Hillcrest is a suburb in south-eastern Hamilton

Hamilton, New Zealand

Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...

 in New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. The suburb is the home to the University of Waikato

University of Waikato

The University of Waikato is located in Hamilton and Tauranga, New Zealand, and was established in 1964. It has strengths across a broad range of subject areas, particularly its degrees in Computer Science and in Management...

 and consequently has a large student population. It is located on the east side of the Hamilton Town Belt

Hamilton Town Belt

The Hamilton Town Belt, also known as the Green Belt, is a series of public parks in Hamilton, New Zealand that surround the original 1877 city boundaries...

, a series of public parks that run from the Hamilton Gardens

Hamilton Gardens

Hamilton Gardens is a group of public gardens in the south of Hamilton owned and managed by Hamilton City Council in New Zealand. They are the Waikato Region's most popular visitor attraction, attracting 600,000 people and holding over 2,000 events each year...

 to Ruakura

Ruakura

Ruakura is a semi-rural suburb of Hamilton City, in the Waikato region of New Zealand. The University of Waikato is nearby. The area lies to the east of urban Hamilton and to the west of State Highway 1B .The Waikato region is a major contributor to New Zealand's agricultural-based economy, and...

 in its eastern section.

History

The area was formerly known as Steele's Hill, named after Capt. W. Steele. Much of the area was covered in orchards in the early 1900s. It was named Hillcrest by the Waikato County Council in the 1940's when the area began developing as a suburb. Hillcrest began a part of Hamilton in 1949 with the 5th boundary extension. Significant development took place throughout the 1950s and 1960s.

The University of Waikato

The main campus of the University of Waikato was established in 1964. In 2010 the university had 13089 students enrolled, the majority based at the Hillcrest campus.

Academy of Performing Arts

Opened in 2001, the Academy of Performing Arts is a prominent music and theatre venue in Hamilton. Its concert chamber is one of Hamilton's premier classical music

Classical music

Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...

 venues.

Former Hamilton Railway Station

The Station on Hillcrest Road is the former main railway station for Hamilton. The building was relocated from Victoria Street to its current Hillcrest location in the 1960s when the Hamilton Central

Hamilton Central

Hamilton Central is the central business district of Hamilton, New Zealand. It is located on the western banks of the Waikato River.-Features of Hamilton Central:-Victoria Street:...

 underground train station was built. It is one of the few surviving railway stations that were built during the time Julius Vogel

Julius Vogel

Sir Julius Vogel, KCMG was the eighth Premier of New Zealand. His administration is best remembered for the issuing of bonds to fund railway construction and other public works...

 was in charge of New Zealand's Public Works Department

New Zealand Ministry of Works

The New Zealand Ministry of Works, formerly the Department of Public Works and sometimes referred to as the Public Works Department or PWD, was founded in 1876 and disestablished and privatised in 1988...

.

Demographics

According to the 2006 census, Hillcrest has a population of 8541. The suburb is ethnically diverse. 40% of its residents born were overseas, primarily from Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

. The Index of Socioeconomic Deprivation, ranked 1-10 from lowest to most deprived areas, lists the University section of Hillcrest at 8/10 (high deprivation) and the Hillcrest West section at 7/10 (moderate deprivation).

Education

• Hillcrest Normal School is a state co-educational contributing primary (years 1-6) school with a decile rating
  Socio-Economic Decile
  Decile, Socio-Economic Decile or Socio-Economic Decile Band is a widely used measure in education in New Zealand used to target funding and support to more needy schools....
  
   of 9 and a roll of 520.
• Knighton Normal School is a state co-educational contributing primary (years 1-6) school with a decile rating of 6 and a roll of 610.
• Berkley Normal Middle School is a state co-educational composite (years 7-9) school with a decile rating of 9 and a roll of 632. The school was founded as an intermediate school in 1971 and became a middle school (with the addition of year 9) in 1998.
• St John's College is a single sex
  Single-sex education
  Single-sex education, also known as single-gender education, is the practice of conducting education where male and female students attend separate classes or in separate buildings or schools. The practice was predominant before the mid-twentieth century, particularly in secondary education and...
  
   integrated Catholic
  Catholicism
  Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
  
   school (years 9-13) with a decile rating of 7 and a roll of 682.

Despite the name, Hillcrest High School

Hillcrest High School (New Zealand)

Hillcrest High School is a coeducational state secondary school in Hamilton, New Zealand, located in the east Hamilton suburb of Hillcrest.-General:...

 is actually located in the neighbouring suburb of Silverdale.