Jelutong (George Town)

Malaysia / Pulau Pinang / Georgetown / George Town
 suburb, city district
Jelutong is a suburb within the city of George Town. It is situated approximately 3km south of the city centre, encompassing the coastal area between the Pinang River to the north, Gelugor to the south and Batu Lanchang to the west. Jelutong was named after the Jelutong tree (Dyera costulata), which was abundant within the suburb at the time.

In the mid-19th century, the area now known as Jelutong was cleared to make way for agricultural plantations. The shoreline of Jelutong at the time consisted of mangrove swamps. By the 1900s, industrialisation spread into Jelutong, as factories were built within the suburb. Jelutong was then subsumed into the expanding city of George Town. Between 1957 and 2015, the Gelugor Roundabout, which marks the boundary between Jelutong and Gelugor, formed the southernmost limit of the city of George Town.

Jelutong also gained notoriety as a crime-ridden suburb until the 1980s, when rapid urbanisation gradually reduced crime rates within the suburb. In the 2000s, a land reclamation project was completed and the new seafront promenade was subsequently renamed Karpal Singh Drive, after the late Member of Parliament who represented Jelutong in the Malaysian Parliament.
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   5°23'28"N   100°19'4"E

Comments

  • Jelutong is a neighbourhood on the southern part of George Town. Details: http://www.penang-traveltips.com/jelutong.htm
This article was last modified 5 years ago