In 1850 a party of 400 Methodists settled here and formed the town. The town was then named after the Earl of Verulam, patron of the British who settled here.
Demography
Verulam is inhabited mainly by people of Indian descent. The population is over 63,000. There are several primary and secondary schools catering for all races and all areas of the town. The town contains densely populated residential and industrial areas, which include a multitude of shopping centres, mosques, temples & churches. At the outskirts are large farming areas, several built-up townships, and rural townships. There has been slow but steady progress in modernising the town by providing adequate infrastructure to the rural areas.
Geography
Verulam is situated is situated on the banks of the uMdloti River, with the most of the town built south of the river. It is bordered by Waterloo and Ottawa South to the south-east, Phoenix to the south, Mawothi to the south-west and Redcliffe to the west. Nearby communities in the surrounding area include Mount Edgecombe (10 km) to the south-east, eMdloti (11 km) to the east, uMhlanga (12 km) to the south-east and oThongathi (13km) to the north-east.
Suburbs
The 2011 census divided the urban area of Verulam into 23 “sub places” including:[3]
One of the main attractions in Verulam is the Sri Gopalall Hindu Temple which was opened in 1913 by Mahatma Gandhi. It is situated in the small suburb of Temple Valley in Verulam. It is one of the oldest temples in South Africa and still caters for prayer & wedding ceremonies. The Shree Siva Subramaniar Alayam has a significant following devotees with the annual Kavady procession being one of the highlights of the temple calendar. It is situated along the Umdloti River.
Another temple is the Gayathri Peedam, situated in Brindhaven. This is the only temple in Africa that houses two full figure Gayathri Murthi's. The ashram is very busy with Sacred Mantra Chants and Crystal Healing Crusades, weekly Navagraha's, Full Moon (Pournami) prayers and Friday Satsangs. The Peedam hosts a meditation garden; a Hanuman Shrine, Shiva Mandir, Sani Shrine and the only Mahavatar Kriya Babaj Shrine in Africa. The ashram focuses on community and youth development programs.
Christ Embassy Verulam is a church in Temple Valley run by Dr. Pastor Shane Maharaj and is a local branch of the main Christ Embassy Church in Nigeria headed by Pastor Chris Oyakhilome.
Blessed Life Ministries is a full gospel community church that is situated at the Redcliffe Primary School.
Muslim writer and motivational speaker Ahmed Deedat is buried in Verulam.
Nature
The Hazelmere Dam, just a few kilometres from Verulam, features a variety of activities, such as watersports, fishing, nature walks, bird watching, a wide range of game, campsites & luxury accommodation.
Verulam has numerous schools, which include Lotusville Primary, Verulam Primary, Dawncrest Primary, Verulam Secondary, Mountview Secondary, Temple Valley Secondary, Verulam Independent School, Trenance Park Secondary, Everest Heights Primary School and Glenhaven Secondary School. Verulam Secondary School has had numerous learners placed among the top 10 matriculants in the province and nationally and has achieved a pass rate of +-97% for 6 consecutive years . Temple Valley Secondary has achieved a 95%+ pass rate for the past 5 years.
Verulam is also home to the Verulam Day and Frail Care Centre. The Frail Care Centre caters to destitute frail and elderly citizens with 24-hour nursing care. There is also a hall that is hired out for various functions and meetings.
Industry
Verulam is one of the smaller industrial nodes of the Greater Durban metropolitan area and although many industries are scattered around the town, most are concentrated to the north. Notable industries that operate from Verulam include: Colgate-Palmolive (oral care), Grafton Everest (furniture), AfriSam (construction materials), Frimax (snacks), Packo (spices) and the Parachute Industries of Southern Africa (sport parachutes). Shoprite, the largest supermarket chain in Africa and its subsidiary, Freshmark have their regional distribution centres based in Verulam.
The Verulam Market, opened by the then Verulam Town Board in 1884, is a historic fresh produce market that draws daily customers from all over KwaZulu-Natal and provides income to many residents of the town.[5]
Transport
Air
King Shaka International Airport is the only international airport in the Greater Durban metropolitan area and is the nearest airport to Verulam, located approximately 8 km north-east of the town via the R102 and M65. The international airport offers flights to several towns and cities domestically in South Africa as well as internationally to Doha, Dubai, Harare, Lusaka, Manzini and Istanbul.
Rail
Verulam is principally served by the Verulam Railway Station (to the east of the town centre) along with two other railway stations in the area, including Canelands station to the north and Ottawa station to the south. These railway stations are situated on the main commuter line between Durban and KwaDukuza (North Coast Line) operated by Metrorail KwaZulu-Natal with southbound services to Mount Edgecombe, Phoenix and Durban and northbound services to oThongathi (Tongaat), Shakaskraal and KwaDukuza (Stanger).
Road
The N2 is a national highway bypassing Verulam from KwaDukuza in the north to Durban in the south with off-ramps at Jabu Ngcobo Drive. The R102 is the main north–south road through Verulam, bypassing the CBD from connecting oThongathi to Mount Edgecombe. The M27 is the main east–west road through Verulam, bypassing south of the CBD from eMdloti to Buffelsdraai as Jabu Ngcobo Drive and Old Inanda Road and also provides access to the N2 and the M4 (to uMhlanga and Ballito).
Both the R102 and M4 (via M27) are the untolled alternative routes to the tolled N2 northbound. The M4 also provides an alternative southbound route to uMhlanga and Durban.
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