It is one of the older residential areas of the Northern Suburbs, having been created as a residential area for the less affluent relatives of the Randlords who had built their mansions on Parktown Ridge during the early days of the Rand gold rush (during the 1890s).

The suburb has many old colonial-style houses, and manages to maintain a village atmosphere, despite being near to one of the busiest roads in the city, Jan Smuts Avenue.

The suburb is built around a small spring and lake, however this is not visible from the street and is hidden from the public separating the gardens of three private houses.

Parktown North is a popular dining out venue for Johannesburg residents.

[3][4] Parktown North has an active Residents Association (PNRA) that looks after its many interests around the suburb from Heritage, building and electrical issues, to power outage and maintenance issues.