Ang Mo Kio, Bishan, Thomson (District 20)

District 20 is mainly known as a major residential district that comprises of large-scale and older residential estates in Ang Mo Kio to the newer ones established in Bishan and Thomson. Comparatively residential properties here are much more costly due to its accessibility to the Central Business District (CBD) as well as its wide array of amenities and facilities that includes reputable schools, community centres and shopping malls. As such a wide variety of property types have been built and developed over the years in district 20. These would include HDB apartments and condominiums like The Panorama, Centro Residences and Nuovo in Ang Mo Kio; as well as landed properties that line along Bishan Street 12 and 15 and Thomson Road. Condominiums like Sky Habitat are also spread across Bishan. This allows families in particular from different walks of life and backgrounds to enjoy the very proximity of a great variety of amenities and facilities in the area.

Ang Mo Kio, literally translated as “red bridge” denoting good luck and prosperity in the Chinese culture, derived its name from a bridge built in Thomson Road by J.T. Thomson, a ...

District 20 is mainly known as a major residential district that comprises of large-scale and older residential estates in Ang Mo Kio to the newer ones established in Bishan and Thomson. Comparatively residential properties here are much more costly due to its accessibility to the Central Business District (CBD) as well as its wide array of amenities and facilities that includes reputable schools, community centres and shopping malls. As such a wide variety of property types have been built and developed over the years in district 20. These would include HDB apartments and condominiums like The Panorama, Centro Residences and Nuovo in Ang Mo Kio; as well as landed properties that line along Bishan Street 12 and 15 and Thomson Road. Condominiums like Sky Habitat are also spread across Bishan. This allows families in particular from different walks of life and backgrounds to enjoy the very proximity of a great variety of amenities and facilities in the area.

Ang Mo Kio, literally translated as “red bridge” denoting good luck and prosperity in the Chinese culture, derived its name from a bridge built in Thomson Road by J.T. Thomson, a former government surveyor of Singapore. Ang Mo Kio traced its humble beginnings as a village that reared farm animals and grew fruits and vegetables. It also comprised small businesses that did menial work. This contrasts starkly with the high-rise apartment buildings, outdoor leisure areas and street lights that surround Ang Mo Kio today. More prominently, the shopping mall, Ang Mo Kio Hub has attracted many visitors to the area as it also forms a link to the Ang Mo Kio MRT Station and Bus Interchange. Moreover, Ang Mo Kio has a few reputable schools including CHIJ ST. Nicholas Girls’ School and Ang Mo Kio Secondary School.

As we shift our attention towards the central area of district 20 with a mere 3 kilometres away, we enter another major residential area – Bishan which is a Cantonese word for a large burial ground. Before mass development took place, Bishan had been a major burial ground that was excavated. What had been known as Kampong San Theng and Soon Hock Village occupied by the main dialect Cantonese and Hokkien Chinese dialect groups, Bishan is now a high-cost housing area that consists of 19,000 over apartments. The main feature that appeals property buyers to Bishan is that most elite schools including Raffles Institution, Ai Tong School and Catholic High are located here. Moreover, Bishan provides a wide variety of leisure activities as it encompasses Junction 8 as its main neighbourhood mall, Bishan Park that has undergone mass development the past few years which has made it a great place for tranquil strolls and workouts and not forgetting the Bishan Community Club that provides a vast amount of activities catered to both the young and old. Summing up all these various features of Bishan including its accessibility to the Circle and North-South MRT lines and the Bishan Bus Interchange, it is no wonder that property buyers vie for a residential spot within the area.

Lastly, Thomson makes up a major component of district 20 with its mixture of housing estates, hotels and leisure aspects. The prices of the estates here are considerably higher, comprising of majority landed properties and upscale condominiums including The Compass at Chancery and Espana. More noticeably, Thomson is known as a little food haven and education hub with Thomson Plaza as the main shopping centre that includes many tuition, music and dance centres. Foodies would definitely find Thomson a great place to explore with the wide variety of eateries that line the streets of Upper Thomson Road including Little Pancakes, Waffelicious, Black Sheep Café and of course, the famous The Roti Prata House.