Ridleyton is an inner northern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the City of Charles Sturt.
History
The area incorporating the current suburb of Ridleyton was originally granted to Osmond Gilles in March 1839. He later transferred it to John Ridley, inventor of the stripper or reaping machine, in June 1842 for £275. In 1873, Ridley lodged a plan to subdivide his land, naming one part Ridleyton.
Geography
Ridleyton is primarily bounded by South Road, Torrens Road, Wood Avenue and Blight Street. The suburb includes the northwestern end of the redeveloped Hawker Street precinct.
Demographics
The 2006 Census by the Australian Bureau of Statistics counted 938 persons in Ridleyton on census night. Of these, 46.3% were male and 53.7% were female.
The majority of residents .
The age distribution of Ridleyton residents is similar to that of the greater Australian population. 71.4% of residents were over 25 years in 2006, compared to the Australian average of 66.5%; and 28.6% were younger than 25 years, compared to the Australian average of 33.5%.
Politics
Ridleyton is part of Hindmarsh Ward in the City of Charles Sturt local government area, being represented in that council by Paul Alexandrides and Craig Auricht.
State and federal
Ridleyton lies in the state electoral district of Croydon and the federal electoral division of Adelaide. The suburb is represented in the South Australian House of Assembly by Michael Atkinson and federally by Kate Ellis.
Community
The local newspaper is the Weekly Times Messenger. Other regional and national newspapers such as The Advertiser and The Australian are also available.
Facilities and attractions
The Ridleyton Central Shopping Centre services Ridleyton and neighboring suburbs. The centre is accessible from both Hawker Street and South Road. As well as such stores as a pharmacy, bakery and news agency, the centre includes an IGA Foodland supermarket.
Other major businesses in the suburb include:
The Hawker Street (Bowden & Brompton) and Elizabeth Street (Croydon) shopping and dining precincts are within walking distance of Ridleyton.
Parks
The largest park in Ridleyton is Albert Greenshields Reserve on Torrens Road. This park includes a Girl Guide hall, barbecue area, public restrooms, creek, playing field and a children's playground. There are laneways both to Wright Street and Blight Street.
There are also small parks on Ryan Place and on the corner of Hythe Street and Wood Avenue.
Transportation
Ridleyton lies beside the intersection of South Road and Torrens Road, and is thus serviced by both. Hawker Street cuts through the centre of the suburb.
Many of the local streets were established in the 19th century. Consequently, roadways tend to be narrow and, with a small volume of traffic, quiet.
Public transport
Ridleyton is serviced by public transport run by the Adelaide Metro.
Trains
There is no train stop in Ridleyton itself. However, the following train services run nearby.
Buses
The suburb is serviced by the following bus routes: