Northcliff is a wealthy

residential A residential area is a land used in which housing predominates, as opposed to industrial and commercial areas. Housing may vary significantly between, and through, residential areas. These include single-family housing, multi-family residen ...

suburb of

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. The suburb is located on Northcliff Ridge which provides views to both the north and the south. Northcliff's huge homes are nestled around a steep incline of the hill, and on the foot of Northcliff borders the suburbs of Fairland,

Blackheath Blackheath may refer to: Places England *Blackheath, London, England ** Blackheath railway station **Hundred of Blackheath, Kent, an ancient hundred in the north west of the county of Kent, England *Blackheath, Surrey, England ** Hundred of Blackh ...

Cresta Cresta may refer to: * Cresta, Gauteng, a suburb in South Africa * CRESTA, Catastrophe Risk Evaluating and Standardizing Target Accumulations * Cresta Awards, international advertising awards * Cresta (soft drink) * Vauxhall Cresta, an automobil ...

and Berario. Recently some streets have been secured with boom gates. Although erroneously included by

Google Maps Google Maps is a web mapping platform and consumer application offered by Google. It offers satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360° interactive panoramic views of streets ( Street View), real-time traffic conditions, and rou ...

as part of Randburg, Northcliff has never been part of Randburg. It is located in Region B of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality.

History

The suburb is situated on part of an old

Witwatersrand The Witwatersrand () (locally the Rand or, less commonly, the Reef) is a , north-facing scarp in South Africa. It consists of a hard, erosion-resistant quartzite metamorphic rock, over which several north-flowing rivers form waterfalls, which ...

farm called ''Waterval''. It was established on 3 October 1934 and named after the northerly ridge.

Geography

Topography

Northcliff Hill (also known as Aasvoëlkop (Vulture Ridge) due to the cliffs being predominantly inhabited by these birds of prey before being urbanised) is believed to have been populated by

human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...

s for over 250,000 years. At 1807 metres, the ridge is the second-highest point in Johannesburg, being one metre lower than Observatory Ridge. It has three vegetation zones and is inhabited by many different animals.

Economy

Retail

Northcliff is served by

Cresta Shopping Centre Cresta Shopping Centre is a shopping centre in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is located on the border of Northcliff and Cresta. It has gone through multiple extensions and refurbishments. The mall is owned by Pareto, a unit of the Public Inve ...

, one of the largest malls in Johannesburg which is located on the border of Northcliff in the suburb of

. Many other smaller suburban shopping complexes are within easy access, for example Northcliff Corner, The Verdi Centre, Heathway Square and Home Living Design Centre.

Education

While actually located in Blackheath, the suburb gives its name to

Northcliff High School Northcliff High School, commonly known as Northcliff High, is a public English medium co-educational high school located in the suburb of Blackheath in Johannesburg in the Gauteng province of South Africa. It is one of the top and most academic ...

and Northcliff Primary School.

Infrastructure

Health systems

Marang House, a home for seriously ill children, is based in Northcliff.

Notable residents

Leanne Manas Leanne Manas (born 14 October 1978) is a South African businesswoman and TV presenter at the SABC especially known as the anchor of the flagship show, Morning Live. She was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador by UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Age ...

, broadcast journalist, author *

Lira Lira is the name of several currency units. It is the current currency of Turkey and also the local name of the currencies of Lebanon and of Syria. It is also the name of several former currencies, including those of Italy, Malta and Israe ...

, singer, songwriter * Fezile Mpela, actor, television producer * Portia Gumede, actor, television producer * Frans Marx, actor, writer, television producer, director *

Ruda Landman Ruda may refer to: Islands * Ruda (island), Croatian island in the Elaphiti Archipelago Rivers * Ruda (river), a river in Croatia, tributary of the Cetina river * Ruda (Narew), a river in Poland, tributary of the Narew * Ruda (Oder), a river i ...

, broadcast journalist, co-anchor of famed investigation program Carte Blanche

References

Johannesburg Region B {{Johannesburg-stub