Parkhurst | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 26°8′18″S28°1′4″E / 26.13833°S 28.01778°E | |
Country | South Africa |
Province | Gauteng |
Municipality | City of Johannesburg |
Main Place | Johannesburg |
Area | |
• Total | 1.64 km2 (0.63 sq mi) |
Population (2011) [1] | |
• Total | 4,851 |
• Density | 3,000/km2 (7,700/sq mi) |
Racial makeup (2011) | |
• Black African | 20.4% |
• Coloured | 1.6% |
• Indian/Asian | 2.5% |
• White | 73.8% |
• Other | 1.7% |
First languages (2011) | |
• English | 71.0% |
• Afrikaans | 10.1% |
• Zulu | 4.0% |
• Xhosa | 2.1% |
• Other | 12.8% |
Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
Postal code (street) | 2193 |
PO box | 2120 |
Parkhurst is a small, dense northern suburb of Johannesburg, Gauteng, of about 2000 households and 4000 residents. Forming part of the northern suburbs, Parkhurst is roughly bounded by Parktown North to the east, the Braamfontein Spruit to the west, Craighall to the north, and Greenside to the south.
Although it is mainly residential, there are two main commercial roads - 4th Avenue which has the restaurants, cafes and décor, design, antique and service shops; and 6th Street which is quickly becoming converted into a design, décor, art and small business area. Parkhurst is one of the city's most walkable districts and popular with residents for its street life and sidewalk cafes, with an atmosphere similar to Greenside and Melville.
Parkhurst was founded in 1904 by the African Realty Trust, founded by American born developer, I.W. Schlesinger, who developed Braamfontein farm into 2200 stands. As Parkhurst formed the far northern corner of the farm on the city's edge, Schlesinger decided to have a naming competition as a publicity stunt to bring attention to the area, which lagged behind more desirable areas like Parktown at the time. The competition turned out to the very successful attracting the attention of Lord Milner and by 1906, the suburb became well known throughout the Transvaal Colony as an emerging and desirable area.
About a third of the suburb was developed by the 1930s and it was completely developed after World War II, with most housing dating from this era . The gentrification of the area started in the 1960s when the older houses in the southern section started to be renovated. This process continues to this day with many properties being re-modelled and renovated several times over. There is an active residents' association, the Parkhurst Residents and Business Owners Association (PRABOA), who try to preserve the suburb's village-like atmosphere.
Although erroneously included by Google Maps as part of Randburg , Parkhurst has never been part of that area.
Parkhurst is probably best known for its main commercial corridor along 4th Avenue. It is a popular tourist and weekend location for residents across Johannesburg.
4th Avenue (bordering Parkhurst Community Church) has become a small business hub with numerous small businesses opening on the street.
Verity Park is a Parkhurst attraction. The park was originally the home of the Parkhurst Soccer Club, however, the club moved in the 1970s. Adjacent to the park is the Parkhurst Petanque Club, where social games are played at weekends. Verity Park is also known as a dog haven and draws many residents wishing to walk their dogs. [2]
Despite its small size, Parkhurst is considered one of Johannesburg's more desirable suburbs. In 2010, it was ranked number 1 in Johannesburg by the Daily Maverick, citing its proximity to quality schools, dining, nightlife, shopping, location, green space, safety, and creative capital, among other aspects. [3] Being one of the older suburbs in northern Joburg, Parkhurst also feature many historic residences with architecture including, Edwardian, Tudor Revival and Cape Dutch. [4]
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.
Melville is a bohemian suburb of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa. It is the location of many restaurants and taverns, which are mostly frequented by students from the nearby University of Johannesburg, located in Auckland Park, and the University of the Witwatersrand, located in Braamfontein. It is one of the city's most popular tourist destinations. The suburb is to the west of the Johannesburg CBD. It is located in Region B of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality.
Houghton Estate, often simply called Houghton, is an affluent suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa, north-east of the city centre.
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Parktown is a wealthy suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa, and is the first suburb north of the inner city. It is affectionately known as one of the Parks, others including Parkview, Parkwood, Westcliff, Parktown North, Parkhurst and Forest Town. Parktown is one of Johannesburg's largest suburbs, neighbouring Hillbrow, Braamfontein and Milpark to the South; Berea and Houghton to the East; Killarney and Forest Town to the North, and Westcliff, Melville and Richmond to the West. Originally established by the Randlords in the 1890s, Parktown is now home to many businesses, hospitals, schools, churches and restaurants, whilst still maintaining quiet residential areas. It is also home to three of the five campuses of the University of the Witwatersrand including the education campus, medical school and Wits Business School. It is located in Region F of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality.
Doornfontein is an inner-city suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa, located to the east of the city centre, Region 8. In the 1930s, it attracted many Jewish immigrants, becoming the main hub for the city's Jewish community. Black African residents, then a minority in the suburb, lived in slum-yards. Under the Slums Clearance Act 1934, the slum-yards were cleared and many residents were relocated to Orlando, Soweto. Since the late 1970s, Doornfontein and other inner-city suburbs of Johannesburg have underdone high levels of white flight to the city's northern suburbs.
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Linden is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa - situated towards the north western suburbs of the city on the border of the former independent town of Randburg. This established suburb between 5 km (3.1 mi) to 8 km (5.0 mi) north-west of the Johannesburg CBD was designed so that most of the streets and avenues form similar sized blocks. A number of shops, churches and schools can be found on 3rd Avenue and 4th Avenue. Attractions include arts, crafts, studios, coffee shops, pubs, restaurants and small shops. Bordering suburbs include Northcliff, Blairgowrie, Victory Park, Greenside and Cresta.
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Emmarentia is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa.
Greenside, is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. Greenside borders on the suburbs Emmarentia, Parkview, Parkhurst and Victory Park.
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