Our region is a beautifully diverse expanse of land. The City of Swan encompasses an area of 1,043 square kilometres, equivalent to almost 20 per cent of the metropolitan area, and is the largest local government by area in Perth.
Our location on the periphery of the metropolitan area is characterised by a variety of urban and rural landscapes and land uses. We are the northern and eastern gateway to our State, with major road and rail transport routes running through our City.
One-in-three people in the City born overseas and one in five speaking a language other than English at home. The average age is 34 with a higher proportion of young people and lower proportion of older people than the Perth average. Our varied demographics across the City and in each local area is reflected in the diversity of housing, ranging from large rural lifestyle lots all the way to apartment living in town centres.
Our economy benefits from our location as an outer metropolitan gateway, with all kinds of businesses choosing to call our City home. Our largest industries of employment are retail, manufacturing and construction, contributing to an annual Gross Regional Product of almost $10 billion with almost 70,000 local jobs across more than 10,000 businesses in 2020.
Our location, services and facilities make the City an attractive place to live, with the population in our 42 suburbs increasing substantially over the past few decades to more than 155,000 in 2020. This growth is particularly evident in suburbs such as Ellenbrook, Aveley, Dayton, Caversham, Brabham and, most recently, Bushmead.
Our future will see an estimated population increase of 39 per cent by 2031, resulting in 60,000 new residents and a total population of over 215,000.
Our ideal location, significant history, diverse community and strong economy will continue to ensure a positive future, full of opportunity.