| La Lucia | |
| Pushpin Map: | South Africa KwaZulu-Natal#South Africa |
| Coordinates: | -29.75°N 31.058°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | South Africa |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | KwaZulu-Natal |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Type3: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name3: | eThekwini |
| Subdivision Type4: | Main Place |
| Subdivision Name4: | Umhlanga |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Leader Title: | Councillor |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 4.11 |
| Population Total: | 6414 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Racial makeup (2011) |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Black African |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 16.8% |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Coloured |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 2.5% |
| Demographics1 Title3: | Indian/Asian |
| Demographics1 Info3: | 19.8% |
| Demographics1 Title4: | White |
| Demographics1 Info4: | 59.4% |
| Demographics1 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics1 Info5: | 1.4% |
| Demographics Type2: | First languages (2011) |
| Demographics2 Title1: | English |
| Demographics2 Info1: | 80.3% |
| Demographics2 Title2: | Zulu |
| Demographics2 Info2: | 8.2% |
| Demographics2 Title3: | Afrikaans |
| Demographics2 Info3: | 6.2% |
| Demographics2 Title4: | Xhosa |
| Demographics2 Info4: | 1.1% |
| Demographics2 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics2 Info5: | 4.2% |
| Timezone1: | SAST |
| Utc Offset1: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code (street) |
| Postal Code: | 4051 |
| Postal2 Code Type: | PO box |
| Postal2 Code: | 4159 |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
La Lucia is a wealthy suburb located in uMhlanga in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa and is situated approximately 14 kilometres (9 mi) north of the Durban CBD. It was named after Lucia Michel. She and her husband Albert Michel founded the sugar cane farm La Lucia.
Although La Lucia is mostly a residential area, to the east is La Lucia Mall, the only shopping centre in the suburb anchored by PicknPay, Woolworths, Edgars and Virgin Active and further north is La Lucia Ridge, a major office estate.
La Lucia Ridge Office Estate is an office estate bordering the M41 freeway to the north of La Lucia. The office estate owned and developed by Tongaat Hulett comprises 10 smaller office parks which include small and major corporations such as the headquarters for Unilever South Africa, Aspen Pharmacare, SA Home Loans and Consumer Relief as well as the regional offices for Multichoice, Sappi, Sanlam, Liquid Telecom and Deloitte. It also contains the German Honorary Consulate for Durban.
La Lucia is situated on a slope overlooking the Indian Ocean, forming part of the Northern Region of eThekwini, also known as the FunShine Coast or the uMhlanga Coast. Its neighbouring suburbs include uMhlanga Ridge to the north, uMhlanga Rocks to the east, Durban North to the south and Somerset Park and Sunningdale to the west.
La Lucia Ridge is a new office node situated on a ridge overlooking the Indian Ocean and is home to some of the lower density office parks in the greater uMhlanga area. Many of the office parks in this area are set in well-maintained, sculptured indigenous gardens, located just adjacent uMhlanga Ridge on the M41. The area is home to businesses such as Aspen, Tugela Steel and Unilever. The area is easily accessed by a network of major roads, including the M41, N2 and M4.[2]
La Lucia is bordered by three routes, namely the M41 (north), M4 (east) and the M12 (west). The M41 is a major highway connecting uMhlanga with Mount Edgecombe and Phoenix to the west and provides access to the N2 (to Durban and KwaDukuza). The M4 (Leo Boyd Highway) connects Durban to the south with Ballito to the north. The M12 (uMhlanga Rocks Drive) connects uMhlanga Ridge to the north with Durban North to the south.
Crawford College, La Lucia, established in 1999, is a large private school located in the suburb. La Lucia Junior Primary and Victory Christian Academy are also located in La Lucia.
Many houses have been developed recently in La Lucia with the population growing substantially between 2001 and 2011. The population rose 121% from 2,899 to 6,414. Black Africans, Indians and Asians, saw an especially large increase in numbers.[1] [3]