North Ryde - Definition and Overview

North Ryde is a suburb in the north of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately 17 km from the CBD. Located in the City of Ryde, nearby suburbs include Epping, East Ryde, Eastwood, and Marsfield. Although officially a seperate suburb, Macquarie Park (neighbouring to the north) is considered by many to be part of North Ryde, as it was officially part of the suburb until the 1960s when it was rezoned. Both suburbs share the same postcode of 2113, and many businesses and residences, despite being in Macquarie Park, still advertise their address as being in North Ryde.

History

North Ryde was established in the mid 19th century in what was a heavily vegetated area, as a farming district next to the already established district of Ryde. It is not known when the district became known as North Ryde, however the earliest reference appears to be 1879 when the district's first public school (opened in 1878) changed its name from City View Public School to North Ryde Public School. Main farming activity included orchards, market gardens and poultry. It remained rural until after World War II when the state government purchased and subdivided much of the land for public housing. Although there is still some public housing in the area, much of the residential properties have transfered into private hands, which has transformed the area into an upper-middle class suburb.

The mid 1960's saw the combined establishment of the North Ryde Industrial Area and Macquarie University, an idea originating from the industrial areas surrounding Stanford University in San Franscisco. Industries were originally limited to being light, science related and include research activites. Many major hi-tech corporations have established their Australian headquarters in the area most notably the information technology sector including Microsoft, CSC Sony, Phillips, Avaya and also the pharmaceutical sector with such companies as Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca,.

Local landmarks

Other notable features of the suburb are the Macquarie Centre and the Australian Film, Television and Radio School.

Transportation

The area is well served by public buses, and will have two railway stations with the completion of the Parramatta Rail Link in 2008. The stations are called Macquarie Park and Macquarie University.