One of Sydney's major business hubs, Parramatta has enjoyed a renaissance of late and is a vibrant place to live.
Parramatta has a below average violent crime rate and a below average property crime rate for Sydney.
Considered one of Sydney's most liveable suburbs, Parramatta (just "Parra" to locals) is a western counterpart to the Sydney CBD, with a major business district of its own attracting over 100,000 workers each weekday. Mention the name and you may get sneers from the Eastern Suburbs set, but billions of dollars of investment have poured in recently and the economy of Parramatta and its surrounds is growing faster than the CBD and the North Sydney business areas. It's home to government agencies, healthcare centers, financial services companies, and many other organizations..
In short, this is no longer the Parramatta of old that was provincial and manufacturing driven. Today it's a vibrant place offering a great lifestyle…as a mark of its turnaround it's even started attracting hipsters. It's also youthful: half the population is between the ages of 20-39 and half are single.
This is an extremely diverse suburb. About three-quarters of the population are from India and China. Of the quarter who are Australian-born, only a minority actually claim Australian heritage.
That diversity can be seen in the hundreds of restaurants found here. Name a cuisine and you'll find it: Australian, Malaysian, Japanese, Middle Eastern, Italian, Thai, and more. If there's one indicator that Parramatta has arrived it’s the presence of an Italian restaurant from celebrity chef Jamie Oliver. There's also a bustling nightlife here, with pubs, cocktail bars, and beer gardens. Most of these businesses are clustered around Church Street, the main commercial thoroughfare, making it easy to walk from work to shopping to dinner to drinks. Church Street also hosts a weekly farmers market. The local Westfield mall has tons of shops and will have most of your basic needs covered.
One of this suburb's best features is Parramata Park. This sprawling park has paths for walking, running, and cycling, playgrounds, a golf course, and plenty of grassy fields for a picnic or weekend sports. There are also several historical buildings located around the park and you can join a guided tour of these sites on the weekend. The park also hosts events throughout the year, from New Year's Eve celebrations to film festivals to live music.
Housing-wise you're mostly limited to low-rise and high-rise apartments, though some single-family homes can be found. The suburb is taking advantage of its position straddling the Parramatta River and is building new waterfront residences.
For those with children, Parramatta has a couple highly rated primary schools and an excellent secondary school.
And if you do work in the Sydney CBD, the commute by train is only 25 minutes to Central Station.
Parramatta is bordered on the north by North Parramatta, on the east by Rydalmere, on the south by Harris Park and Granville, and on the west by Mays Hill and Westmead.
Commute:
CBD: 24.7 km / 45-75 minutes by car / 40-45 minutes by transit
Chatswood: 24.7 km / 30-55 minutes by car / 65 minutes by transit
Liverpool: 16.9 km / 25-45 minutes by car / 45-50 minutes by transit
Parramatta LOCAL schools
Photo Credits: Thanks to @issac_eatsalot, @coffee_sydney, @kellywa00, @instayarns, @finitexistence, @mickonthemove, @clovar, @ray_giri, @marisa79, @theoccasionaltraveller, @annieunkyo, @chromeheart3496, @gusmctyer, @fdpearl, @physioparramatta, @kathryn.vo for your great photos of this neighborhood!
