Avonlea is a residential suburb] in northwest
Harare
Harare (; formerly Salisbury ) is the capital and most populous city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of 940 km2 (371 mi2) and a population of 2.12 million in the 2012 census and an estimated 3.12 million in its metropolitan ...
. It lies just west of
Avondale southwest of
Emerald Hill, southeast of
Marlborough
Marlborough may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Marlborough, Wiltshire, England
** Marlborough College, public school
* Marlborough School, Woodstock in Oxfordshire, England
* The Marlborough Science Academy in Hertfordshire, England
Austral ...
, and north of the greater
Mabelreign
Mabelreign is a north-western suburb of Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe. There are a number of shopping centres in the area. The Mabelreign post office, Mabelreign Police Station, municipality offices, and a local clinic are located on Stortfor ...
area. Avonlea is home to approximately 15,600 people.
Avonlea includes the neighborhood of
Greencroft
Greencroft is a village in County Durham, England. The population of the civil parish (which doesn't include the village) taken at the 2011 census was 171. It is situated between Lanchester and Annfield Plain
Annfield Plain is a village in Co ...
and is considered as part of the greater Marlborough postal area with which it also shares its fire and police service with. Lomagundi Road and Avonlea drive serve as the area's main thoroughfares, separating it from Mabelreign and Avondale respectively. Retail is largely on Colesbury Rd and the sub-neighbourhood of Greencroft.
History
Avonlea was first recognized in the 1920s as a stop on the A2 highway, which is now known as Lomagundi Road. By the second world war the area was home to a middle class
British Zimbabwean
Zimbabweans Britons are British people who were born in Zimbabwe or can trace their ancestry to immigrants from Zimbabwe who emigrated to the United Kingdom. While the first natives of the then-Southern Rhodesia arrived in Britain in notable n ...
population along with a lower middle class
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
community particularly on the eastern border with
Emerald Hill. In the early 1980s, a number of middle class black Zimbabweans moved to the area and soon formed the majority of the population by the mid nineties.
A sub-neighbourhood of the area is
Greencroft
Greencroft is a village in County Durham, England. The population of the civil parish (which doesn't include the village) taken at the 2011 census was 171. It is situated between Lanchester and Annfield Plain
Annfield Plain is a village in Co ...
which comprises much of the commercial area opposite Avonlea Shopping Centre of Lomagundi Rd.
In 1974, the Avonlea post office relocated to Avonlea Shopping Centre. The community's population diversified after independence as middle class Shona moved in along with the development of the Westgate retail district just to the west.
By the 21st century Avonlea featured a mix of restored homes and post war suburbia. Unlike nearby Westgate and Avondale, Avonlea is a much quieter residential area, however emigration from the area, mostly to the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
and
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
has depressed property values and development, in contrast to the booming Northeastern suburbs. Despite these changes, the area continues to hang onto its neighborhood flavor and is home to a large community of middle income, Shona people with a smaller white minority.
Avonlea is home to a variety n of restaurants, cafes, and shops. Other shopping and retail is present in Greencroft and in the nearby areas of Mabelreign, Bluff Hill and Westgate
Avonlea Shopping Centre host the bulk of retail in the area with OK Supermarket, various banks, restaurants and doctor's offices.
Education
Residents are zoned to Avonlea Primary School but have the option of attending primary school throughout the city per Zimbabwean standards.
Students who are residents of Avonlea either attend Avonlea or Avondale Primary schools and St Johns, Ellis Robbins or Marlborough High Schools all of which lie outside the neighborhood:
Elementary schools
* Avonlea Primary School
High schools
These schools are not in Avonlea proper but nearby
* Ellis Robbins High School
*
St Johns Emerald Hill
* Marlborough High School
Geography and climate
Avonlea is located in the west central suburbs of Harare, along the Zimbabwean
Highveld
The Highveld (Afrikaans: ''Hoëveld'', where ''veld'' means "field") is the portion of the South African inland plateau which has an altitude above roughly 1500 m, but below 2100 m, thus excluding the Lesotho mountain regions to the south-east of ...
. The community is located at 1489m above sea level.
Avonlea has a
highland subtropical climate
Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...
similar to the nearby
Mashonaland East
Mashonaland East, informally Mash East, is a province of Zimbabwe. It has an area of 32,230 km2 and a population of approximately 1.35 million (2012). Marondera is the capital of the province.
Geography
Districts
Mashonaland East i ...
It experiences mild winters, where the winter daily minimum temperatures are mostly above freezing, and summer maximums rarely exceed 32 degrees Celsius.
References
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Harare
Suburbs of Harare