You’ve hit the ground, you’re just about over the jetlag and realizing you have to run from one air-conditioned room to another just to survive, settled into the serviced-apartment and hit the office but the still all-important decision of where to finally base yourself on this Little Red Dot is looming. Let our guide of some of the more popular areas help you along with your decision-making.
District 9:
District 9 is associated with prime real estate and high fashion (Orchard Road) and you may already know its origins as the site of fruit orchards. What you may not know is between 1988 to 1992, it was home to The Singapore Swing. The whole Orchard Road was transformed into a mobile disco for the National Day celebrations - complete with DJ spinning tunes from mobile cranes!
District 10:
District 10 is a great family area stretching from Bukit Timah (meaning 'Tin Hill') to River Valley. With everything from sprawling bungalows to state of the art condos, great food and transport and many international schools, it's a popular area. It is home to Holland Village and also the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, the highest point in Singapore at 164m, yet containing more trees than the entire North American continent!
Holland Village:
Not too far from the city centre is Holland Village, or HV to young urbanites! It's an area most closely associated with expat culture with great restaurants, bars and independent shops. Holland V gets its name from its Dutch heritage (obviously) and was also home to plantations and nurseries, a far cry from today's hip hangout. The Dutch were later replaced by the British when their army settled here, further cementing the area's European heritage. This was also the site of The Coffee Club's first outlet - Singapore's homegrown gourmet coffee offering, that long preceded Starbucks!
Newton:
If you associate Newton (the area in District 11) with the food paradise, Newton Food Centre, you are only partly right. Newton Circus and Newton Road are named after Howard Newton, a British Engineer who worked with James MacRitchie (of MacRitchie Reservoir fame) to revamp Singapore's waterworks in the 1800s.
Jurong & Bukit Batok:
With the first industrial estate - International Business Park - built in Jurong, this district has since become associated with factories. Yet Jurong holds much more than industry - from the Science Centre to shopping complexes to parks like Chinese and Japanese Garden. But Jurong in the early days was hilly jungle interspersed with fish and prawn ponds. And Jurong River was once crocodile-infested! Expect more changes to this district as certain industries here are soon to be phased out. Slightly further to the north lies Bukit Batok, home to the wonderful Bukit Batok Nature Reserve, Dulwich College Singapore and the junior campus of the German European School Singapore. A mainly local neighbourhood, there are many condos jumping up in the area and a wealth of great restaurants and services, not to mention the fabulous Bukit Batok Swimming Complex.
Siglap - laidback hipster charm
Largely comprising of landed properties and seaview condominiums in a neighbourhood of dining establishments and cafes, it is easy to see why Siglap is popular with the expat crowd and young, hip Singaporeans. But its origins are more sinister - from the name, Si Gelap or "the dark one" in Malay. Siglap was a village of pirates in the 1800s. In fact, East Coast Road used to be flanked by seawater! The peak of Silap is also home to an obscure Muslim cemetary - rumoured to be haunted!
Katong - Straits surprise where east meets west
Originally inhabited by the Peranakans (Straits-born Chinese) and Eurasians, Katong is another area in the East big on food and culture. A great place to appreciate pretty Peranakan shophouses (two storey terraces). Or drop by the Eurasian heritage centre or Sri Senpaga Vinayagar Temple for another spot of culture.
Singapore Expat Solutions was founded to help you call Singapore home. We are committed to making your transition to your new home a smooth one. So while your boxes are making their way across the seas, let Singapore Expat Solutions be the one to hold your hand and get you settled in.
Offering a suite of services that range from the settling-in essentials such as housing, schooling/child care and domestic help, to the logistics of getting your own business set up in Singapore. Our lifestyle services are designed to make every day more fun for all those Singapore veterans out there.
Our Managing Partners, Aarathi and Babita, have lived in Asia as expats for a combined total of 15 years. During this time they have lived as working professionals, trailing spouses, expectant mothers, stay-at-home mums, and entrepreneurs. With their combined knowledge and network within Singapore, these friendly ladies and their team will help you navigate your new adventure in style.
