Hout Bay

Hout Bay
Hout Bay
Hout Bay Show map of Western Cape Hout Bay Show map of South Africa Hout Bay Show map of Africa  Hout Bay shown within Western Cape
Location within Cape Town  Hout Bay
Coordinates: 34°2′S 18°21′E / 34.033°S 18.350°E / -34.033; 18.350Coordinates: 34°2′S 18°21′E / 34.033°S 18.350°E / -34.033; 18.350
Country	South Africa
Province	Western Cape
Municipality	City of Cape Town
Established	1681
Government
• Councillor	Roberto Quintas (DA)
Area
• Total	28.38 km2 (10.96 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• Total	17,900
• Density	630/km2 (1,600/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
• Black African	6.8%
• Coloured	32.3%
• Indian/Asian	0.8%
• White	57.4%
• Other	2.8%
First languages (2011)
• English	59.7%
• Afrikaans	32.9%
• Xhosa	1.3%
• Other	6.1%
Postal code (street)	7806
PO box	7806

Hout Bay (Afrikaans: Houtbaai, meaning "Wood Bay") is a town near Cape Town, South Africa situated in a valley on the Atlantic seaboard of the Cape Peninsula, twenty kilometres south of the Central Business District of Cape Town. The name "Hout Bay" can refer to the town, the bay on which it is situated, or the entire valley.

When the Dutch established a colony in Table Bay in 1652, a great quantity of good timber was required for construction, shipbuilding other purposes. There was no large forest in the immediate vicinity of the settlement, mainly because the rainfall was not high enough. It was soon apparent that the colonists would be able to fell wood they needed in the wetter valley that lay on the other side of a low pass (called Constantia Nek) between the southern end of Table Mountain and Constantiaberg. The area was originally made up of two farms, which were slowly subdivided to make way for urban expansion. While still maintaining its rural atmosphere, the area of Hout Bay has more than 12,000 residences inhabited by a population of about 42,000 people.

Hout Bay is divided into several neighbourhoods. The Hout Bay Neighbourhood Watch describes 28 distinct areas. Suburbs include Scott Estate, Hanging Meadows, Baviaanskloof, Hillcrest, Bergendal, Penzance, Imizamo Yethu, Meadows, Tarragona, Oakwood, Bokkemanskloof, Overkloof, Silvermist, Longkloof, Valley, Victorskloof, Nooitgedacht, Beach Estate, Northshore, Mount Rhodes, Klein Leeukoppie Estate, Ruyteplaats, Tierboskloof, Kronenzicht, Hangberg, Hout Bay Heights and Hughenden Estate. Llandudno an entirely separate village of about 200 houses lies over the "Suikerbossie" pass from Hout Bay.

The Hangberg settlement is situated on the mountain slopes between Hout Bay Harbour and The Sentinel peak, and many of the residents are employed in fishing and other industries related to the harbour.

The main informal settlement in the Hout Bay area, Imizamo Yethu, is situated within a community consisting of both affluent and middle income citizens. Relations between the residents of Hout Bay and those of Imizamo Yethu have been strained for several years following the national elections in 1994 and 1999. The initial response to Imizamo Yethu was not favourable, and residents of Hout Bay, represented by the Hout Bay Ratepayers' Association and the Hout Bay Residents' Association, strongly objected to the location and management of the informal settlement and also the suggestion of an increase in the land used for the settlement in 2001.