A peripheral public housing estate of Aberdeen, with a strong sense of community, Mastrick lies 2½ miles (4 km) west of the city centre. With a population of around 7500 (2009), the district is bounded by the Lang Stracht to the south, Provost Fraser Drive to the north, North Anderson Drive to the east and Springhill Road to the west. The area comprises a mix of houses and flats, which were built in the 1950s and are characterised by generous gardens and wide roads. A number of these properties have been sold to their tenants under right-to-buy legislation. There is only one high-rise block, close to shops, Mastrick Library and Council Offices. There is a substantial industrial-retail area in the south of the district. Mastrick is served by Muirfield and Quarryhill primary schools, with places of worship including Mastrick Parish Church and St Clement's Episcopal Church. The unusual name Mastrick, means a dairying place, deriving from the Gaelic word maistreachaidh which refers to the churning of milk. The roads in the west of the area have names inspired by rivers in NE Scotland (Carron, Deveron, Dulnain, Esk, Findhorn, Gadie, Isla, Ness, Spey, Tay, Ythan), those in the centre of Mastrick are named after Aberdeenshire estates (Birkhall, Corndavon, Craigendarroch, Gairnshiel, Invercauld), while those in the northeast are named for types of hedge (Beech, Hawthorn, Lilac and Privet).
