Hillcrest, Waikato

Hillcrest
A neighbourhood in Hillcrest, Hamilton.
Basic information
Local authority	Hamilton, New Zealand
Electoral ward	Hamilton East
Date established	1949
Population	8541 (2006 Census)
Surrounds
North	Ruakura
Northeast	Silverdale
East	Matangi
Southeast	Tamahere
South	Riverlea
West	Hamilton East
Northwest	Claudelands

Hillcrest is a suburb in south-eastern Hamilton in New Zealand. The suburb is the home to the University of Waikato and consequently has a large student population. It is located on the east side of the Hamilton Town Belt, a series of public parks that run from the Hamilton Gardens to Ruakura in its eastern section.

The area was formerly known as Steele's Hill, named after Capt. W. Steele. Much of the area was covered in orchards in the early 1900s. It was named Hillcrest by the Waikato County Council in the 1940s when the area began developing as a suburb. Hillcrest began a part of Hamilton in 1949 with the 5th boundary extension. Significant development took place throughout the 1950s and 1960s.

The main campus of the University of Waikato was established in 1964. In 2010 the university had 13089 students enrolled, the majority based at the Hillcrest campus.

Opened in 2001, the Academy of Performing Arts is a prominent music and theatre venue in Hamilton. Its concert chamber is one of Hamilton's premier classical music venues.

The Station on Hillcrest Road is the former main railway station for Hamilton. The building was relocated from Victoria Street to its current Hillcrest location in the 1960s when the Hamilton Central underground train station was built. It is one of the few surviving railway stations that were built during the time Julius Vogel was in charge of New Zealand's Public Works Department.

According to the 2006 census, Hillcrest has a population of 8541. The suburb is ethnically diverse. 40% of its residents born were overseas, primarily from Asia. The Index of Socioeconomic Deprivation, ranked 1-10 from lowest to most deprived areas, lists the University section of Hillcrest at 8/10 (high deprivation) and the Hillcrest West section at 7/10 (moderate deprivation).

Despite the name, Hillcrest High School is actually located in the neighbouring suburb of Silverdale.