[4] Abbotsford is an entirely residential suburb with virtually no retail or service sector of its own – for these it relies on Green Island.

On the night of 8 August 1979, a major landslide occurred in Abbotsford, resulting in the destruction or relocation of some 69 houses, and requiring the evacuation of over 600 people.

This remains the largest landslip to have occurred in an urban area of New Zealand.

Until the early 2000s, the main road route south out of Dunedin passed through Sunnyvale, but it and Fairfield, 2 km to the west, were bypassed by a motorway extension in 2002.

The sports arena of Sunnyvale Park, serving Abbotsford and Green Island, is located in the suburb.