The Edinburgh Realty Blog

Dunedin North

Mark Miller

From an outsider’s perspective, North Dunedin defines the city.

With the University of Otago in the heart of the suburb, the area is home to most of the institution’s students. And, along with students, comes “colour”. Whether it be the famous student flats, groups of people wandering around dressed in theme, or the sheer number of young people in a concentrated area – North Dunedin is a dynamic few blocks of the city.

The suburb sits 1.5km north east of the Octagon and includes the hospital, Otago Museum, Knox Church, Otago Polytechnic, Logan Park High School and Dunedin North Intermediate. The Dunedin Botanic Gardens, Forsyth Barr Stadium and University Oval also sit within its boundaries.

About 3400 people call North Dunedin home, according to the 2013 census. Reflecting the high percentage of student accommodation, only 3% of those people are over 65 and 1% are under 15 – compared to 14% and 18%, respectively, for Otago as a whole. Tellingly, only 5% of households are private dwellings, compared to 54% Otago-wide. Yes, student flats are the dominant dwellings.

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