Maitland is located 20 kilometers north of Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia. It sits on the floodplains of the Hunter and Paterson Rivers, so houses and buildings are built on higher ground, leading to a spread out settlement. In the 19th century, Maitland prospered and built many heritage structures, with East Maitland serving as the administrative center and West Maitland consisting mainly of shops and homes. While agriculture has benefited from rich soils deposited by frequent flooding, the community has shifted away from primary and secondary industries towards tertiary sectors like education, health, and tourism as mining and manufacturing jobs declined in the late 20th century.