As with most suburbs in Christchurch, it has no defined boundaries and is a general area.

Burnside was originally part of a farm, approximately 1,700 acres (6.9 km2) in size, owned by the early settler William Boag (1828–1904), who arrived in 1851 from Perthshire.

It was named for the small creeks that formed the headwaters of the Waimairi Stream.

[6] For the first hundred years of European settlement, the area in and around Burnside was farmland, with sheep, cattle and orchards occupying the land.

The percentage of people born overseas was 32.6, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 47.9% had no religion, 39.1% were Christian, 0.2% had Māori religious beliefs, 1.4% were Hindu, 1.6% were Muslim, 2.0% were Buddhist and 2.1% had other religions.