Island Park, Penang

Island Park is one of the earliest suburbs of George Town. It was developed in the late 1950's and 60's, following the prosperous years after the Second World War, when the population of Penang experienced a boom. Until then, it was known as Guan Joo Seng Estate, a place where you would find vegetable farms, just a stone's through from the Batu Lanchang Cemetery. Today Guan Joo Seng Estate has become the residential estate of Island Park, particularly the area around Jalan Besi. The Cathedral of the Holy Spirit was built around the time that the houses were constructed.

Today Island Park is a middle class neighbourhood. Although the semi-detached and terrace houses there are of the 60's design, they are comparatively spacious. Many of the houses fronting the main road have been bought over for commercial purposes.

Public Transport

Rapid Penang buses 206 and 304 pass through Island Park.

Distance from Magazine Circus: 4.6 km

Amenities

Schools in or around Island Park include Chung Hwa Confucian High School, Convent Green Lane, Sekolah Menengah Hamid Khan, Georgetown Secondary School and the Penang Free School. The nearest market to Island Park is the Batu Lanchang Market at Lintang Batu Lanchang. The nearest shopping mall is Gembira Parade. Tesco Penang and Sunshine Farlim are two of the nearest hypermarkets to Island Park. Law Wah Ee Hospital is along Jalan Batu Lanchang across the road from Island Park.

Traffic

The main access road to Island Park is Jalan Masjid Negeri, formerly known as Green Lane. Traffic is usually very heavy throughout the day. However, due to Island Park's relatively central location, it doesn't take that long to exit the area, compared to more remote neighbourhoods. The main roads within Island Park are Jalan Besi and Jalan Tembaga. Traffic as well as noise level is higher along these two roads whereas the offshoots are relatively quiet.