Logan City adjoins the southern boundary of Brisbane City Council's area, and was formed in 1979 by severances from Albert and Beaudesert Shires. It was named after Captain Patrick Logan who charted the Logan River and whose name was bestowed on Logan Reserve, Loganholme and Loganlea.
As Brisbane's urban expansion encroached on Albert Shire in the 1970s, several suburbs grew at the north end of the shire, some 35 km from the shire's centre at Nerang. The pressure of urbanisation in Woodridge, Kingston and Springwood led to Logan Shire being created in 1979 (subsequently Logan City, 1981). With an area of 229 sq km Logan City extended from Ipswich in the west to Mount Cotton in the east, a distance of about 40 km. The river formed a substantial part of the city's southern boundary
Before urbanisation, Logan City's area consisted of small rural villages, chief among them being Carbrook (originally Gramzow), Daisy Hill, Slacks Creek and Woodridge. Kingston, named after a settler Charles Kingston who took up land there in 1872, had a butter factory. Browns Plains, with just 39 persons in 1921, had 18,000 in 1991. Woodridge was similar: 59 (1921) and 17,958 (2001). Shailer Park is a modern housing area named after a very early settler. Logan City's leading examples of modernity are the Pacific Motorway, the Logan Motorway, the drive-in shopping hyperdome at Shailer Park (department store, over 200 shops, 8 cinema screens - opened in 1989) and the Griffith University Campus (1998).
In 2008 Logan City was enlarged from 229 sq km to 913 sq km by absorbing part of Gold Coast City north of the Albert River (Beenleigh, Eagleby) and the northern urban part of Beaudesert Shire (Logan Village, Flagstone, Jimboomba, Cedar Grove). The census population of the new city was 253,864 (2006 census figure*).
Logan City's previous census populations have been:
| Census Date | Population |
|---|---|
| 1981 | 82,606 |
| 1986 | 117,189 |
| 1991 | 142,595 |
| 1996 | 158,459 |
| 2001 | 164,541 |
| 2006 | 173,264 |
| 2008* | 253,864 |
| 2011 | 278,050 |
Joan Starr and Ted Colville, eds, Queensland's Logan: city of growth, Blackburn, Vic, Research Publications, 1984
Robyn Buchanan, Logan: rich in history, young in spirit, Logan, Logan City Council, 1999
Mary Howells, Logan River tinnie trail: a heritage trail along the Logan River, Logan City, Logan City Council, 2003
Mary Howells, Ridge to ridge: recollections from Woodridge to Park Ridge, Logan City, Logan City Council, 2006
Mary Howells, Logan-creating a city: a celebration of 25 years, Logan City, Logan City Council, 2004
The Logan trail (tour notes and map, nd)
Albert Shire, Bahrs Scrub (GC), Bethania (GC), Boronia Heights, Browns Plains, Buccan (BS), Carbrook, Cedar Grove and Cedar Vale (BS), Chambers Flat (BS), Cornubia, Crestmead, Daisy Hill, Eagleby (GC), Edens Landing (GC), Forestdale, Greenbank, Heritage Park, Hillcrest, Holmview (GC), Jimboomba (BS), Kingston, Logan Central, Logan Reserve, Logan Village (BS), Loganholme, Loganlea, Marsden, Meadowbrook, Mount Warren Park (GC), Munruben (BS), New Beith (BS), North and South Maclean, Park Ridge, Regents Park, Rochedale, Shailer Park, Slacks Creek, Springwood, Tanah Merah, Underwood, Waterford West, Windaroo (GC) and Woodridge entries
BS signifies place in Beaudesert Shire before 15 March 2008
GC signifies place in Gold Coast City before 15 March 2008
