Cheltenham, South Australia

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For other places with the same name, see Cheltenham (disambiguation).

The suburb of Cheltenham is located to the north-west of the city of Adelaide, South Australia. Its surrounding suburbs are Woodville to the east, Albert Park and Hendon to the south, Royal Park and Queenstown to the west, and Pennington to the north. It is part of the ward of Cheltenham under the City of Charles Sturt. The suburb was first subdivided in 1849. [1]

Cheltenham is classified as a low socio-economic area, but its actual land-value can vary significantly from block to block. Several areas have many large, well-built houses, while other areas are dominated by smaller houses and units.

[edit] Residents

Percentages of the fifth of the population born abroad

In the 2001 Australian Bureau of Statistics Census of Population and Housing, the population of the Cheltenham census area was 3,715 people, in an area of 2.06 square kilometres. Females outnumbered males 51.3% to 48.7%. Some 21.3% of the population was born overseas (see chart for a breakdown).

The eight strongest religious affiliations in the area were (in descending order): Catholic, Anglican, Orthodox, Uniting, Lutheran, Baptist, Buddhist, Pentecostal, Presbyterian and Salvation Army. The three most common forms of dwelling were (in decreasing order): a separate house, a semi-detached house, and a flat or apartment. Cheltenham residents are less wealthy than the Adelaide average, with a high occurrence of socio-economic disability with the majority of residents having low or medium incomes. A majority of workers are employed in services, labouring and manufacturing.

The average age in Cheltenham is increasing, though at a lesser rate than in Australia as a whole. Cheltenham has an extremely low percentage of 18-34 year olds, and their numbers have decreased sharply between the 1996 and 2001 censuses. Family numbers are extremely stable (2.36) with only a 0.06% drop between the 1996 and 2001 censuses. Also of note is the moderate occurrence of religious affiliation (70.5%) in Cheltenham in comparison to the Adelaide (and national) average. Christian belief (68.1%) is most prominent, with little growth in other religions.

[edit] Attractions

The suburb itself is split into two sections by a railway line which leads into the city. It is the location of Cheltenham Park Racecourse, and the Cheltenham Cemetery.

There are several community areas including parks, playgrounds and churches which are scattered along the northern parts of the suburb, as well as an IGA supermarket and a bowls club. A large park towards the centre has two tennis courts and drinking fountains, and is a peaceful place for family activities.

One point of interest is Alberton Oval, home ground of Port Adelaide Football Club. They sell tickets and football memorabilia. The Cheltenham Cemetery is also an historic area, opened in 1876. [2]

A recent issue has been the decision to close and sell the Cheltenham Park Racecourse. Many residents of Cheltenham disagree with this proposal [3], but the outcome of this decision is yet to be seen.