Bertrams is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. It is a small suburb found on the eastern edge of the Johannesburg central business district (CBD), tucked between the suburbs of New Doornfontein and Lorentzville, with Troyeville to the south. It is located in Region F of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality.

Bertrams
Bertrams is located in Gauteng
Bertrams
Bertrams
Bertrams is located in South Africa
Bertrams
Bertrams
Coordinates: 26°11′34″S 28°3′58″E / 26.19278°S 28.06611°E / -26.19278; 28.06611
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceGauteng
MunicipalityCity of Johannesburg
Main PlaceJohannesburg
Established1889
Area
 • Total
0.39 km2 (0.15 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total
3,906
 • Density10,000/km2 (26,000/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
 • Black African77.1%
 • Coloured7.6%
 • Indian/Asian3.4%
 • White10.7%
 • Other1.3%
First languages (2011)
 • Zulu21.3%
 • English16.9%
 • Afrikaans11.4%
 • Southern Ndebele7.5%
 • Other42.9%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)
2094

History

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The suburb was founded on one of the original farms on the Witwatersrand, after a strip of land was sold from the farm Doornfontein.[2]: 158  The suburb was named after its real estate developer Robertson Fuller Bertrams.[2]: 156 [3] It was proclaimed a suburb on 16 August 1889 and was initially called Bertramstown.[3] By the 1930s, Bertrams accommodated a 'racially mixed working class population'.[4] However, in the 1930s, black residents of Bertrams were some of the black people to be relocated to Orlando. Indian and coloured people were also relocated in order establish a white working class housing scheme. Bertrams began to desegregate two decades before the 1991 repeal of apartheid's racial segregation policies.[5]

Present suburb

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Bertrams is a clean and friendly neighbourhood, close to Ellis Park Stadium. With amenities including the swimming pool and the University of Johannesburg within this locality. Bertrams borders central Johannesburg or "Town" but is suburban enough to maintain its calm and pleasant atmosphere while being close to it and easy to access. Unemployment is high in this council owned area but there is a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Everything you need is in Bertrams and if you cannot find what you want there just pop into town and try your luck there.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Sub Place Bertrams". Census 2011.
  2. ^ a b Leyds, Gerald Anton (1964). A History of Johannesburg: The Early Years. Nasional Boekhandel. p. 318.
  3. ^ a b Raper, Peter E.; Moller, Lucie A.; du Plessis, Theodorus L. (2014). Dictionary of Southern African Place Names. Jonathan Ball Publishers. p. 1412. ISBN 9781868425501.
  4. ^ Rule, Stephen P. (1988). "Racial Residential Integration in Bertrams, Johannesburg". South African Geographical Journal. 70 (1): 69–72. doi:10.1080/03736245.1988.10559757. ISSN 0373-6245.
  5. ^ Rule, S. P. (July 1989). "The Emergence of a Racially Mixed Residential Suburb in Johannesburg: Demise of the Apartheid City?". The Geographical Journal. 155 (2): 196–203. doi:10.2307/635061. JSTOR 635061.