| Melville | |
| Pushpin Map: | South Africa Gauteng#South Africa |
| Coordinates: | -26.1758°N 28.0089°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | South Africa |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Gauteng |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Type3: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name3: | City of Johannesburg |
| Subdivision Type4: | Main Place |
| Subdivision Name4: | Johannesburg |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Established Date: | 1896 |
| Leader Title: | Councillor |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 1.72 |
| Population Total: | 3355 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Racial makeup (2011) |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Black African |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 33.4% |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Coloured |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 3.2% |
| Demographics1 Title3: | Indian/Asian |
| Demographics1 Info3: | 5.2% |
| Demographics1 Title4: | White |
| Demographics1 Info4: | 55.6% |
| Demographics1 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics1 Info5: | 2.7% |
| Demographics Type2: | First languages (2011) |
| Demographics2 Title1: | English |
| Demographics2 Info1: | 50.4% |
| Demographics2 Title2: | Afrikaans |
| Demographics2 Info2: | 22.7% |
| Demographics2 Title3: | Zulu |
| Demographics2 Info3: | 6.4% |
| Demographics2 Title4: | Tswana |
| Demographics2 Info4: | 4.5% |
| Demographics2 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics2 Info5: | 15.9% |
| Timezone1: | SAST |
| Utc Offset1: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code (street) |
| Postal Code: | 2092 |
| Postal2 Code Type: | PO box |
| Postal2 Code: | 2109 |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
Melville is a bohemian suburb of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa. It is the location of many restaurants and taverns, which are mostly frequented by students from the nearby University of Johannesburg, located in Auckland Park, and the University of the Witwatersrand, located in Braamfontein. It is one of the city's most popular tourist destinations. The suburb is to the west of the Johannesburg CBD. It is located in Region B of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality.
Prior to the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand in 1886, the suburb lay on land of one of the original farms that make up Johannesburg, called Braamfontein. The suburb was proclaimed on 5 October 1896, and is named after the land surveyor, Edward Harker Vincent Melvill.[2] In the public sale notice, the suburb was described as a "picturesque and healthy spot in the vicinity of Johannesburg with a magnificent view of the wooded country to the north with the blue Pretoria ranges stretching like lines of steel against the horizon".
Melville is also well known for the Melville Koppies (an archeological site, with rolling hills of grassland with views over the city), and is near the historic suburb of Sophiatown.
The area, along with Parkhurst, Greenside, Parkview, Norwood and Emmarentia, is one of the many areas of the Northern Suburbs still to have high streets with cafes, restaurants and shops lining the streets rather than in enclosed shopping centres. In Melville, the majority of these are located along 7th Street, although there are also several on other streets, such as 4th Avenue and Main Street (where there is also a supermarket). There are over 30 guest houses in the vicinity, and Melville is a popular stopover in Johannesburg for tourists. On 7th Street, in addition to restaurants, there are several bars and a tattoo studio; the street is a popular hang-out for the cosmopolitan crowd.
The popular soap opera, 7de Laan, used views of 7th Street, Melville in its opening visuals.[3]