Pleasant Street is the main road through the suburb and commercial area.

In the 1870s and 1880s, the Redan lead had a number of larger gold mining companies extracting Sergeants Freehold Quartz Goldmining Company and the Hustler's Line of Reef.

The suburb developed gradually with working class origins, the home of many miners.

The population has many people in their teens and early twenties in low cost rental accommodation.

[6] Redan also has a soccer club Ballarat City FC competing in the National Premier League which is the third tier of Australian soccer behind the national A-League.