Durban North is an area to the north of

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

in the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality,

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...

, South Africa. Durban North lies between the

N2 freeway The N2 is a national route in South Africa that runs from Cape Town through George, Gqeberha, East London, Mthatha and Durban to Ermelo. It is the main highway along the Indian Ocean coast of the country. Its current length of makes it the ...

and the eastern seashore, with the

Umgeni River The Umgeni River or Mgeni River ( zu, uMngeni) is a river in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It rises in the "Dargle" in the KZN Midlands, and its mouth is at Durban, some distance north of Durban's natural harbour. The name is taken to mean "the r ...

forming its southern boundary. It has residential suburbs that are some of Durban's most affluent and is flanked by

La Lucia La Lucia is a wealthy suburb located in uMhlanga, north of Durban, in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. It was named after Lucia Michel. She and her husband Albert Michel founded the sugar cane farm La Lucia. La Lucia Ridge La Luci ...

in the north.

History

In 1927 the Durban North Estates Company, a property development company, bought a large tract of land north of the Umgeni River known as the Prospect Hall Sugar Estate.City of Durban Report on the planning of Durban North - C.G. Hands City Engineer, Durban, March 1975 Plans were laid out for the development of the land into a residential suburb, and roads were built, beginning with Northway, to be the main arterial through the new suburb. At the time access to the land across the Umgeni was limited to the Connaught Bridge further upstream. In November 1927 the company completed the iron girder Athlone Bridge across the Umgeni River to link the new suburb at Northway to the established area of

Stamford Hill Stamford Hill is an area in Inner London, England, about 5.5 miles north-east of Charing Cross. The neighbourhood is a sub-district of Hackney, the major component of the London Borough of Hackney, and is known for its Hasidic community, the l ...

in the South. Following the completion of the bridge and enhanced access to the city, Durban North rapidly developed, followed by Virginia in the 1950s, and Glenashley in the 1970s.

Location and Suburbs

Durban North begins on the northern bank of the Umgeni River with the suburbs of

Umgeni Park Umgeni Park is a residential area in northern Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Together with its neighbouring Durban North suburb of Athlone, the area is also known as Riverside, due to its location along the northern banks of the Umgeni R ...

, Prospect Hall and

Athlone Athlone (; ) is a town on the border of County Roscommon and County Westmeath, Ireland. It is located on the River Shannon near the southern shore of Lough Ree. It is the second most populous town in the Midlands Region with a population of ...

. Along the eastern coastline northwards towards La Lucia are the suburbs of Beachwood, Virginia and Glenashley. Central Durban North is now officially known as

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

, and is the commercial and educational hub of the area. To the west at the boundary with Avoca and are the suburbs of Parkhill, Red Hill, Glen Anil, Glen Hills, Greenwood Park, Kenville and the industrial area, Briardene.

Roads and Airport

The M12 Kenneth Kaunda Road/Umhlanga Rocks drive links the western suburbs of Durban North to the uMhlanga Ridge. The Ruth First Highway ( M4) connects Durban North to the

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

and Umhlanga Rocks along the coast.

Virginia Airport __NOTOC__ Virginia Airport is an airport serving Durban, the largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. This general aviation airport is located north east of Durban. This airport was the home of the Durban Airshow before ...

is situated along the northern shoreline.

Recreation Facilities, Beaches and Nature Reserves

The

Beachwood Mangroves Nature Reserve Beachwood Mangroves Nature Reserve is located at the mouth of the Umgeni River in Durban North, a suburb of Durban, South Africa. The nature reserve, proclaimed in 1977, protects 76 hectares of a natural estuarine system, and was declared a n ...

conserves the

mangrove swamp Mangrove forests, also called mangrove swamps, mangrove thickets or mangals, are productive wetlands that occur in coastal intertidal zones. Mangrove forests grow mainly at tropical and subtropical latitudes because mangroves cannot withstand fre ...

s of Beachwood on the northern bank of the Blue Lagoon. Rocket Hut Beach is adjacent to the reserve and is known for its fishing and was the scene of a shark attack in 1947 and 1954. Beachwood Country Club abuts the mangrove swamp, with a non-swimming beach known as Beachwood. The golf course at Beachwood was redesigned by

Gary Player Gary James Player DMS, OIG (born 1 November 1935) is a South African retired professional golfer who is widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. During his career, Player won nine major championships on the regular tou ...

in 1994. Virginia Beach is just north of Beachwood, alongside the Virginia Airport. Glenashley Beach is popular with locals, although it is officially a non-swimming beach. The

Umgeni River Bird Park The Umgeni River Bird Park is a bird zoo located in Durban, in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. History Designed and built by Dr. Alan Abrey in an old quarry site, the Umgeni River Bird Park was opened in April 1984. The park was own ...

is located on the banks of the Umgeni River in Umgeni Park.

Virginia Bush Nature Reserve Virginia Bush Nature Reserve is a 38 hectare coastal bush reserve in the suburb of Durban North, Durban, South Africa. The reserve is currently under the auspices of the Durban Metropolitan Open Space System (D'MOSS). History Previously natu ...

is located in the suburb of Virginia, while

Seaton Park Nature Reserve Seaton Park Nature Reserve is conservation area in the suburb of Durban North, Durban, South Africa. The reserve is a six hectare remnant of coastal forest, with trails throughout. The park is named after a Mrs Seaton, who bequeathed the land f ...

is found in Park Hill. Durban North has a municipal swimming pool and a number of parks serviced by the eThekwini Municipality, including the Durban North

Japanese Gardens are traditional gardens whose designs are accompanied by Japanese aesthetics and philosophical ideas, avoid artificial ornamentation, and highlight the natural landscape. Plants and worn, aged materials are generally used by Japanese garden desig ...

Sports Clubs

Northwood Crusaders, established in 1964, is a sportsground catering to the community and old boys of Northwood School. Crusaders, as it is popularly known, has extensive sporting facilities for cricket, rugby, soccer, and athletics. At the site of the old Glenwood Old Boys' Club is Riverside Sports, which offers rugby and soccer fields along with two artificial turfs for

hockey Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...

. Durban North is home to the Regent Harriers, an informal running club that has been meeting since 1960.

Education

There are a number of independent and government schools in the area. Independent higher education provider Varsity College has a campus in Durban North.

Government Schools

* Chelsea Preparatory School * Danville Park Girls' High School *

Durban North College Durban North College or Durban-Noord-kollege (in Afrikaans) is a high school situated to the north of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. History D.N.C. started as a purely Afrikaans school called Afrikaanse Hoërskool Durban-Noord. In 1996 ...

* Glenashley Preparatory * Northcrest Primary School * Northlands Primary School *

Northlands Girls' High School Northlands Girls High School 'NGHS' is an all-girls school situated in the suburb of Durban North, South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is b ...

* Northwood School * Rose Hill Primary School * Virginia Preparatory School * Greenwood Park Primary School * Parkhill Secondary School * Effingham Primary School * Effingham Secondary School * Columbia Primary School

Private Schools

* Oakridge College * Our Lady of Fatima Convent School *Hamptons High School

References

External links

Tourism site
{{Authority control Suburbs of Durban 2000 establishments in South Africa