 km (31 mi) east of Johannesburg and 72 km (45 mi) southeast from Pretoria. Its name derives from the large number of springs in the area, and its estimated population is more than 121,610 in 2011. It is situated at 1,628 m (5,341 ft) above sea level.

The area referred to as Fourways is the fastest-developing commercial and residential hub in Sandton, north of Johannesburg, South Africa. The main access routes to Fourways are off the N1 at R511 Winnie Mandela Drive, or alternatively along R564 Witkoppen Road. It is located mostly in Region E of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. It is roughly as far as one can go in the Johannesburg Metropolitan area before it dissolves into rolling hills, game farms and the capital Pretoria, 55 kilometres to the northeast. Hartebeespoort Dam and the Magaliesberg Mountains lie half an hour to the north-west. It is bordered by Bryanston to the east and south and Randburg to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alberton, South Africa</span> Place in Gauteng, South Africa

Alberton is a town situated on the southern part of the East Rand of the Gauteng Province in South Africa and is situated very close to the major urban centre of Johannesburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roodepoort</span> Place in Gauteng, South Africa

Roodepoort is a city in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Formerly an independent municipality, Roodepoort became part of the Johannesburg municipality in the late 1990s, along with Randburg and Sandton. Johannesburg's most famous botanical garden, Witwatersrand National Botanical Gardens, is located in Roodepoort.

Dobsonville is a township in greater Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa. It lies to the west of Meadowlands, a part of Diepmeadow, and is adjacent to Mofolo North and Zondi, which are suburbs of Soweto on its southern border.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suburbs of Johannesburg</span>

The suburbs of Johannesburg are officially demarcated areas within the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, South Africa. As in other Commonwealth countries, the term suburb refers to a "neighbourhood", although in South Africa most "suburbs" have legally recognised borders and often separate postal codes. The municipal functions for the area, such as municipal policing and social services, are still managed by the city government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Germiston</span> Place in Gauteng, South Africa

Germiston, also known as kwaDukathole, is a city in the East Rand region of Gauteng, South Africa, administratively forming part of the City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality since the latter's establishment in 2000. It functions as the municipal seat of Ekurhuleni, hosting the municipal council and administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randfontein</span> Place in Gauteng, South Africa

Randfontein is a gold mining town in the West Rand, Gauteng, South Africa, 40 km (25 mi) west of Johannesburg. With the Witwatersrand gold rush in full swing, mining financier JB Robinson bought the farm Randfontein and, in 1889, floated the Randfontein Estates Gold Mining Company. The town was established in 1890 to serve the new mine and was administered by Krugersdorp until it became a municipality in 1929. Apart from having the largest stamp mill in the world, Randfontein, like many of the other outlying areas of Johannesburg, is essentially a rural collection of farms and small holdings in a particularly beautiful part of Gauteng.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middelburg, Mpumalanga</span> Town in Mpumalanga, South Africa

Middelburg is a large farming and industrial town in the South African province of Mpumalanga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pinelands, Cape Town</span> Place in Western Cape, South Africa

Pinelands is an affluent garden city suburb located on the northern edge of the southern suburbs of Cape Town, South Africa, neighbouring the suburb of Thornton, and is known for its large thatched houses and green spaces. The suburb is primarily residential and is often praised for its peacefulness and abundance of trees. Pinelands is one of the few areas in Cape Town in which sale of alcohol to the public is prohibited, but some clubs have private liquor licenses. It is a popular place for senior citizens to retire to. While there are several retirement homes in the suburb, younger people are increasingly moving in.

Kensington is a hilly suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. It was established in 1897 by Max Langermann. It is located in Region F of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality and is bounded to the west by the suburb of Troyeville, to the east by Bedfordview and the north by Bruma and Cyrildene.

Bosmont is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. Bosmont is located in Region 4. Bosmont is located in the West Rand of Johannesburg and nearly all of its residents are Coloured.

Parkview is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. It borders the suburb of Greenside and overlooks Zoo Lake, a park which lies on the opposite side of Jan Smuts Avenue from the Johannesburg Zoo. All of its streets are named after Irish counties. Parkview is one of the oldest suburbs in Johannesburg, and much of its historic architecture remains intact. The Alliance Française in Johannesburg is situated in Parkview.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brackenfell</span> Town in the Western Cape, South Africa

Brackenfell is a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa, situated on the N1 about 30 km north-east of Cape Town and 35 km south-west of Paarl.

Randpark Ridge is an upmarket suburb of Randburg, South Africa. It is located in Region B of the City of Johannesburg. It fell into the town of Randburg during the apartheid era. Developed in the early 1980s and still relatively new, Randpark Ridge is bordered by several other suburbs including Weltevreden Park, Sundowner, Boskruin, Bromhof, Honeydew and Fairland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westdene, Johannesburg</span> Place in Gauteng, South Africa

Westdene is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. Westdene lies between the historic suburb of Sophiatown and Melville with the Melville Koppies nature reserve to the north of the suburb. Westdene derives its name from its location, literally meaning west-valley. 'West' since it is located west from the city centre and with 'dene' derived from the Old English denu, meaning valley.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Sub Place Florida". Census 2011.
  2. 1 2 Raper, Peter E.; Moller, Lucie A.; du Plessis, Theodorus L. (2014). Dictionary of Southern African Place Names. Jonathan Ball Publishers. p. 1412. ISBN   9781868425501.