Melville, Johannesburg

Melville
Melville, Johannesburg
Melville Show map of Gauteng Melville Show map of South Africa Melville Show map of Africa  Melville shown within Gauteng
Location within Greater Johannesburg  Melville
Coordinates: 26°10′33″S 28°0′32″E / 26.17583°S 28.00889°E / -26.17583; 28.00889Coordinates: 26°10′33″S 28°0′32″E / 26.17583°S 28.00889°E / -26.17583; 28.00889
Country	South Africa
Province	Gauteng
Municipality	City of Johannesburg
Main Place	Johannesburg
Area
• Total	1.72 km2 (0.66 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• Total	3,355
• Density	2,000/km2 (5,100/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
• Black African	33.4%
• Coloured	3.2%
• Indian/Asian	5.2%
• White	55.6%
• Other	2.7%
First languages (2011)
• English	50.4%
• Afrikaans	22.7%
• Zulu	6.4%
• Tswana	4.5%
• Other	15.9%
Postal code (street)	2092
PO box	2109

Melville is a bohemian suburb of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa. It is the location of many restaurants and bars, which are mostly frequented by students from the nearby University of Johannesburg, located in Auckland Park, and the University of the Witwatersrand, located in Braamfontein. It is one of the city's most popular tourist destinations. The suburb is west of the Johannesburg CBD. It is located in Region B.

Prior to the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand in 1886, the suburb lay on land on one of the original farms that make up Johannesburg, called Braamfontein. The suburb was proclaimed on 5 October 1896, and is named after the land surveyor, Edward Harker Vincent Melvill. In the public sale notice, the suburb was described as a "picturesque and healthy spot in the vicinity of Johannesburg with a magnificent view of the wooded country to the north with the blue Pretoria ranges stretching like lines of steel against the horizon".

Melville is also well known for the Melville Koppies (an archeological site, with rolling hills of grassland with views over the city), and is near the historic suburb of Sophiatown.

The area, along with Parkhurst, Greenside and Emmarentia, is one of the few areas of the Northern Suburbs to have cafes, restaurants and shops lining the streets rather than in enclosed shopping centres. The majority of the restaurants are located along 7th Street, although there are a few new restaurants and nightclubs on Main Street, as well as a Spar grocery store. There are over 30 guest houses in the vicinity, and Melville is a popular stopover in Johannesburg for tourists. On 7th Street, in addition to restaurants, there are several bars and a tattoo studio; the street is a popular hang-out for the cosmopolitan crowd.