Thomson is a relatively narrow area stretching from Novena

Novena

In the Catholic Church, a novena is a devotion consisting of a prayer repeated on nine successive days, asking to obtain special graces. The prayers may come from prayer books, or consist of the recitation of the Rosary , or of short prayers through the day...

 in the Central Region

Central Region, Singapore

The Central Region of Singapore is one of the five regions in the city-state. Comprising 13,150 hectares of land area, it includes 11 Planning Areas within the Central Area which is the immediate vicinity of the Singapore's central business district, as well as another 11 more outside it.Although...

 of Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

 up north till Yishun

Yishun

Yishun, or Nee Soon as it was initially named, is a suburban town in the northern part of Singapore, encompassing the Yishun Planning Area, in the North Region, which includes Yishun New Town and the Nee Soon private residential estate....

. The area is mainly located within the central catchment area where some of Singapore's reservoirs

Reservoirs in Singapore

There are 17 reservoirs in Singapore. -Reservoirs that are currently at service:*Changi Creek Reservoir*Fort Canning Reservoir *Jalan Eunos Service Reservoir*Kallang Service Reservoir*Murnane Service Reservoir...

 are located, including MacRitchie Reservoir

MacRitchie Reservoir

MacRitchie Reservoir is Singapore's oldest reservoir. The reservoir was completed in 1868 by impounding water from an earth embankment, and was then known as the Impounding Reservoir or Thomson Reservoir....

, Upper Peirce Reservoir

Upper Peirce Reservoir

Upper Peirce Reservoir is Singapore's second reservoir. The 6-hectare Upper Peirce Reservoir Park overlooks the Upper Peirce Reservoir.-History:...

 and Lower Peirce Reservoir

Lower Peirce Reservoir

The Lower Peirce Reservoir is one of the oldest reservoirs in Singapore. It is located near the MacRitchie Reservoir and the Upper Peirce Reservoir. It was originally created as the Peirce Reservoir but was designated as lower upon the creation of the Upper Peirce Reservoir. It is 6 hectares in...

.

Etymology and history

Thomson was named after its namesake road, Thomson Road

Thomson Road, Singapore

Thomson Road is a major trunk road linking Singapore's central business district with the northern suburban areas. Taking its name from John Turnbull Thomson, a Scotsman who was the Government Surveyor and Chief Engineer of the Straits Settlements from 1841 to 1853 and who helped build many roads...

. Up to the 1850s, Thomson Road was known as Seletar Road. The road was laid by John Turnbull Thomson

John Turnbull Thomson

John Turnbull Thomson was a British civil engineer and artist who played an instrumental role in the development of the early infrastructure of nineteenth century Singapore and New Zealand. -Biography:...

 (1821–1884), Government Surveyor (1841–1853) in 1852 and 1853, and was subsequently named after him.

Housing

The convenient location, due as its proximity and the ease of access to the Central Area

Central Area

In Singapore, the Central Area or Central Business District contains the core financial and commercial districts, including eleven urban planning areas, namely Downtown Core, Marina East, Marina South, Museum, Newton, Orchard, Outram, River Valley, Rochor, Singapore River and Straits View as...

, popular school

School

A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...

s, park

Park

A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...

s and other parts of Singapore; combined with an aesthetic environment that is near forest

Forest

A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...

 and reservoirs tends to make property prices in the area significantly higher than other parts of Singapore. Due to this fact, a large number of condominiums can be found in Thomson as well. These include the likes of Green Meadows, Thomson Grove, and down to the Lentor

Lentor

Lentor is an area located on the North side of Singapore situated between Yishun and Yio Chu Kang. Lentor is the home to many private housings and there is no public housing in the area. Lower Seletar Reservoir is also located along Lentor Avenue which is the only major road in Lentor...

 area with the likes of Bullion Park. Private housing

House

A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...

 makes up the bulk of the housing in Thomson with a modicum of HDB flat

Apartment

An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...

s and shophouse

Shophouse

A shophouse is a vernacular architectural building type that is commonly seen in areas such as urban Southeast Asia. This hybrid building form characterises the historical centres of most towns and cities in the region.- Design and features :...

s. The low rise housing in the area is notable and this stretches from Macritchie Reservoir to the Peirce Reservoirs, consisting of neighbourhoods like the Thomson Ridge area, the Little Canada area and Venus drive, and goes up to Jalan Rebana and through Ang Mo Kio to Seraya Crescent and Jalan Leban, arching at the Thomson Hills and Happy Park areas and culminating at the Teacher's Estate.

Public Services

The area also contains one of the oldest roads in Singapore, which is also one of the longest and tends to be a vital link from the northern part of Singapore to the Central Area and the Downtown Core

Downtown Core

The Downtown Core is a 266-hectare urban planning area in the south of the city-state of Singapore. The Downtown Core surrounds the mouth of the Singapore River and southeastern portion of its watershed, and is part of the Central Area, Singapore's central business district...

, as well as the rest of the island. The road is split into three lengths, Thomson Road

Thomson Road, Singapore

Thomson Road is a major trunk road linking Singapore's central business district with the northern suburban areas. Taking its name from John Turnbull Thomson, a Scotsman who was the Government Surveyor and Chief Engineer of the Straits Settlements from 1841 to 1853 and who helped build many roads...

, Old Upper Thomson Road and Upper Thomson Road. The Old Upper Thomson Road was designed to link the villages in the northern region with the Downtown Core.

Recreation

There is a variety of popular food establishments, such as roti prata

Roti prata

Roti prata is a fried flour-based pancake that is cooked over a flat grill. It is usually served with a vegetable or meat based curry and is sold all over Singapore in food centres. Prata is also commonly cooked with cheese, onion, banana, red bean, chocolate, mushroom or egg...

shops, along the main road which runs through the area.