Wellington is part of the Drakenstein Municipality, along with its neighbouring town Paarl which is a mere 10 km from Paarl, and has recently acquired city status. It is located about 75 km north-east of Cape Town Metropolitan, reached by the N1 highway and the R44. Many people opt for this area because of its unique country feeling and beautiful 'boland' atmosphere. Wellington was established when the French Huguenots settled here and officially recognized in 1840 named after Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, renowned soldier and conqueror of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo. It is located at the base of one of the oldest mountain passes in South Africa, Bain's Kloof Pass, built by master road-builder Andrew Geddes Bain. Boland Rugby Union and the professional rugby team the Boland Kavaliers also call this town home. Many students and academics reside in Wellington and attend the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, the Timothy Ministry Team or Bible Media. The top school in Wellington is Huguenot High School and there are a variety of other schools including Weltevrede Senior Secondary School and Berg River Senior Secondary School all falling within the town region. Student accommodation in close proximity to tertiary institutions is high in demand here.
Besides being home to many fine wineries and farms like Val Du Charron, the James Sedgewick Distillery, which was established in 1886, is also located in Wellington and produces the Three Ships range of whiskies, as well as the single grain Bain's Cape Mountain Whisky (named the World's Best Grain Whisky). Property in Wellington varies between starter or entry level bachelor apartments of around R580 000 to large houses that are valued at up to R 4 500 000.
Wellington offers a number of popular security estates such as Onverwacht, Val du Charron, Volendam, Verdeau, Stadsig, Bainsvallei and Onverwacht estate.
