Airds, New South Wales

Airds is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Airds is located 56 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Campbelltown and is part of the Macarthur region.

Airds is a predominantly residential area and the majority of houses within the suburb are owned by the New South Wales Department of Housing.

History
Governor Lachlan Macquarie named the region Airds, after the Scottish family estate of his wife Elizabeth Campbell.

Airds appeared in land grant lists, and referred to almost the entire area between Glenfield and Gilead. The name fell into disuse as Campbelltown and other settlements along the valley floor came to be known by their individual names after the 1820s.

In January 1975, tenders for the first homes in the Housing Commission's 'Kentlyn' subdivision were called but the name Airds was not approved until May 1976. Like many public housing estates in Sydney, Airds was constructed on American Radburn principles designed to separate traffic from pedestrians. As a result, houses in the suburb did not face roads, which was later found to create enormous problems relating to crime and passive surveillance in the suburb. It is one of the most socially disadvantaged suburbs of Sydney.

Population
According to the 2006 census, Airds had a population of 3,742 people. Single parent families accounted for 55% of all families in the suburb, more than three times the national average (16%). This led to a young average age in the suburb, just 23, compared to the national average of 37, and a low average income, just $549 per week compared to a national figure of $1171. The vast majority of homes were rented (86%) and 94% of these were public housing.

Schools
Schools in the suburb include:
 * John Warby Public School
 * Briar Road Public School
 * Airds High School

Services
Airds contains the Reiby Juvenile Detention Centre, Airds/Bradbury Men's Shed, Community Reference Group, WorkVentures Connect Centre at Airds (formerly the Local Enterprise Centre), Master-plan Group, BANC (Bradbury Airds Neighbourhood Centre).