Cape Town Northern SuburbsLiving in the beautiful outskirts of the Mother City
The Cape Town Northern Suburbs are not really located to the north but to the northeast of the Mother City.
The Tygerberg hills are situated in the middle of the Northern Suburbs and kind of divide the area into a northern area around Tygerfalls and Durbanville and a southern area around the suburbs lying to the southern slopes of the hills like Plattekloof, Welgelegen, Panorama and Plattekloof Glen.
Here on the Cape Town Map you can see the Northern Suburbs. If you click on the little minus (-) sign to the left of the map, you can zoom the map down to see the location in relation to the Cape Town City Center and if you click on the plus (+) sign you can zoom in more on the suburbs to see the street names. This is a really useful tool when going househunting:-). The Cape Town Northern Suburbs at a glance:
Population: 30,000 residents in Durbanville (88% White, 2% Black, 9% Coloureds, 1% Indian and others), 56% Afrikaans, 42% English Home Language (2001 census)
Distance to Cape Town CBD: 30km Distance to Airport: 20km, Taxi Fee: R300 Driving Time into Cape Town: 40 min on the N1 In Rush hour: 90min-150min, between 6.30 and 9.00 as well as 16.00 and 18.00 Train connection to town from Bellville Shopping: all the major chainstores and hyperstores, numerous major shopping centers in Durbanville like TygerValley Shopping Center, boutiques Hospital: Panorama Mediclinic, Durbanville Mediclinic, Tygerberg Hospital
Durbanville and other favorite Cape Town Northern Suburbs
Plattekloof at the slopes of Tygerberg enjoys with awe inspiring views across Cape Town, but has got a funny naming history. The street planers made some mistake when developing the area at the slopes of the Tygerberg when naming this suburb and mixed up their plan with those of Panorama. So Plattekloof (literally "flat valley") is in fact one of the nicest places for housing in and around Cape Town as you have splendid views from most of the properties. Panorama however is much further down the slopes and lies in fact at the foot of the hills, but you will still have some views. So the suburbs Panorama, Welgelegen and Plattekloof Glen lie below Plattekloof Road and are slightly more densely populated and less expensive although as quiet and friendly. At the backside of the Tygerberg Hills you will find Durbanville at the eastern end of the Durbanville Valley with its wine estates. Durbanville has got a expansive town cente along Wellington Road where you can find everything from groceries to hardware stores to factory shops. The beautiful lush suburb of Welgemoed on the northern slopes of Tygerberg from where you are close to main entrance to the Nature Reserve, the new estates at Oude Westhof and older suburb Kenridge closer to Durbanvlle Center where lots of families want to move to due to the excellent public school are located to the west of busy Durban Road which leads to the N1. From many of the properties in Eversdal, Sonnstral and Vredekloof to the east of Durban Road you can enjoy great views towards Stellenbosch. The properties in this area are often quite big, often beautifully renovated and come with lots of garden space. Cape Town Northern Suburbs: Main AttractionsHere are some of the attractions when living in the Cape Town Northern Suburbs:
• Visit the Durbanville Wine Valley: All the wine estates at a glance here . • Enjoy South African flora and fauna at the Tygerberg Nature Reserve • Take your kids tobogganing at Cool Runnings, see this and my other popular Cape Town kids activities here • Shopping in Style: Visit The Willowbridge Mall: Outdoors mall schopping at its best or have great shopping experiences at the other big shopping centers in the area. • Enjoy the goodies at Durbanville craft market at the historic Rust en Vrede Estate every first Saturday of a month where you can stock up on organic food and beautiful craft items like pottery. • Improve your Golf Handicap at the Durbanville Golf Club Cape Town Housing and Amenities in the Northern SuburbsShopping: There are great shopping facilities in Durbanville, Plattekloof and Brackenfell with the huge multi-storey Tygervalley Shopping Center, the outdoors mall at Willowbrige, the Lifestyle Centers at Cape Gate in Brackenfell or the slightly smaller shopping centers in Plattekloof off Plattekloof Road.Housing Prices for a 3bedroom House range from ZAR2,000,000 to ZAR3,000,000. Rentals for a 3bedroom house average at about R14,000. There are many new gated housing estates popping up in the area, most of them with big houses and lots of facilities, like at Van Ribeeckshof Oude Westhof and Burgundy Estate.
Schools: There are various good Primary and High Schools in the area, like the outstanding public schools in Kenridge/Durbanville, Stellenberg and Eversdal and Fairmont High School. There are excellent privat schools in the area, like Chester House Private School with and English curriculum, El Shaddai Private School and Curro Private School in Sonnstral Heights. Sporting Facilities: The Durbanville area offers all kinds of sporting activities. There is horse riding and a race course in Durbanville, Golf and Minigolf, Toboggan Ride near Tyger Falls, Ten Pin Bowling in Tygervalley. There are also Squash and Tennis Clubs as well as the Durbanville Football Club. Walking and Birdwatching can be done in the Tygerberg Nature Reserve. There are beautiful trails and picnic areas where you can enjoy the splendid views over Cape Town towards Table Mountain or toward the rugged Stellenbosch Mountain range. See my photo diary about a day out on the Tygerberg. Relaxed living in the Cape Town Northern Suburbs
In the Cape Town Northern Suburbs you will feel welcomed by your new neighbors. The lush green surroundings will have an effect on your mood and you will be able to breathe in fresh air. The air is cleaner here than in town, but there is not so much of a breeze as at the seaside so it can feel a bit warmer, but you will find plenty of shade under the many trees here. And you will feel relieved living outside of the big city if you are not a fan of the hustle and bustle of big cities and here you can enjoy the relaxed pace of life in these little suburbs where the residents still enjoy braais with their neighbors on weekends. The Northern Suburbs are definitely home to mostly Afrikaans speaking families, but there is a growing international community living in these beautiful green suburbs too, as these suburbs are still one of the safest around Cape Town. It is here where kids still walk to school or ride their bikes in the streets. You will also find many little delis where you will get your favorite foreign food. Not to forget the fabulous Fruit and Veg City in Willowbridge with its huge international food market where you will get Belgian chocolates, Swedish bread, German pretzels, French Cheeses or American sauces. There are many wonderful restaurants, hotel accomodation and plenty of friendly bed and breakfasts for a more personal atmosphere to be found in the Cape Town Northern Suburbs. Have you got any interesting experiences about staying and living in Durbanville and the other Cape Town Northern Suburbs? Please share them with us and
contact me.
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