CJ Wellington Metropolitan Region

Update 3
Aerial view of the suburban sprawl

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Like any other cities, Wellington has an urban sprawl that extends 50 kilometres north-west away from the peninsula where the Central Business District is located. Greater Wellington has four major urban centres - in order of its size, density and economic significance - Wellington CBD, Stockport, Croydon and Fyshwick.

Between the late 1780s and 1840s, Wellington and Stockport have been competing against each other for development and growth, however, it became clear by 1850s that Wellington won the race. Wellington was proclaimed the Capital of New England in 1856.

Croydon was nothing more than just a small farming village until the 1920s when it began to develop into a large market town with a new railway station. It wasn't until 1990s when Croydon became a major urban centre due to new commercial, financial and office developments. Croydon now has a clear advantage over Stockport for development and growth because of its close proximity to Wellington Airport. It is starting to become quite difficult to develop in Stockport because of strict heritage regulations and expensive land prices whereas it is a different story in Croydon.

Fyshwick existed since the 1880s as an end-of-the-line railway town; it was also a university town. Fyshwick University is the third largest and second oldest university in the Wellington region. ​

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