Norton is a
commuter town
A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...
in the province of
Mashonaland West
Mashonaland West is a province of Zimbabwe. It has an area of 57,441 km² and a population of approximately 1.5 million (2012). Chinhoyi is the capital of the province.
Districts
Mashonaland West is divided into 7 districts:
* Chegutu
* ...
,
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...
near Harare. It is located about 40 km west of
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 ...
on the main road and
railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
line connecting Harare and
Bulawayo
Bulawayo (, ; Ndebele: ''Bulawayo'') is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, and the largest city in the country's Matabeleland region. The city's population is disputed; the 2022 census listed it at 665,940, while the Bulawayo City Council cl ...
.
Demographics
According to the 1982 Population Census, the town had a population of 12,360. This
rose to 20,405 in the 1992 census 44,054 in the 2002 census,
[Zimbabwe Ministry
of Environment and Tourism: 3rd National Report of the NAP "Process in the Context
of the UNCCD", 2004.] and 67,591 in the 2012 census.
History
The settlement began in 1914 when a railway siding was built. The town was named after the Norton family who were farming in the area since the 1890s and were killed in the
First ''Chimurenga'' in 1896. The town grew as an administrative and commercial hub in a rich agricultural area. It later developed into a key industrial centre due to its proximity to water and power supplies, with a main intake point from the
Lake Kariba
Lake Kariba is the world's largest artificial lake and reservoir by volume. It lies upstream from the Indian Ocean, along the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. Lake Kariba was filled between 1958 and 1963 following the completion of the Karib ...
hydroelectric dam to the national grid located nearby. The construction of the nearby
Lake Chivero
Lake Chivero is a reservoir on the Manyame River in Zimbabwe. It was formerly called Lake McIlwaine in memory of Sir Robert McIlwaine, a former judge of the High Court and founder of Southern Rhodesia's (later Rhodesia's, now Zimbabwe's) soil an ...
dam provided a further boost to development.
Economy
The farm lands surrounding the town produce a range of crops including
tobacco
Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
,
maize
Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...
and
wheat
Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...
, and cattle rearing for the beef and dairy industries is also an important element of the local economy. From the 1960s onward, a large pulp and paper mill, a brewery and several factories were established in the town. However, these were badly hit by the economic crisis of the late 2000s.
See also
*
Knowledge Musona
Knowledge Musona (born 21 June 1990) is a Zimbabwean professional footballer who plays as a left winger or forward for Al-Tai in the Saudi Professional League, and captains the Zimbabwe national team. Previously, he has played senior football ...
, Zimbabwean footballer, born in Norton in 1990
*
Washington Arubi
Washington Arubi (born 29 August 1985) is a Zimbabwean professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier Soccer League side Marumo Gallants.
Career Club
He started his career with Lancashire Steel for which he played 29 matches ...
, Zimbabwean footballer, born in Norton in 1985
*
List of cities and towns in Zimbabwe
This is a list of cities, towns and villages in Zimbabwe. See also: Place names in Zimbabwe.
Cities
Harare Province
Manicaland
Mashonaland Central
Mashonaland East
Mashonaland West
Masvingo
Matabeleland North
Matabeleland ...
References
External links
Norton Constituency Profile(2011)
Populated places in Mashonaland West Province
1914 establishments in Southern Rhodesia
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