North Chennai is a geographic term used to refer to the northern part of

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

city. Though its definition has varied with time and context, it is generally accepted among historians that North Chennai is used for the part of Chennai city situated north of the

Coovum River The Cooum river, or simply Koovam, is one of the shortest classified rivers draining into the Bay of Bengal. This river is about in length, flowing in the city of Chennai (urban part) and the rest in rural part. The river is highly polluted ...

. Encompassing the

Fort St George Fort St. George (or historically, White Town) is a fortress in the coastal city of Chennai, India. Founded in 1639, it was the first English (later British) fortress in India. The construction of the fort provided the impetus for further s ...

and Georgetown areas from which the city originated, North Chennai is generally considered an area of stagnant growth, but now it is developing that has already reached saturation as a real estate choice. The area is generally notorious for its thick population, narrow roads, poor infrastructure, and high incidence of crime. This characterization is, however, limited to older neighbourhoods close to the sea coast as new areas to the west, like

Kilpauk Kilpauk is a semi residential area located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The distance from Chennai's city to Kilpauk is about 6 km. The region is situated off the Poonamallee High Road in the west. Adjacent areas of Kilpauk include Chetp ...

Anna Nagar Anna Nagar (formerly known as Naduvakkarai), is a neighbourhood in the metropolitan city of Chennai, India. Named after former chief minister of Tamil Nadu C. N. Annadurai, it is located in the north-western part of Chennai and forms a part of ...

Avadi Avadi () is a suburb of Chennai within Chennai Metropolitan Area limit, located in the Thiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu, India. It is a municipal corporation west of Chennai, about from Chennai Central Railway Station. It is surrounded by majo ...

and

Ambattur Ambattur is located in northwestern part of Chennai City, in Ambattur taluk of the Chennai District, surrounded by Avadi, Anna Nagar, Padi, Mogappair, Kallikuppam, Surapet, Korattur, Ayappakkam, and Thiruverkadu. It covers an area of . The n ...

have good standards of living and acquired desirability as residential areas. Northwards of Georgetown, extends the Anglo-Indian settlement of

Royapuram Royapuram is a locality in the northern part of the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is best known for its beach, and for Royapuram Railway Station. The station is the first railway station of south India, opening in 1856, and is today ...

and the historical town of

Thiruvottiyur Tiruvottriyur (Thiruvottiyur or TVT) is a neighbourhood in North Chennai, administered by the Greater Chennai Corporation. It is part of the Tondiarpet division, located to the north of Chennai. It is one of the fifteen administrative zones in t ...

beyond which North Madras gives way to a series of fishing hamlets or ''kuppams''. The puzhal Lake located Red Hills and famous central prison is developing highly. The port of

Ennore Ennore, also spelt , is a neighbourhood in Chennai, India. Ennore is situated on a peninsula and is bounded by the Korttalaiyar River, Ennore Creek and the Bay of Bengal. The creek separates south Ennore from the north Ennore which covers major ...

located 16 kilometres supplements

Chennai Port Chennai Port, formerly known as Madras Port, is the second largest container port of India, behind Mumbai's Nhava Sheva. The port is the largest one in the Bay of Bengal. It is the third-oldest port among the 13 major ports of India with offici ...

as a major entrepot for trading vessels. Northwards lie

Minjur Minjur is a town located in the outskirts of North Chennai, India. It is located in the Thiruvallur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Minjur is called 'Vada Kanchi' meaning North Kanchipuram. The town has two famous temples for Shiva ...

and

. Westwards lie the industrial suburbs of Padi,

and

Thiruninravur Thirunindravur is a neighbourhood situated on the western part of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is located around 29 km from Chennai Central railway station. Thirunindravur comes under Chennai Metropolitan Area. The neighbourhood is serv ...

. The head office will be at Tondiarpet, was comprise Tiruvottiyur, Tondiarpet, Madhavaram, Perambur and Purasawalkam taluks.

History

North Chennai originated with the founding of an East India Company factory in the village of Madrasapatnam. The grant was confirmed on 22 August 1639 which is generally considered the date of the city's founding and celebrated as

Madras Day Madras Day is a festival organised to commemorate the founding of the city of Madras in Tamil Nadu, India. It is celebrated on 22 August every year, 22 August 1639 being the widely agreed date for the purchase of the village of Madraspatnam or ...

and the signatories were Francis Day for the East India Company and Damera Venkata Nayaka a Padmanyaka Velama ruler for the

Vijayanagar Empire The Vijayanagara Empire, also called the Karnata Kingdom, was a Hinduism, Hindu empire based in the region of South India, which consisted the modern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and some parts of Telangana an ...

. The construction of a small fort was started in 1640 and completed by 1652. This would, by the end of the 18th century, with significant alterations and expansions, become the Fort St George that we know today. Prior to the city's founding, fishing hamlets existed in the area. Georgetown remained a fashionable residential area till the early 1900s when congestion and lack of cleanliness compelled people to look for areas further south. It was also Chennai's

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 ...

till the 1950s when it was supplanted by

T. Nagar Thyagaraya Nagar, commonly known as T. Nagar, and historically known as East Mambalam, is a very affluent commercial and residential neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is surrounded by Nungambakkam in the North, Teynampet in the Ea ...

Notes

{{Chennai topics Geography of Chennai