Citrusdal
Place in Western Cape, South Africa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Citrusdal is a town of 5,000 people in the Olifants River Valley in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is situated at the base of the Cederberg mountains about 160 kilometres (100 mi) north of Cape Town. Agriculture in the area is dominated by citrus fruit farming, hence the town's name. Natural hot water springs occur in the area. It also has a high school named Cederberg Academy and a private school and two other primary schools and lots of creches.
Citrusdal | |
|---|---|
View of Citrusdal and surrounding mountains at night | |
  Citrusdal  Citrusdal | |
| Coordinates: 32°35′22″S 19°00′53″E | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Western Cape |
| District | West Coast |
| Municipality | Cederberg |
| Established | 1916 |
| Area | |
• Total | 4.70 km2 (1.81 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[1] | |
• Total | 7,177 |
| • Density | 1,530/km2 (3,950/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • Black African | 15.6% |
| • Coloured | 69.0% |
| • Indian/Asian | 0.2% |
| • White | 14.5% |
| • Other | 0.7% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • Afrikaans | 87.5% |
| • Xhosa | 5.9% |
| • Sotho | 2.4% |
| • English | 1.9% |
| • Other | 2.3% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Postal code (street) | 7340 |
| PO box | 7340 |
| Area code | 022 |
History
Citrusdal was established in 1916 by the Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk to serve the upper Olifants River valley. The church bought a portion of Middelpost farm, on which a township was laid out.[2] A town council was established in 1957.
Demographics
In the 2001 Census the population of Citrusdal was recorded as 5,023 people in 1,401 households. 73% of the residents described themselves as "Coloured", 21% as "White" and 6% as "Black African". The dominant language is Afrikaans, spoken as the first language of 95% of the population, while 4% speak isiXhosa and 1% speak English.[3]
Schools
The former Citrusdal High, which now continues as Olifantsvallei Primary, was dissolved in 2011. In its place a new high school, Cederberg Academy, was established in 2012. It is a small school situated in the Olifants River Valley, and has approximately 350 students.