Randpark Ridge

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Randpark Ridge is a suburb of the city of Johannesburg, South Africa. It is located in the Roodepoort region (region C) of the Johannesburg metropolitan council. It fell into the town of Randburg during the apartheid era.

A relatively new suburb, Randpark Ridge is bordered by several other suburbs including Weltevreden Park, Sundowner, Boskruin, Bromhof, Honeydew and Fairland. It is located on the far north-west extremity of Johannesburg.

The suburb is chiefly residential, with a few nodes for commerce along the major routes that service the area. It is well planned and forms part of Johannesburg’s large man-made forest. Its proximity to both the city centre and Sandton make it an extremely popular area to live. It is, however, still close enough to the Magaliesburg so as to feel part of the countryside.

The area is serviced by one highway, namely the N1 Western Bypass which connects the vicinity to Sandton and Pretoria to the north and to Roodepoort and Soweto to the south. Major arterial routes include Beyers Naudé Drive (M5) and Malibongwe Drive (R512) which radiate from the inner city. John Vorster Drive (M6) and Christiaan de Wet Road (R564) run somewhat parallel to the freeway.

Rand Park High School along with Rand Park Primary School serve as the area’s public schools, and Trinityhouse High School is a well-respected private school in the area. The Randridge Mall and Rock Cottage are two well-known Randpark Ridge shopping malls, and several smaller malls exist for daily expenses.

The prominent ridge (which gives the suburb its name) is protected as the Boschkop Nature Reserve, and is a prominent sight from most of western Johannesburg. Several parks abound including Essenhout Park and Hymani Park. Much open land exists in the suburb especially to the west near to Honeydew.

Transport is a problem for Randpark Ridge residents. No train service runs near the area and thus it is buses and minibus taxis that offer the only public transport to residents. The nearest local airport is Lanseria Airport and the international airport is OR Tambo International Airport in Ekurhuleni.