Farlim, officially Bandar Baru Air Itam, is a residential

neighbourhood A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; American and British English spelling differences, see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community ...

within the city of George Town in Penang,

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. Located within the

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 places ...

suburb, the neighbourhood lies southwest of the city centre and was created in the 1980s. Over the recent decades, Farlim has evolved into a booming township, with several residential and commercial developments.

History

The area where Farlim is located was previously known as Thean Teik Estate, which was named after Khoo Thean Teik, a local Chinese merchant. The area was owned by the

Khoo Kongsi The Khoo Kongsi is a large Chinese clanhouse with elaborate and highly ornamented architecture, a mark of the dominant presence of the Chinese in Penang, Malaysia. The famous Khoo Kongsi is the grandest clan temple in the country. It is also on ...

, a Chinese clan association in which Khoo was a director. In 1978, Khoo Kongsi had reached an agreement wit
Farlim Group Berhad
to develop Thean Teik Estate into a residential township. At the time, the project was the single largest property development ever undertaken by the private sector on

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 ...

, with an area of being originally earmarked for development. However, the commencement of construction works in 1982 was met by deadly protests by local residents. In the incident which pitted the residents against the police, one resident was killed and another four were injured.

Transportation

Thean Teik Road and Thean Teik Highway are the two major roads that cut through the township. The former links Air Itam Road and the

Paya Terubong Paya Terubong is a suburb of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. Located nearly southwest of the city centre, it is nestled within the central valleys of Penang Island and south of Air Itam. It is also one of the most densely populated areas on ...

suburb to the southwest, whereas the latter serves as a major thoroughfare between

and the

Batu Lanchang Batu Lanchang is a suburb of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. It is located nearly southwest of the city centre, and sandwiched between Air Itam to the west and Jelutong to the east. Formerly an agricultural area, Batu Lanchang has turned into ...

suburb to the east.

Rapid Penang Rapid Penang (styled as ''rapidPenang'') is a public bus brand in the Penang, 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 ...

bus routes 13, 202, 203 and 306 also include stops within Farlim, thus connecting the township with George Town proper, 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.Queensbay Mall, as well as the

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 ...

suburbs. These are complemented by Rapid Penang's Congestion Alleviation Transport (CAT) Air Itam route, a free-of-charge transit service within

Education

There are two primary schools and a high school within the Farlim neighbourhood. Primary schools * SRK Seri Indah * SRJK (C) Sin Kang High school * SMK Air Itam

Shopping

All Seasons Place, Penang's first and only

strip mall A strip mall, strip center or strip plaza is a type of shopping center common in North America where the stores are arranged in a row, with a sidewalk in front. Strip malls are typically developed as a unit and have large parking lots in front. ...

, was completed in 2012 and serves as the sole shopping mall within Farlim. It is anchored by HeroMarket, replacing the previous

Giant In folklore, giants (from Ancient Greek: ''gigas'', cognate giga-) are beings of human-like appearance, but are at times prodigious in size and strength or bear an otherwise notable appearance. The word ''giant'' is first attested in 1297 fr ...

and consists of several eateries and health-related outlets which are arranged along the Thean Teik Highway. The local community's retail needs are also met by a Bandar Baru supermarket at the heart of the township. In addition, Suiwah Corporation, a local retail firm, has a considerable presence within Farlim. At the time of writing, it operates the Sunshine Farlim hypermarket, while the township's second shopping mall, Sunshine Tower, is under construction. In particular, the latter retail complex, scheduled for completion in 2019, will contain the first cineplex within Farlim as well.

References

External links