Melville, Gauteng

Melville

Melville, Johannesburg
Melville

 Melville shown within Gauteng

Coordinates: 26°10′33″S 28°0′32″E / 26.17583°S 28.00889°E / -26.17583; 28.00889Coordinates: 26°10′33″S 28°0′32″E / 26.17583°S 28.00889°E / -26.17583; 28.00889
Country South Africa
Province Gauteng
Municipality City of Johannesburg
Main Place Johannesburg
Area[1]
  Total 1.72 km2 (0.66 sq mi)
Population (2011)[1]
  Total 3,355
  Density 2,000/km2 (5,100/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)[1]
  Black African 33.4%
  Coloured 3.2%
  Indian/Asian 5.2%
  White 55.6%
  Other 2.7%
First languages (2011)[1]
  English 50.4%
  Afrikaans 22.7%
  Zulu 6.4%
  Tswana 4.5%
  Other 15.9%
Postal code (street) 4449
PO box 4450

Melville is a bohemian suburb of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa. It is the location of many restaurants and bars, 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 also one of the City most popular tourist destinations

The suburb was proclaimed on 5 October 1896, and is named after the land surveyor, Edward Harker Vincent Melvill. In the public sale notice, the suburb was described as a "picturesque and healthy spot in the vicinity of Johannesburg with a magnificent view of the wooded country to the north with the blue Pretoria ranges stretching like lines of steel against the horizon".

The area, along with Parkhurst and Greenside is one of the few areas of the Northern Suburbs to have cafes, restaurants and shops lining the streets rather than in enclosed shopping centres. The majority of the restaurants are located along 7th Street, although there are a few new restaurants and nightclubs on Main Street, most well known are probably Roxy's and Catz Pyjamas. There are over 30 guest houses in the vicinity, and is a popular stopover in Johannesburg for tourists. On 7th Street, there are numerous restaurants and bars and the Street is a popular hang-out for the cosmopolitan crowd.

The popular soap opera, 7de Laan, uses views of 7th Street, Melville in its opening visuals.

Melville is also well known for the Melville Koppies (an archeological site, with rolling hills of grassland with views over the city), and is near the historic suburb of Sophiatown.

References

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, February 18, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.