It is known for its high levels of population density, unemployment, poverty, prostitution [2] and crime. It had a large and active Jewish community for much of the twentieth century and housed several Orthodox synagogues such as the Great Synagogue and Poswohl Synagogue. Temple Israel , the oldest Reform synagogue in the country, continues to hold services. In the s it was an Apartheid -designated "whites only" area under the Group Areas Act , but later became a "grey area", where people of different ethnicities lived together.
It acquired a cosmopolitan and politically progressive feel, and was one of the first identifiable gay and lesbian areas in urban South Africa. However, due to the mass growth of the population of poor and unemployed people after the end of Apartheid, crime soared and the streets became strewn with rubbish.
Today, the majority of the residents are incoming migrants from the townships , rural areas and the rest of Africa, many living in abject poverty. An urban regeneration programme is underway. There are street markets, mainly used by local residents, and the Johannesburg Art Gallery contains work by major local artists including William Kentridge.
Prior to the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand in , the suburb laid on government owned land called Randjeslaagte that now makes up the Johannesburg CBD. It was a triangular shaped piece of waste land not used for farming and the future suburb lies in the northern apex of the triangle.
The origin of its name is simple, the suburb lies on the brow of the east west mountain ridge that crosses the Johannesburg CBD. Since the beginning of the s, Hillbrow was home to a growing and stable community of Jewish residents. It is considered the city's mother synagogue and "the crown jewel of Orthodox Judaism in South Africa. In the press reported confrontations between local Jewish youth and German immigrants at a beer hall in Hillbrow. The Germans made Hitler salutes, prompting protests from local Jewish youth.
