Coordinates: 34°55′44″S 138°36′04″E / 34.929°S 138.601°E / -34.929; 138.601

Adelaide Adelaide, South Australia
Adelaide city centre over the Torrens Lake
Population:	10,229 (2006 census)[1]
Postcode:	5000
Area:	10.5 km² (4.1 sq mi)
Location:	5 km (3 mi) E of Adelaide Airport 12 km (7 mi) SE of Port Adelaide 9 km (6 mi) NE of Glenelg
LGA:	City of Adelaide
State District:	Adelaide
Federal Division:	Adelaide
Suburbs around Adelaide: Hindmarsh North Adelaide Gilberton Hackney Thebarton Mile End Adelaide Kent Town Rose Park Dulwich Keswick Wayville Unley Parkside Eastwood Glenside

North Terrace, Adelaide

The Adelaide city centre is the innermost locality of Greater Adelaide, known by locals simply as "The City" or "Town". The locality is split into two key geographical distinctions: the city "square mile", bordered by North, East, South and West Terraces; and that part of the Adelaide Parklands south of the River Torrens which separate the locality's built form from the surrounding suburbs. The locality is home to the parliament of the state of South Australia and many key state government offices.

[edit] History

Prior to the European settlement of South Australia, the Adelaide Plains, on which Adelaide was built, was home to the Kaurna group of Indigenous Australians.

The colony of South Australia was established in 1836 at Glenelg, and the city itself established in 1837. The location and layout of the city is accredited to Colonel William Light (1786-1839) in a plan known as Light's Vision.

[edit] Politics

In the last decade, Adelaide has consistently favoured the centre-left Australian Labor Party (Labor) at both federal and state elections, although the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia (Liberal) have on occasion obtained a primary vote majority within the suburb's boundaries, and in the 1993 state election, an absolute majority. Under the preferential system in Australia, however, the 15% or more of the vote which typically goes to the Australian Democrats and the Greens consistently favours Labor.

At federal level, Adelaide is within the Division of Adelaide, a marginal seat which historically has alternated between the Liberal and Labor parties. It has been held since 2004 by Kate Ellis of the Labor party.^[2]

In the South Australian House of Assembly, Adelaide is within the Electoral district of Adelaide. The seat has mostly been held by Labor throughout its history but from 1989 until 2002 was held by Dr Michael Armitage. It has been held since then by Labor's Jane Lomax-Smith.

Polling place statistics are presented below combining the votes from the five Adelaide booths (Adelaide, Hospital, East, South and West):

[edit] Built environment

Adelaide is separated from its greater metropolitan area by a ring of public parklands on all sides. The square mile within the parklands is defined by a small area of high rise office and apartment buildings in the centre north, around King William Street, which runs north-to-south through the centre. Surrounding this central business district are a large number of medium to low density apartments, townhouses and detached houses which make up the residential portion of the city centre.

The layout of Adelaide, known as Light's Vision, features a grid pattern of wide streets and terraces and five large public squares: Victoria Square in the centre of the city, and Hindmarsh, Light, Hurtle and Whitmore Squares in the centres of each of the four quadrants of the Adelaide city centre.

Between North Terrace and South Terrace, all east-west roads change their names as they cross King William Street. Also, travelling north-south, the cross-streets alternate between being wide (4-lanes) and narrow (2-lanes), with the exception that Grote Street and Wakefield Street are 6-lanes wide.

Travelling south from North Terrace, the street pairs are:^[3]

[edit] See also

• Adelaide (Greater Adelaide metropolis)
• City of Adelaide (local government area)

[edit] References

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