Central George Town is the

city centre A city centre, also known as an urban core, is the Commerce, commercial, Culture, cultural and often the historical, Politics, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely e ...

of George Town, the capital of the

Malaysian state Malaysia is a federation of thirteen states and three federal territories, which form the primary administrative divisions of the country. Eleven states and two territories are part of Peninsular Malaysia, while two states and one territory ...

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

. It corresponds to the eponymous

subdivision Subdivision may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Subdivision (metre), in music * ''Subdivision'' (film), 2009 * "Subdivision", an episode of ''Prison Break'' (season 2) * ''Subdivisions'' (EP), by Sinch, 2005 * "Subdivisions" (song), by Rush ...

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 is the main constituent island of the Malaysian state of Penang. It is located off the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Malacca Strait, with the Penang Strait separating the island from Seberang Perai on the mainla ...

, the city centre stretches from Gurney Drive in the northwest to

The Light Waterfront The Light Waterfront is a residential neighbourhood within the city of George Town, Penang, George Town in the States and federal territories of Malaysia, Malaysian state of Penang. Situated within the Central George Town, Penang, city centre, it e ...

development in the southeast, encompassing the

Central Business District A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center 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 wit ...

and the

UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

. 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 dir ...

and

legislative A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers ...

branches of the Penang state government.

History

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

Francis Light Francis Light ( – 21 October 1794) was a British sailor and explorer best known for founding the colony of Penang and its capital city of George Town in 1786. Light was the father of William Light, who founded the city of Adelaide in South A ...

first set foot at what is now

Fort Cornwallis , location = George Town, Penang , country = Malaysia , image = Fort Cornwallis, Penang 2023 01.jpg , coordinates = , pushpin_map = Malaysia Penang George Town central , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ge ...

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, Penang, George Town in the States and federal territories of Malaysia, Malaysian state of Penang. Located south of the Central George Town, Penang, city centre, Jelutong has been inhabited since as early as th ...

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

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

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 19268 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. ...

, 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 an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

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 Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

was granted city status. The

merger Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of a company, business organization, or one of their operating units is transferred to or consolidated with another entity. They may happen through direct absorpt ...

of the

George Town City Council The George Town City Council ( ) was a List of local governments in Malaysia, local government that administered what is now Central George Town, Penang, downtown George Town in the States and federal territories of Malaysia, Malaysian state of P ...

with the

Penang Island Rural District Council The Penang Island Rural District Council ( ) was a List of local governments in Malaysia, local government that administered large portions of Penang Island in the States and federal territories of Malaysia, Malaysian state of Penang. Established ...

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

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 neighbourhoods like

Bandar Sri Pinang Bandar Sri Pinang is a residential neighbourhood within the city of George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. Situated within the city centre, it is bounded by the Pinang River to its north and the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway to its west ...

and

, which were created through

land reclamation Land reclamation, often known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new Terrestrial ecoregion, land from oceans, list of seas, seas, Stream bed, riverbeds or lake ...

since 2000. The city centre shares boundaries with

Tanjong Tokong Tanjong Tokong is a suburb of George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. It is located at the northeastern coast of Penang Island, northwest of the city centre. The suburb is bordered by Tanjong Bungah to the west and Tanjong Pinang to the ...

to the northwest,

Air Itam Ayer Itam is a suburb of George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. Nested within the central valleys of Penang Island, it is located approximately southwest of the city centre. Etymology Ayer Itam got its name from the murky waters of th ...

to the west, and

and

Gelugor Gelugor is a suburb of George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. 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 bee ...

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. Ethnic Chinese constituted more than 57% of the area's population, while Malays formed another one-fifth of the population.

Indians Indian or Indians may refer to: Associated with India * of or related to India ** Indian people ** Indian diaspora ** Languages of India ** Indian English, a dialect of the English language ** Indian cuisine Associated with indigenous peoples o ...

comprised close to 9% of the city centre's population.

Little India Little India (also known as Indian Street, India Bazaar, or India Town) is an Indian people, Indian or South Asian sociocultural environment outside India or the Indian subcontinent. It especially refers to an area with a significant concentra ...

, an ethnic enclave within the

(CBD), retains significant cultural influences from the Indian subcontinent. The city centre remains relatively popular among expatriates within George Town, accounting for 12.6% of the city centre's population.

Economy

View of Butterworth from George Town 2025

In recent years, Penang authorities, under the governance of

Pakatan Harapan Pakatan Harapan (PH; stylised as HARAPAN; ) is a Malaysian Parliamentary group, political coalition consisting of Centre-left politics, centre-left political parties which was formed in 2015 to succeed the Pakatan Rakyat coalition. It has led ...

, have begun introducing measures to diversify the economy within the city centre. These included exploring the economic synergies between the city centre and Butterworth 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 demogr ...

under the "Penang Bay" concept.

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" (; ) loosely describes a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the island of Singapore that were brought under British Empire, British hegemony or control between the late 18th and the mid-20th century. Unlike the ...

, attracting major international banks such as

Standard Chartered Standard Chartered PLC is a British multinational bank with operations in wealth management, corporate and investment banking, and treasury services. Despite being headquartered in the United Kingdom, it does not conduct retail banking in th ...

HSBC HSBC Holdings plc ( zh, t_hk=滙豐; initialism from its founding member The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation) is a British universal bank and financial services group headquartered in London, England, with historical and business li ...

, and the

Royal Bank of Scotland The Royal Bank of Scotland Public Limited Company () is a major retail banking, retail and commercial bank in Scotland. It is one of the retail banking subsidiaries of NatWest Group, together with NatWest and Ulster Bank. The Royal Bank of Sco ...

. 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; ; Jawi: ) 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 the banker and advisor to the ...

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

Penang Island City Council The Penang Island City Council ( ) is the local government that administers the city of George Town, which includes the entirety of Penang Island. The city council, which has jurisdiction over an area of , falls under the purview of the Penang ...

'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 neighbourhood of George Town, Penang, George Town in the States and federal territories of Malaysia, Malaysian state of Penang. Located south of the Central George Town, Penang, city centre, it lies within the suburb of Bayan Lepa ...

Bayan Lepas Bayan Lepas is a suburb of George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. Located near the southeastern tip of Penang Island, south of the city centre, it is home to the Penang International Airport, the third busiest airport in Malaysia, as we ...

Tanjong Bungah Tanjong Bungah is a suburb of George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. It is located along the northern coast of Penang Island between Batu Ferringhi and Tanjong Tokong, about northwest of the city centre. Tanjong Bungah is locally known ...

and

Batu Ferringhi Batu Ferringhi is a suburb of George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. 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 ...

Teluk Bahang Teluk Bahang is a suburb of George Town, Penang, George Town within the States and federal territories of Malaysia, Malaysian state of Penang. It is located west of the Central George Town, Penang, city centre near the northwestern tip of Penang ...

corridors. Encompassing areas such as the city's

Pulau Tikus Pulau Tikus is a neighbourhood within the downtown core of George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. Named after a rock just off the coast of Penang Island, this upper class neighbourhood is home to Eurasian, Thai and Burmese communitie ...

, Kampung Siam,

Kampong Serani Kampong Serani is a residential neighbourhood within the downtown core of George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. Located within the city centre, it is bounded by College Avenue to the west and Leandro's Lane to the east. The neighbourhood ...

and

Ayer Rajah 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 Technology Plan and offici ...

, 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 is home to 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 Paragon, 1st Avenue, Prangin Mall, Komtar, GAMA and

Penang Times Square Penang Times Square is an ongoing urban redevelopment project within George Town, Penang, George Town in the States and federal territories of Malaysia, Malaysian state of Penang. It is located at Dato Keramat Road, George Town, Dato Keramat Roa ...

. 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, offer a wide array of local products like spices, nutmegs and Tambun biscuits, a delicacy unique to the state. Upcoming retail complexes within the city centre include the Waterfront Shoppe at the coastal precinct of

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 Penang Free School (PFS), located at Green Lane, George Town, Green Lane in George Town, Penang, George Town, Penang, Malaysia, is the oldest English-medium education, English-medium school in Southeast Asia. Founded in 1816, its academic achiev ...

is the oldest English school in Southeast Asia. British colonial rule had also encouraged the growth of mission schools such as

St. Xavier's Institution St. Xavier's Institution, at Farquhar Street in George Town, Penang, Malaysia, is the oldest Lasallian school in Southeast Asia and one of the Catholic Lasallian schools in Malaysia. While it has a history dating back to 1787, the present-day ...

St. George's Girls' School St. George's Girls' School is an all-girls secondary school in George Town, Penang, Malaysia. Originally established in 1885, it is notable for its academic achievements and notable alumnae from different racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds ...

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 fi ...

Han Chiang University College of Communication Han Chiang University College is a non-profit private university college in George Town, Penang, Malaysia. History On 30 April 2013, Han Chiang University College of Communication received the in-principle approval from the Former Prime M ...

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. In 2016, the Penang state government 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 spelled as e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in electronic form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. A ...

Health care

The 1,100-bedded

Penang General Hospital The Penang General Hospital is the public hospital of the city of George Town within the Malaysian state of Penang. Opened in 1854, it is the largest government hospital in Penang as well as the state's oldest. The healthcare centre also serves ...

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 ho ...

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

medical tourism Medical tourism is the practice of 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 unavaila ...

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

Penang Adventist Hospital Penang Adventist Hospital (, ) is a non-profit hospital in George Town within the Malaysian state of Penang. Established in 1924, the 200-bed medical institution is part of an international network of hospitals operated by the Seventh-day Advent ...

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, a subsidiary of the Malaysian–Singaporean private healthcare group IHH ...

, Island Hospital and Loh Guan Lye Specialists Centre. 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 Penang Football Club (simply known as Penang FC) is a Malaysian professional football club based in George Town, Penang, that competes in Malaysia Super League, the top tier of Malaysian football. Unofficially founded in 1920, officially as ...

, 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, 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 and cricket ground located in Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia. It is one of four horse-racing courses in the country; the other two are in Ipoh, Perak, Penang and Kuching, Sarawak. History Selangor Turf ...

Transportation

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

, Dato Keramat Road, Gurney Drive, 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, 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 the Malaysian state of Penang. 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 P ...

, 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 the Malaysian state of Penang. Situated at Weld Quay in the city centre, this docking facility is used for the state's ferry service between George Town and Seb ...

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

Seberang Perai Seberang Perai is a city in the Malaysian state of Penang. Located on the Malay Peninsula and separated from Penang Island by the Penang Strait, it shares borders with Kedah to the north and east and Perak to the south. The city spans an are ...

. Most of

Rapid Penang Rapid Penang (stylised as ''rapidPenang'') is a public bus brand operating within the George Town Conurbation in Malaysia. Established in 2007 as a subsidiary of Prasarana Malaysia, it serves as the main public transport system within the sta ...

's city-wide routes also originate from the Komtar 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, a public bicycle-sharing system, within the city centre in 2017.

Infrastructure

Land reclamation Land reclamation, often known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new Terrestrial ecoregion, land from oceans, list of seas, seas, Stream bed, riverbeds or lake ...

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

Macallum Street Ghaut Macallum Street Ghaut is a residential neighbourhood within the city of George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. Situated within the city's central business district, it comprises seven blocks of low-cost public housing built on reclaimed l ...

and

. A joint venture by

IJM Corporation IJM Corporation Berhad () is one of Malaysia's leading conglomerates and is listed on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad ("Bursa Securities"). Its core business activities encompass construction, property development, manufact ...

and Singapore's Perennial Holdings, the latter development will comprise retail and residential components, as well as a new convention centre and a

performing arts centre Performing arts center/centre (see American and British English spelling differences, spelling differences), often abbreviated as PAC, is usually a complex housing performance spaces for various performing arts, including dance, music, and theat ...

. 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 autonom ...

has planned to introduce

urban rail Urban rail transit is a wide 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, which som ...

throughout the state, which includes the proposed Mutiara LRT line that stretches through the city centre. This

light rail Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...

line is envisioned to have an interchange station at Komtar, linking the city centre with

Penang Sentral Penang Sentral is an intermodal transit-oriented development in Butterworth, Penang, Malaysia. Proposed as the main transportation hub within the George Town Conurbation, the first phase of the Penang Sentral project opened on 22 November 2 ...

, and with the

Penang International Airport Penang International Airport (PIA) is an international airport in George Town, Penang, George Town, the capital city of the States and federal territories of Malaysia, Malaysian state of Penang. The airport is located at the southeastern tip of ...

to the south.

References

{{Greater Penang Conurbation George Town, Penang Populated places in Penang