Explore Your City

Best Things to Do in Katong

Katong has a rather sizeable list of historical sites worth visiting, so you’re in for a treat if you have decided to explore this part of the country. Here are a couple of places you should explore while visiting:

·         East Coast Park. This place can be an enjoyable pause if you’re looking to get away from the usual town hubs. Here, you can rent a bike, go for a run, or walk along its paths. After all, it has many cafes along the way which offer a remarkable view of the Singapore Straits.

·         Sri Sepnaga Vinayagar Temple. This temple is dedicated to one of the most worshipped deities in the Hindi pantheon, Vinayagar. Its history dates back to 1850 when people found a statue of his reminisce lying by a pond near the place. You can notice how beautifully decorated the site is even from the road, so even those who haven’t heard of it come in.

 View more things to do in Katong

Best Places to Eat

With so many restaurants here offering tasty, unique cuisine, it’s no wonder Singapore is known as a food paradise. Although you might enjoy a wonderful meal in any place you walk in, there are still some that stand out from the rest. Here are a couple of examples:

·         Delicious Boneless Chicken Rice. Although it has a simple-sounding name, it’s one of the best hawker stalls you can visit while you’re there. Anyone who has tried it recommends it to someone else, which is no wonder considering how delectable the generous platters of steamed and roasted chicken rice they serve are.

·         328 Katong Laksa. This place has the reputation of serving the best laksas in Singapore, and many residents can agree. You might see a queue that leads out the door and everyone eating the same dish, but that only washes away any remaining doubt. If you haven’t tasted seafood laksa, this is the best starting place.

 View all places to eat in Katong

Top Schools in Katong

Those living in Katong have several school options that can help their children enjoy a much-deserved education from preschool to secondary school and eventually develop lives and careers of their own. Here are some of the top schools in Katong:

·         Tanjong Katong Primary and Secondary School. It’s occasionally referred to as TK. This school is an autonomous, co-educational option. The government runs every school in Katong, but autonomous ones are the ones that self-manage the most. It does have some restrictions regarding its available programs, but it’s a pioneering school that even earned several awards.

·         MRC Learning Center. People who prefer private primary school can appreciate this place. Here, teachers believe that the child’s early years are the most valuable for formation, so they respect their individuality.

 View all schools in Katong

History of Tanjong Katong

The history of Katong has its foundations on wealth and prestige. Many well-off Chinese, English, Anglo-French, and Portuguese settlers bought parcels of lands in Katong besides the sea for agricultural purposes. Then, they created several businesses that thrived by trading valuable international commodities, such as coconut and cotton.

In time, the area became known as a wealthy suburb, and many of these entrepreneurs and other affluent people built mansions, hotels, and recreation clubs along the shoreline. However, this also caused a proliferation of residences. Settlers had already established most residential areas known even today by 1941.

This area was also subject to constant floods whenever the Geylang River abounded during high tides or rainy seasons. It happened almost 6 to 10 times a year until the river was deepened in 1933.