OVERVIEW
The towers of Wellington’s central business district are set on compact land between The Terrace and the Wellington waterfront. No longer just offices, the area is now home to thousands of apartment dwellers. It’s a youngish crowd with an average age of just 25, but there are a growing number of middle age folk too, attracted by the opportunity to walk to work, a wide range of cafes and amenities, and the attractive waterfront. Is living in Wellington Central for you?
BEST SUITED TO
Young professionals, empty nesters who enjoy the arts, cafes and city buzz.
POPULATION PROFILE from stats.govt.nz Census 2013
A young population. 68% fall between the ages of 18 and 34.
Europeans make up 64% of the population.
The next biggest ethic group are Asian, 24%.
The city attracts young people for the social opportunities as well as easy access to the workplace and to Victoria University.
Residents tend to have university degrees or are working toward them. Commerce and information technology are popular choices.
Primary occupations are in retail, accommodation and food services, financial and insurance, professional or public administration careers.
Incomes show two distinct brackets. The number earning under $15,000 per annum are well above average - a reflection of the large student population here. The second bracket are those earning over $50,000.
TYPICAL HOMES
For a capital city, Wellington is very compact. Many years ago the area occupied by the central business district was home to a large number of detached or semi-detached houses. As the city grew and the population increased, substantially in the late 1800's, the early settlers moved further out to gain extra land and to escape the generally poor living conditions that had developed due to overcrowding.
In the 21st century there are virtually no houses remaining in the central business district, and the few that remain are occupied by businesses. These early Wellington homes usually have heritage status, protecting them from demolition or significant alterations.
Apartment living arrived relatively recently in Wellington City. As companies failed following the sharemarket crash of 1987, a number of commercial high-rise buildings in the central business district become vacant. Developers took the opportunity to buy these buildings and convert them to residential use. The uptake by residents wasn't particularly rapid in the first few years. However, by the mid-1990s interest had grown considerably in city living, aided by a steady increase in the number of cafes and other city amenities, along with redevelopment of the Wellington waterfront.
LIVING IN WELLINGTON CENTRAL. IS IT FOR YOU?
We hope you've enjoyed our introduction to Wellington Central. Have we missed something about this suburb? Can you tell us more?! Please feel free to leave comments in the area below.
If you've decided that living in Wellington City is not for you, you might benefit from reading our blog posts on Wellington suburbs, such as Karori, or Grenada Village. These areas contain standalone houses with private yards, so you'll have more room both inside and outside. Don't forget to also check out our other articles on the Valuewise main blog page.
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