Draft:Suburbs of Christchurch

Suburbs

The earliest suburbs of Christchurch were laid out with streets in a grid pattern, centred on Cathedral Square. Growth initially took place along the tramlines, leading to radial development. Major expansion occurred in the 1950s and 60s, with the development of large areas of state housing. Settlements that had originally been remote, such as Sumner, New Brighton, Upper Riccarton and Papanui eventually became amalgamated into the expanding city.

There is no legal definition of the boundaries of suburbs in Christchurch. For the purposes of postal deliveries, postal area codes were introduced in 1981, and the name of the suburb is not required.