This area was first settled in 1873 by William Henry Mead. He built a home in the Ridge Hill area, and established an orchard named "Orangedale". The name of Maida Vale was chosen as the district name by a public meeting of local residents in 1910, and comes from the property name of another early settler, Mr W H McCormack. It is assumed that the name was derived from that of the west London suburb of this name, which in turn is named after Maida (S. Pietro di Maida) in Calabria, Italy. The British Army defeated the French there in 1806, and in commemoration of the victory Maida Hall and Maida Vale were named.
Within the suburb there is a primary school, Maida Vale Primary School, a golf course, numerous parks/ovals, small shops, and a heated swimming pool. Maida Vale retains areas of natural bushland and is not completely built-up with housing.
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