History of Yagoona

History
The area was originally known as Irish Town and the suburb of Yagoona was created in 1927. Yagoona is an Aboriginal word meaning 'now' or 'today'.
It was home to the first McDonalds restaurant in Australia that opened in late 1971, however closed in 1996.
The first Police Station in the Bankstown area is located in Yagoona, at the corner of Powell and George Streets. It has operated as a doctor's surgury for a number of years, and has recently been re-furbished into a more traditional style.

[edit] Demographics
The population of Yagoona is approximately 14,000, including an indigenous Australian population of 118. Of those born overseas in Yagoona, the largest group is from Vietnam, followed by Lebanon, Macedonia, China and the UK.
Other than English, the most common languages spoken in homes include Arabic, Vietnamese, Chinese, Greek and Macedonian.
By far the largest religion in Yagoona is Catholic, having almost four times the number of adherents to the following Anglican, Islam, Orthodox and Buddhist.

[edit] Geography
Yagoona has many parks and open spaces including Middleton Park, Graf Park and O'Neil Park, all of which contain football and soccer fields. There are also cricket facilities. A duck pond is also located near by and Yagoona also is the site of Sefton Golf Course.
Yagoona is serviced by CityRail, accessed via Yagoona Station. There are also a number of bus services that link Yagoona to Bankstown and Parramatta. The Hume Highway cuts through Yagoona and is the main road access for Yagoona to Liverpool and Sydney City; and Rookward Road connects south to Stacey Street/Fairford Road (Entrance to the M5), and north to Silverwater Road (Access to the M4).
Yagoona is located some 5-10 minutes from Bankstown Central Business District and about 10-15 minutes from Parramatta CBD.
There has been some plans to rejuvenate the town centre in Yagoona in recent years by Bankstown City Council.
Traditionally Yagoona has had a reputation of a retirement suburb, however this is slowly changing with younger and more multi-cultural residents calling the suburb home.

[edit] Education
There are two Primary Schools in Yagoona - Yagoona Public School and Christ the King Catholic School. There are no high schools in the suburb. Most students attend high schools in adjoining suburbs, normally Bass Hill, Bankstown or Sefton. An Alawite Muslim School was recently built close to Yagoona Town Centre to cater for the growing Alawite population in the area.

[edit] Economy
The head office of RSPCA NSW is located in this suburb along Rookwood Road.[1]
Yagoona town centre is largely built along the Hume Highway. Over recent years this shopping strip has been in economic decline. Major retailers include IGA Supermarket, KFC Fastfood outlet and Australia Post. Other services located in the town centre include a number of discount stores, mixed businesses, three pharmacies, a fruit shop, a newsagent, a real estate, several cafés and a Lebanese Bakery. The economic decline of the shopping strip has been a consequence of major banks and retailers leaving Yagoona, meaning residents now find it more convenient to shop in nearby Chester Hill, Bankstown (Centro Bankstown, formerly Bankstown Square) or Parramatta (Westfields). Bass Hill Plaza is also only some 3 km west.
Each year an Autumn Festival is hosted in Yagoona.