Mount Edgecombe or Mt Edgecombe is a town in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, situated just north of Durban, which forms part of eThekwini, the Greater Durban Metropolitan area. Much of the suburb is cordoned off as a gated settlement comprising resorts, golf courses and a retirement home. It was previously a sugar growing area. The population increased by 89% between 2001 and 2011 from 3,874 to 7,323. Its name is derived from the Earl of Mount Edgecombe in Cornwall, United Kingdom.

Geography 
Mount Edgecombe lies within a hilly region approximately 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) inland from the coastal resort of uMhlanga Rocks and approximately 14 km (8.7 mi) north-east of the Durban city centre.   

Mount Edgecombe is bounded on the east by the N2 freeway, beyond which lies uMhlanga, on the west by the R102, beyond which lies Phoenix and on the north by the M41 freeway, beyond which lies Cornubia. Towards the south, the built-up area of Mount Edgecombe ends at an open tract of land insulating it from urban areas such as Riverhorse Valley and Mount Moriah.   

Mount Edgecombe encompasses three distinct areas - the Mount Edgecombe Country Club Estate, the industrial area to the east and the retail precinct to the north.

Culture and contemporary lifestyle 
Mount Edgecombe Country Club Estate has long held its reputation as the most expensive estate in the Greater Durban metropolitan area and comprises two smaller golf estates, numbered 1 and 2 which contain their respective championship golf courses.

With rural origins, Mount Edgecombe is today being redeveloped as a residential suburb on the northern outskirts of the greater Durban metropolitan area. However, in the face of rapid suburban development, Mount Edgecombe has  still managed to retain its laid-back atmosphere, as compared to its bustling sister suburb of uMhlanga which has made it an attractive suburb for Durbanites desiring to live a sleepy suburban lifestyle.

Economy

Sugar 
With a long history as a sugarcane growing area, today Mount Edgecombe is essentially the centre for the South African sugar industry, home to the corporate headquarters of the South African Sugar Research Institute and the South African Sugar Association.

Although much of the surrounding sugarcane farms have been absorbed into Mt Edgecombe, the area is roughly as far as one can go within Greater Durban before it dissolves into rolling sugarcane plantations stretching from Cornubia towards the uThukela River, about 70 kilometres (43 mi) to the north.

Industries 
Mt Edgecombe is one of the smaller industrial centres in the Greater Durban metropolitan area housing various light industries ranging from logistics – notably the regional distribution centres of Spar (for perishables) and Freedom Stationery – to hardware amongst other light industries occupying the Mt Edgecombe industrial area.

Retail 
While mostly a residential area, the development of the Mount Edgecombe-uMhlanga area means that the town does have fair amount of retail amenities mainly in the form of ribbon development along the M41 freeway and Flanders Drive on the northern periphery of the town. 

A notable landmark in Mount Edgecombe is the Cornubia Mall, a 65,000m2 shopping centre opened on 27 September 2017 and forms part of the Cornubia City, a planned smart city north of the town developed on former sugarcane land by Tongaat Hulett. Cornubia City is also home to the only Makro store north of Durban. 

Mount Edgecombe is also home to a sizable boutique shopping centre named Flanders Boutique Mall as well a variety of automotive and technological business stringed along Flanders Drive.

Infrastructure

Healthcare 
Mount Edgecombe is solely served by the Life Mount Edgecombe Hospital, a private hospital owned by Life Healthcare Group located in the suburb of Rockford (falls under Phoenix), on the boundary between Phoenix and Mount Edgecombe.

Rail 
Mount Edgecombe lies on the main railway line between Durban and KwaDukuza with commuter railway services provided from the Mount Edgecombe Railway Station towards Durban and Phoenix as well as Verulam, oThongathi (Tongaat) and KwaDukuza (Stanger).

Road 
Mount Edgecombe is strategically placed between three major routes, namely the N2 freeway (Outer Ring Road) leading northwards to the King Shaka International Airport and KwaDukuza and southwards to Durban, the M41 freeway leading to uMhlanga and Durban and the R102 (North Coast Road) leading southwards to KwaMashu (via the M5) and Durban and northwards to Verulam and oThongathi. Phoenix Highway (M26) also provides a connection between Mount Edgecombe and the neighbouring township of Phoenix.   

The Mount Edgecombe Interchange, which was recently upgraded and completed in October 2019 serves as the interchange between the N2 and M41 highways and has become a notable landmark in the Mount Edgecombe area especially with one of the flyovers being the longest incrementally launched bridge in South Africa, at a length of 948 metres.

See also
Illovo Sugar

References

Populated places in eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality