[citation needed] By the 1870s, parts of South Melbourne became a favoured place of residents for the wealthy, particularly in St Vincent Gardens, Melbourne's best London style residential square (which mostly lies in Albert Park), but most of the locality was developed with more modest single storey terraces and cottages, some in timber.

They soon housed some of Melbourne's postwar migrants, who also lived in the many modest cottages, adding a multicultural flavour to the area.

[citation needed] In the 1980s, like other inner suburban areas, South Melbourne's gentrification got under way, and many of the terrace houses and cottages were renovated and a new middle class moved in.

The Victorian era terraced house and cottage areas of South Melbourne are extensive and mostly heritage-listed.

A handful of original prefabricated cottages have survived, with a corrugated iron example in Coventry Street now a museum run by the National Trust.

The elaborate town hall with its tall clock tower is one of the landmarks of Melbourne's heritage of Victorian architecture.

The block that the town hall stands on was all developed in the late 1870s-1880s with substantial terrace houses and shops, and remains intact to this day.

South Melbourne FC is regarded as one of Australia's most successful soccer clubs, with four national titles to their name.

Historically, they have been known as South Melbourne Hellas, a tribute to the migrant Greek founders of the club and traditionally played at Middle Park.

[citation needed] It was once home to the South Melbourne Swans, which played in the Victorian Football League (VFL), which played out of the Lake Oval (now Lakeside Stadium) in nearby Albert Park, before relocating to Sydney in 1982 in a radical move, which eventually spawned the national Australian Football League.

[citation needed] Notable people from or who lived in South Melbourne include: ^ = territory divided with another LGA