Situated at District 23 in the Western region of Singapore, Choa Chu Kang New Town is a huge estate of 5.83 sq km that an estimated number of 136,200 residents call home. Slightly more than half (3.07 sq km) of this suburban town has been designated for residential purposes.
(Choa Chu Kang is an example of the URA and HDB looking to create a distinctive residential area outside of the existing major hubs. Image courtesy of Terence Ong.)
Choa Chu Kang derived its name from the gambier and pepper plantations that used to dot the area. ‘Kang chu’ was a Teochew term that referred to the plantation owners, while ‘Choa’ was used simply to acknowledge the clan name of the first headman in charge of the area’s plantations.
Choa Chu Kang is surrounded by Brickland Road, Choa Chu Kang Road, Kranji Reservoir, and its canal. The town also houses the smaller Teck Whye estate. The estate sees numerous civil servants, with Kranji Camp, Stagmont Camp and the former Keat Hong Camp within the vicinity.
Live
While it has a strong majority of HDB flats, recent times have seen various private condominiums and landed homes sprouting up in Choa Chu Kang.
Notably, the area flaunts a good handful of schooling options for students in primary, secondary and even tertiary levels, such as De La Salle Primary School, Bukit Panjang Government High school, Pioneer Junior College and ITE College West.
Being an older estate, Choa Chu Kang has fewer and less outstanding recreational facilities compared to its newer counterparts. However, it does have a sports stadium, a country club, a park, a library and a shopping centre.
Eat
Like most other suburban estates, most of Choa Chu Kang’s gastronomical offerings can be found in its shopping malls.
The recently revamped Lot 1 Shopper’s Mall, for one, boasts many food outlets to satiate cravings. Some of the more popular chain restaurants found in Lot 1 include Dian Xiao Er (which serves Chinese cuisine) and New York New York (which dishes out American fare). Yew Tee Point, a relatively new mall just one MRT station (at Yew Tee station) has the well-known Xin Wang Hong Kong Café.
There are also plenty of hawker centres and food courts, for those looking for a fuss-free meal.
Drink
If you are in the mood for something more than just a bottle of beer at the nearest hawker centre or food court, you are probably better off heading to neighbouring estates.
Shop
Shopping is mainly reserved for necessities such as electronics (there is a Harvey Norman and a Gain City outlet in the vicinity), groceries (there are three NTUC outlets and at least one wet market) and school supplies (Popular Bookstore).
Transport
Perhaps to make up for its sheer distance from town and the Central Business District, Choa Chu Kang has an intricate public transport network. It has its very own bus interchange and LRT network that connects to an MRT station. The Bukit Panjang LRT system serves residents travelling in between Choa Chu Kang and Bukit Panjang.
The estate is serviced by the Kranji Expressway (KJE) and two MRT stations: Choa Chu Kang and Yew Tee.
