Serangoon

Serangoon
Planning Area and HDB Town
Other transcription(s)
• Chinese	实龙岗
• Pinyin	Shí lónggǎng
• Malay	Serangoon
• Tamil	சிராங்கூன்
From top left to right: Terraced housing in Serangoon, HDB flats in Serangoon North, Serangoon Viaduct, Lorong Chuan MRT Station, Nex
Serangoon Location of Serangoon within Singapore
Coordinates: 1°21′19.28″N 103°52′4.33″E / 1.3553556°N 103.8678694°E / 1.3553556; 103.8678694
Country	Singapore
Region	North-East Region
CDCs	Central Singapore CDC North East CDC South East CDC
Town councils	Ang Mo Kio Town Council Aljunied-Hougang Town Council Marine Parade Town Council
Constituencies	Aljunied GRC Ang Mo Kio GRC Marine Parade GRC
Government
• Mayors	Central Singapore CDC Denise Phua North East CDC Teo Ser Luck South East CDC Seah Kian Peng
• Members of Parliament	Aljunied GRC Sylvia Lim Ang Mo Kio GRC Intan Azura Mokhtar Marine Parade GRC Seah Kian Peng
Area
• Total	10.1 km2 (3.9 sq mi)
• Residential	1.63 km2 (0.63 sq mi)
Population (2015)
• Total	120,670
• Density	12,000/km2 (31,000/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Official Serangoon resident Colloquial Serangooner Serangoonian
Postal districts	19, 28
Dwelling units	21,293
Projected ultimate	30,000

North-East Region

Central Singapore CDC

North East CDC

South East CDC

Aljunied GRC

Ang Mo Kio GRC

Marine Parade GRC

Official

Colloquial

Serangoon (Chinese: 实龙岗, Tamil: சிராங்கூன்) is a planning area and residential town located in the North-East Region of Singapore.

Serangoon is bordered by these planning areas - Sengkang to the north, Hougang to the east, Ang Mo Kio and Bishan to the west, as well as Toa Payoh to the south. Serangoon planning area has a total of seven subzones: Serangoon Central, Lorong Chuan, Upper Paya Lebar, Serangoon Gardens, Serangoon North, Seletar Hills and Serangoon North Industrial Estate.

Tamil Muslim traders from India pioneered the settlement of Serangoon in the early 19th century. Serangoon Road was first identified as a bridle path in 1821, and by 1822 it had reached the present Woodsville Corner. A road was proposed in 1822 and by 1827 the road reached the Serangoon River.

It is difficult to say what the word Serangoon actually means. The etymology of the word is uncertain. The most plausible view holds that it was derived from a small marsh bird, the burong ranggong, which was common in the swamps of the Serangoon River (formerly the Rangon River). It had a black back, white breast, long, sharp bill, grey crest, long neck and unwebbed feet.

On early maps of Singapore, the name of the area is called Seranggong. Se is short for satu, or "one", in Malay. An alternative derivation is offered by Haji Sidek, an amateur etymologist interested in Malay place names, who speculates that the name Serangoon is derived from the Malay words diserang dengan gong, which means "to be attacked by gongs and drums". According to Haji Sidek, people used to go to Benut in Johore through the Serangoon area and had to use gongs to frighten off wild animals and snakes which used to roam the jungle covered area. Serang dengan gong gradually became Serangoon over the years.