The name means "place of reeds" in the Zulu language, and the correct pronunciation of "hl" in uMhlanga is similar to the Welsh "ll".

Mr Rodney Rindel, former chairman of the La Lucia town board, was elected to mayor of the newly formed Borough of uMhlanga.

Mr Rindel said that the people of La Lucia had made no secret that they were opposed to the amalgamation and were not happy with the name, but now that this had come about they would make the best of it.

[5] The construction of the Gateway Theatre of Shopping by Old Mutual Properties (opened in 2001) marked a significant change for the uMhlanga area, creating rapid commercialisation and urban sprawl in the area and had a crucial role in the development of the then small town of Umhlanga, lying just outside Durban.

On 1 October 2010, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts and Culture gazetted the list of approved name changes which included the town of Umhlanga Rocks.

In 1994, after the local government elections, The Borough of uMhlanga, which also included Glen Anil (now part of Durban North) and Umdloti Beach (renamed to eMdloti) was amalgamated with some surrounding areas, including Mount Edgecombe, Verulam and Tongaat (now oThongathi) to form the North Local Council, as part of the short-lived transitional Durban Metropolitan Council which included the former City of Durban Municipality and former surrounding independent municipalities.

The area combines office estate, commercial, mixed-use, residential, leisure developments and managed open spaces.

[11][12][13] Somerset Park is a residential suburb on the ridge above La Lucia and its residences are notably uniform with their design with similar green colonial-designed roofs to the adjacent Mt Edgecombe Country Club Estate.

uMhlanga Ridge Town Centre is connected by a series of pedestrian-friendly roads, parks and public spaces.

Due to the economic boom in the uMhlanga area as well as the new airport located nearby, various developments are under way which will substantially increase the population over the next two decades.

In just over twenty years, uMhlanga has grown from a small beachside holiday destination on the North Coast to Greater Durban's premier business, retail and tourism hub.

About 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) up the coast will be the luxury Aerotropolis known as the Sibaya Coastal Precinct inland to eMdloti[14] It is estimated that it will cost R25-50 billion to develop.

[15] The new uMhlanga Ridge Town Centre has seen major expansion with many apartment complexes and businesses being built.

The estimated R25 billion Cornubia development is being built across the N2 from the new town centre and will include 24000 low and middle income houses.

[18] As the most prominent commercial node in the Greater Durban metropole, uMhlanga hosts the head offices of numerous major national and international corporations, including: uMhlanga is known for the Gateway Theatre of Shopping, the largest mall in KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest in South Africa.

[29] While uMhlanga has evolved into a major commercial node, it remains traditionally a resort town and continues to be one of South Africa's most popular tourist destinations.

The number of residential burglaries halved between 2014 and 2019 possibly linked to the proliferation of highly visible private security in the area.

During apartheid, uMhlanga was a predominately white town, however now it is very diverse with people from various racial backgrounds and ethnic groups.

uMhlanga was one of the worst affected areas in the metropolis, with its beaches closed for a long period of time due to the high E. coli levels found in the ocean water.

The sewage crisis had been caused due to a pump station along the Ohlanga River that had been overflowing for several months, however on 23 November 2022, the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality confirmed that the pump station was repaired in time for the festive season, which brings in a lot of income for uMhlanga's economy.