by : Deyana Goh

Size & Population: 22 Sq Km with an estimated 130,000 residents.

About
There are 13 sub-zones in Queenstown, namely Ghim Moh, Holland Drive, Commonwealth, Tanglin Halt, Margaret Drive, Mei Chin, Queensway, Portsdown, Buona Vista, Dover, National University, Kent Ridge and Pasir Panjang.

History
Queenstown was named after Queen Elizabeth to mark her coronation in 1953. The arterial road Queensway was officially named in 1955. A British military camp called Buller Camp was also set up there until 1953 when it was cleared for the new housing estate.

Queenstown was Singapore's first satellite town. Built before Toa Payoh and Ang Mo Kio, Queenstown was a test bed for much of Singapore's public housing. Before the Second World War, people lived in huts and grew vegetables and fruits and reared pigs and chickens. A total of 19,372 dwelling units were constructed between 1952 and 1968 in Queenstown estate.

Pasir Panjang, which means 'long sandy beach' in Malay, was once a fishing area with agricultural activity.

Places of Interest
The once-defunct Haw Par Villa, located at Pasir Panjang, is now open for free admission to all. Previously known as the Tiger Balm Gardens, Har Par Villa is an amusement park containing well over 1,000 statues and 150 giant dioramas depicting scenes from Chinese folklore, legends, history, and illustrating various aspects of Confucianism.

Holland Village is brisk with activity, especially after sundown, as locals and expatriates alike with its abundance of restaurants, cafes and pubs. The place is sometimes referred as 'Holland V' and will soon get its own Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) train station in 2010 with the same name.

Reflections at Bukit Chandu (RBC) is a World War II interpretative Centre housed in a restored colonial bungalow to commemorate the tale of the Battle of Pasir Panjang on 14 February 1942 when 1,400 brave and valiant soldiers from the Malay Regiment chose to fight to their death against 13,000 Japanese soldiers. Admission is charged at SGD2 for adults and SGD1 for students and senior citizens.

Residential
You get a mix of matured estates in Ghim Moh and Commonwealth to up-market areas such as Holland Road.

Industrial
Queenstown is home to Singapore's oldest university, the National University of Singapore (NUS), and first polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic. There are also a number of industrial parks, namely Science Park I and II at South Buona Vista Road, near NUS and National University Hospital. Numerous smaller hubs with a mix of offices, start-ups and incubator units for technoprenuers can also be found in the Buona Vista and Portsdown areas.