Central George Town is the

city centre A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fren ...

of George Town, the capital of the

Malaysian state The states and federal territories of Malaysia are the principal administrative divisions of Malaysia. Malaysia is a federation of 13 states (''Negeri'') and 3 federal territories (''Wilayah Persekutuan''). States and federal territories Elev ...

Penang Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...

. It corresponds to the eponymous

mukim A mukim is a type of administrative division used in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. The word ''mukim'' is a loanword in English. However, it was also originally a loanword in Malay from the Arabic word: (meaning ''resident''). The clo ...

of George Town, which is mostly identical to the original city limits established when George Town was granted city status in 1957. Encompassing of the northeastern promontory of

Penang Island Penang Island ( ms, Pulau Pinang; zh, 檳榔嶼; ta, பினாங்கு தீவு) is part of the state of Penang, on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It was named Prince of Wales Island when it was occupied by the British Ea ...

, the city centre stretches from

Gurney Drive Gurney Drive (,, ) is a popular seafront promenade within George Town, Penang, Malaysia. The road is also famous for the street cuisine at the seafront's hawker centre and has been listed as one of the 25 best streets worldwide to visit by the A ...

in the northwest to The Light Waterfront development in the southeast, encompassing the

Central Business District A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...

and the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

. It is also home to the seats of the

executive Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dire ...

and

legislative A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known as p ...

branches of the

Penang state government The Government of Penang ( ms, Kerajaan Negeri Pulau Pinang) refers to the government authority of the Malaysian state of Penang. The state government adheres to and is created by both the Constitution of Malaysia, the supreme law of Malaysia, and ...

History

George Town's modern history dates back to 17 July 1786 when

Francis Light Captain Francis Light ( – 21 October 1794) was a British explorer and the founder of the British colony of Penang (in modern-day Malaysia) and its capital city of George Town in 1786. Light and his lifelong partner, Martina Rozells, were th ...

first set foot at what is now

Fort Cornwallis Fort Cornwallis is a bastion fort in George Town, Penang, Malaysia, built by the British East India Company in the late 18th century. It is the largest standing fort in Malaysia. The fort never engaged in combat during its operational history. ...

within the downtown area. Over time, the city expanded from the tip of the northeastern cape of

, eventually reaching its original city limits when it was granted city status in 1957. However,

Jelutong Jelutong is a suburb of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. Located south of the Pinang River, Jelutong has been inhabited since as early as the late 18th century, when traders from Aceh and India settled around the area. It was once notorious ...

was later carved out of the southernmost corner of the city centre as a separate

in 1966. Prior to the independence of

Malaya Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia: Political entities * British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...

in 1957, George Town had been conferred city status by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

, making it the first city within the new nation. In the post-independence years, George Town remained the largest and only city in Malaya. This continued until 1963 when

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

was incorporated into the Malaysian federation, displacing George Town as the largest city of the country. However, Singapore's expulsion from Malaysia almost two years later left George Town once again as the sole city in Malaysia until 1974 when

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

was granted city status. The merger of the George Town City Council with the Penang Island Rural District Council in 1974 sparked a debate over George Town's city status that lasted for decades. While George Town was once again conferred city status in 2015, the city's jurisdiction was expanded to cover the entirety of Penang Island and surrounding islets, far beyond George Town's original city limits. Today, the mukim of George Town is considered the economic and political heart of the city.

Geography

The city centre of George Town encompasses of the northeastern plains of Penang Island, forming the basin of the Pinang River, the main river system on the island. Aside from the

which marks the city's old core, the area also includes newer neighborhoods like

Karpal Singh Drive Karpal Singh Drive is a seafront promenade within the suburb of Jelutong near George Town in Penang, Malaysia. It is named after Karpal Singh (1940-2014), a prominent opposition politician and lawyer who hailed from George Town. Along Karpal Sin ...

and The Light Waterfront. The city centre shares boundaries with Tanjong Tokong to the northwest,

Air Itam Ayer Itam (also spelt Air Itam or Air Hitam) is a suburb of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. Nested within the central valleys of Penang Island, it is located approximately southwest of the city centre. Ayer Itam is one of the well-known place ...

to the west, and

and

Gelugor Gelugor is a southern suburb of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. Named after a plant species, Gelugor lies along the eastern seaboard of Penang Island, between Jelutong and Sungai Dua, and nearly south of the city centre. Gelugor had been po ...

to the south. The city's Central Business District (CBD), an economic corridor that contains much of George Town's financial and services sectors, lies entirely within the city centre. The UNESCO World Heritage Zone that covers the northeastern tip of

is entirely encompassed by the CBD.

Demographics

, the city centre was home to 158,336 residents, or nearly of George Town's total population. In spite of being the commercial and political heart of

however, the city centre has witnessed a decline in population since the late 20th century, owing to the rapid industrialisation and economic growth of the suburbs, coupled with the repeal of the Rent Control Act in 2001. Nonetheless, the city centre remains relatively popular among expatriates within George Town, comprising over 5.3% of the city centre's population in 2010. In recent years, the state's authorities, under the governance of

Pakatan Harapan The Alliance of Hope ( ms, Pakatan Harapan; abbrev: PH; stylized as HARAPAN) is a Malaysian political coalition consisting of centre-left political parties which was formed in 2015 to succeed the Pakatan Rakyat coalition. It has been the r ...

, have begun undertaking various measures to rejuvenate and rehabilitate the area. This includes exploring the economic synergies between the city centre and

Butterworth Butterworth may refer to: Places * Butterworth (ancient township), a former township centred on Milnrow, in the then Parish of Rochdale, England, United Kingdom * Butterworth, Eastern Cape, now also known as Gcuwa, a town located in South Africa ...

on the

mainland Mainland is defined as "relating to or forming the main part of a country or continent, not including the islands around it egardless of status under territorial jurisdiction by an entity" The term is often politically, economically and/or dem ...

under the 'Penang Bay' concept.

Economy

Finance

Since its inception, the city centre of George Town has functioned as the financial hub of

. In the late 19th century, George Town emerged as the primary financial centre of

British Malaya The term "British Malaya" (; ms, Tanah Melayu British) loosely describes a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the island of Singapore that were brought under British hegemony or control between the late 18th and the mid-20th century. U ...

, attracting major international banks such as

Standard Chartered Standard Chartered plc is a multinational bank with operations in consumer, corporate and institutional banking, and treasury services. Despite being headquartered in the United Kingdom, it does not conduct retail banking in the UK, and around 9 ...

HSBC HSBC Holdings plc is a British multinational universal bank and financial services holding company. It is the largest bank in Europe by total assets ahead of BNP Paribas, with US$2.953 trillion as of December 2021. In 2021, HSBC had $10.8 tri ...

, and the

Royal Bank of Scotland The Royal Bank of Scotland plc (RBS; gd, Banca Rìoghail na h-Alba) is a major retail and commercial bank in Scotland. It is one of the retail banking subsidiaries of NatWest Group, together with NatWest (in England and Wales) and Ulster Bank ...

. Most of these banks formed a financial cluster in the vicinity of Beach Street. Today, much of George Town's financial services remain concentrated within the

(CBD). The CBD is home to international banks, federal financial institutions like

Bank Negara The Central Bank of Malaysia (BNM; ms, Bank Negara Malaysia) is the Malaysian central bank. Established on 26 January 1959 as the Central Bank of Malaya (''Bank Negara Tanah Melayu''), its main purpose is to issue currency, act as banker and ad ...

and the Employees Provident Fund, and ancillary services such as auditing, market intelligence and legal firms. The

Penang Island City Council The City Council of Penang Island is the council that administers the city of Pulau Pinang, which includes the entirety of Penang Island, Malaysia. The city council, which has jurisdiction over an area of , falls under the purview of the Penang s ...

's Local Plan 2030 proposed the CBD as one of the city's four economic corridors, along with the

Bayan Baru Bayan Baru is a town in the Malaysian state of Penang. It is located within the Southwest Penang Island District, adjacent to the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone. The township was created in the 1970s following the establishment of the zone. Si ...

Bayan Lepas Bayan Lepas is a town in the Malaysian state of Penang. It is located within the Southwest Penang Island District, near the southeastern tip of Penang Island. Founded in the 19th century, Bayan Lepas has various industries. History Bayan Lep ...

, Tanjong Tokong Tanjong Bungah and

Batu Ferringhi Batu Ferringhi is a suburb of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. Located along the northern coast of Penang Island and about northwest of the city centre, it is the prime beach destination in Penang among locals and tourists. To cater to the influ ...

Teluk Bahang Teluk Bahang is a town within the city of George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. It is located within the Southwest Penang Island District, near the northwestern tip of Penang Island. Established as a fishing village, Teluk Bahang has evol ...

corridors. Encompassing areas such as the city's

Pulau Tikus Pulau Tikus is a northwestern suburb of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. Situated between the city centre and Tanjung Tokong, this upper class suburb was named after a rock just off the coast of Penang Island. It is home to small minorities of ...

, Kampung Siam, Kampong Serani and

Ayer Rajah One-north (stylized as one-north) is a subzone of Queenstown, Singapore, first developed by JTC Corporation as the country's research and development and high technology cluster. It was first conceptualised in 1991 as part of the National Tec ...

, the CBD was envisioned as the centre for financial and service sectors, with the aim of enhancing George Town's position as a global city.

Retail

The city centre boasts a flourishing retail industry that combines modern shopping malls with traditional shophouses. The

(CBD) houses several of the city's most popular malls, including

Gurney Plaza Gurney Plaza() is a shopping mall in George Town, Penang, Malaysia. Located at Gurney Drive, it was opened in November 2001 and is now managed by CapitaMalls Asia, a subsidiary of the Singapore-based CapitaLand. Its main anchor tenant is Parkson, ...

Gurney Paragon Gurney Paragon is a residential and retail complex in George Town, Penang, Malaysia. Situated at Gurney Drive, it was launched in 2013, and consists of a nine-storey shopping mall, two condominiums and an office block. To date, the twin condomini ...

, 1st Avenue,

Prangin Mall Prangin Mall is a shopping mall in George Town, Penang, Malaysia. It is located at Prangin Road (now ''Jalan Dr Lim Chwee Leong''), next to Komtar Tower, and is linked to both Komtar and neighboring 1st Avenue Mall via overhead skybridges. The ...

Komtar The Tun Abdul Razak Complex, ( Malay: Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak; Chinese: 光大大厦; Tamil: கொம்டார் கோபுரம்); colloquially known by its Malay acronym Komtar, formerly known as the Penang New Urban Center and t ...

, GAMA and

Penang Times Square Penang Times Square is an ongoing urban redevelopment project in George Town, Penang, Malaysia. It is located at Dato Keramat Road in the city centre, and comprises office blocks, condominiums, a shopping mall and an outdoor plaza. Developed by ...

. In 2022, Gurney Plaza and Komtar were among the top five destinations in Penang among domestic tourists. In addition, markets and traditional shops, such as Chowrasta Market and

Little India Little India or India Town (less commonly known as Indian Street or India Bazaar) is an Indian or Desi (South Asian) sociocultural environment outside India or the subcontinent. It especially refers to an area with Indian residences and a dive ...

, offer a wide array of local products like spices, nutmegs and Tambun biscuits, a delicacy unique to the state.

Services

Due to the

's increasing popularity as a tourist destination, there has been a significant increase in the number of accommodation, food and beverages (F&B), and other hospitality-related businesses within the area. According to a Think City report in 2021, a decade after the UNESCO listing, hotels occupied almost 18% of the heritage zone's land use, which is the highest among all business categories. This shift was attributable to the surge in tourist arrivals, which also caused a significant economic shift from financial to hospitality services.

Education

The city centre hosts several prominent secondary schools that were established during British rule. Founded in 1816,

Penang Free School , motto_translation = Strong and Faithful , streetaddress = Green Lane, , city = George Town , state = Penang , postcode = 11600 , country = Malaysi ...

is the oldest English school in

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

. British colonial rule had also encouraged the growth of mission schools such as

St. Xavier's Institution , motto_translation = Labour Conquers All , streetaddress = Farquhar Street, , city = George Town , state = Penang , postcode = 10200 , country = Ma ...

, St. George's Girls' School and Methodist Boys' School, all of which are located within the city centre. In addition, the city centre is home to three international and expatriate schools Penang Japanese School, St. Christopher's International Primary School and Wesley Methodist School Penang. The area is also a tertiary education hub, housing a significant number of private colleges and universities such as

Wawasan Open University Wawasan Open University, abbreviated as WOU, is a private university located in Penang, Malaysia that provides working adults with access to higher education via open distance learning (ODL). It was established in 2006 and enrolled its fir ...

Han Chiang University College of Communication Han Chiang University College of Communication, abbreviated as Han Chiang UC, is a non-profit private university college in George Town, Penang, Malaysia. Han Chiang UC offers a variety of foundation, diploma and undergraduate programmes, ...

DISTED College DISTED College is a private college within George Town, the capital city of the Malaysian state of Penang. It was established in 1987 as the first Penang-based private tertiary institution. The college provides various pre-university, diploma ...

and

RCSI & UCD Malaysia Campus RCSI & UCD Malaysia Campus (Formerly known as Penang Medical College (PMC)) is a private medical university in Penang, Malaysia. It is one of the Foreign University Branch Campus in Malaysia, in collaboration with Royal College of Surgeons in ...

. In 2016, the

inaugurated the Penang Digital Library, a first-of-its-kind facility in Malaysia situated within the Penang Free School compound. The library provides structured access to more than 3,000 specially-curated

ebooks An ebook (short for electronic book), also known as an e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Alt ...

Health care

The 1,100-bedded

Penang General Hospital The Penang General Hospital ( ms, Hospital Pulau Pinang, ta, பினாங்கு பொது மருத்துவமனை) is the main public hospital in the city of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. The largest public hospital in Pe ...

within the city centre serves as the main

tertiary referral hospital A tertiary referral hospital (also called a tertiary hospital, tertiary referral center, tertiary care center, or tertiary center) is a hospital that provides tertiary care, which is a level of health care obtained from specialists in a large hos ...

within northwestern Malaysia. Aside from the public hospital, the city centre is a popular destination for

medical tourism Medical tourism refers to people traveling abroad to obtain medical treatment. In the past, this usually referred to those who traveled from less-developed countries to major medical centers in highly developed countries for treatment unavailable a ...

, boasting some of Penang's leading private hospitals such as

Penang Adventist Hospital The Penang Adventist Hospital ( ms, Hospital Adventist, ) is a Christian nonprofit medical institution in Penang, Malaysia. It is operated by the Adventist Hospital & Clinic Services (M) (255697-M), and is part of an international network of hosp ...

Gleneagles Hospital Gleneagles Hospital is a private hospital on Napier Road, Singapore next to Napier MRT station. It provides medical and surgical services. It is part of Parkway Pantai, itself a subsidiary of the Malaysian–Singaporean private healthcare group ...

Island Hospital Island Hospital, founded in 1996, is a 600-bed hospital located in Penang, Malaysia. The hospital is recognised as one of the leading healthcare providers in Malaysia, serving patients from around the region. Island Hospital offers a wide range of ...

and

Loh Guan Lye Specialists Centre The Loh Guan Lye Specialists Centre is a 273-bed private hospital in the city of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. Located at Macalister Road, it was established in 1975 and has been expanded over the years. The hospital now consists of three win ...

. The private hospitals in

have contributed significantly to the growth of medical tourism in the state, generating a revenue of more than RM356 million in 2022 from medical tourist arrivals.

Sports

The City Stadium is the home ground of Penang FC, the professional football club that represents Penang in interstate tournaments. The city centre is also home to the oldest equestrian centre in Malaysia the

Penang Turf Club Penang Turf Club is a major horse racing course in Penang, Malaysia which was established in 1864. In addition to racing, the club also provides equestrian facilities and a golf course. See also * Sport in Malaysia Sports in Malaysia are an im ...

, which was established in 1864. It is among the few venues in the country that hosts thoroughbred racing events, with the others being the Perak Turf Club and

Selangor Turf Club Selangor Turf Club is a horse racing track located in Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia. It is one of three horse racing courses in the country; the other two are in Ipoh, Perak and Penang. History Selangor Turf Club was founded in 1896. For nearly ...

Transportation

Penang Road Penang Road is a major thoroughfare in the city of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. It runs between Farquhar Street to the north and KOMTAR to the south. The road is a one-way road, with the traffic directed southwards towards KOMTAR. Penang Roa ...

, Dato Keramat Road,

, Northam Road and Green Lane are some of the centuries-old municipal roads that still serve as major thoroughfares within the city centre. The

George Town Inner Ring Road George Town Inner Ring Road is an urban ring road within the city of George Town, Penang, George Town in Penang, Malaysia. It comprises the eastern end of Gurney Drive, George Town, Gurney Drive, Jalan Pangkor, Jalan Perak and Jalan Sungai Pinang, f ...

, which comprises Gurney Drive, Jalan Pangkor, Jalan Perak and Jalan Sungai Pinang, forms a loop within the city centre. Additionally, the city centre is home to

Swettenham Pier Swettenham Pier is a pier within the city of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. Established in 1904, it is the busiest port-of-call in Malaysia for cruise shipping. The pier plays a vital role as a major entry point for tourists into Penang, aside ...

, the busiest port-of-call for cruise shipping in Malaysia, and the

Raja Tun Uda Ferry Terminal The Raja Tun Uda Ferry Terminal is a ferry slip within the city of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. Situated at Weld Quay in the city centre, this docking facility is used for Rapid Ferry services between George Town and Butterworth on the Mal ...

, which provides a ferry service linking the city centre with mainland

Seberang Perai Seberang Perai is a city in the Malaysian state of Penang. It is situated on the Malay Peninsula opposite Penang Island, bordering Kedah to the north and east and Perak to the south. Its city centre is located in Butterworth, while its local ...

. Most of

Rapid Penang Rapid Penang (styled as ''rapidPenang'') is a public bus brand in the State of Penang, Malaysia. Formed as a subsidiary of Prasarana Malaysia in 2007, to date it is the main public transport operator within Penang; its bus network serves commut ...

's city-wide routes also originate from the

bus terminal, which acts as the central public bus terminal for the city. In a bid to reduce reliance on private vehicles and traffic congestion, the Penang state government introduced

LinkBike LinkBike is a public bicycle sharing system serving the city of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. Launched in 2016, it is the first such system in Malaysia. Currently, there are 250 LinkBike bicycles and 25 stations throughout the city, includin ...

, a public bicycle-sharing system, within the city centre in 2017.

Infrastructure

Land reclamation Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new land from oceans, seas, riverbeds or lake beds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamati ...

has a long history within the city centre, dating back to the 19th century when British administrators reclaimed a section of the present-day coastline Beach Street. However, it wasn't until the end of the 20th century that extensive land reclamation was carried out to provide more valuable land for development, such as at

and The Light Waterfront. Additionally, a stretch of the

shoreline has been transformed into Gurney Bay, planned as a seafront public recreational space. To address the worsening traffic congestion in

, the

state government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, or ...

has planned to introduce

urban rail Urban rail transit is an all-encompassing term for various types of local rail systems providing passenger service within and around urban or suburban areas. The set of urban rail systems can be roughly subdivided into the following categories, ...

throughout the state, which includes the proposed Bayan Lepas LRT that stretches through the city centre. This light rail line is envisioned to have an interchange station at

, linking the city centre with Tanjong Tokong and Tanjong Bungah to the north, and with

and the

Penang International Airport Penang International Airport is an airport in northern Malaysia. The airport is located near Bayan Lepas at the southeastern tip of Penang Island, south of the city centre.George Town Central Business District

References

{{Penang George Town, Penang