10 Facts & Misconceptions About Marine Parade S’poreans Should Know

Last Updated on 2022-07-19 , 4:54 pm

Marine Parade? Where’s that? And no it is not Marina Barrage; neither is it Marina Square or Marina Bay Sands. Rather, Marine Parade is actually a small residential area located in the Central Region of Singapore.

It may be small, but trust me, there are a lot of interesting traits about this little area that you don’t know about.

Think you know Marine Parade well enough to be a “Marine Parader”? Well, here are 10 facts and misconceptions of Marine Parade you should know to be up for the running!

1. The name: Marine Parade

If you tend to mishear Marine Parade as Marina, fret not for you are not the only one. It may be part of Singapore, but not everyone has heard of it before. Mainly because people would often associate it as part of Katong, Eunos, or just the East Region of Singapore in general.

It is originally named after a promenade near the sea along East Coast Road.

2. How Marine Parade came about

Unlike the majority of Singapore, Marine Parade is actually built entirely on reclaimed land in the 1970s. With that, the government started having development plans in that area as a residential estate, as well as the construction of an expressway; East Coast Parkway (ECP).

Since then, the Housing Development Board (HDB) has completed numerous estate developments to what it is today!

3. Transportation (MRT)

Like every other part of Singapore, transportation is easy and convenient. However, Marine Parade has no Mass Rapid Transit (MRT)… well at least for now.

Since 2014, the whole of Marine Parade has been undergoing constructions and renovations to its infrastructure and roads when the Land Transport Authority (LRT) decided to built the Thomson-East Coast MRT line.

The new MRT that will be ready by the year 2023 is said to be fully underground and stretches 31 stations, from Woodlands North to Gardens by the Bay.

Well, guess it will be even more convenient getting from one part of Singapore to another then!

4. Marine Parade is an expensive residential area

Singaporeans have been saying this for the longest time: living at Marine Parade is as expensive as living at Orchard or at Bukit Timah.

And it’s true.  In fact, based on a research, Marine Parade/East Coast area is the most expensive HDB town in Singapore.

It’s also ranked 8^th on the most expensive district in Singapore to live in, despite not having MRT (so imagine it’s market rate in 2023 when the MRT is built!)

5. Strategic Location

Marine Parade may seem like any other small, little district located at the east-end of Singapore. But why then, living there so darn expensive? Well, here’s why.

Firstly, it’s just a 15 minutes drive from our world famous Singapore Changi Airport because of the ECP Expressway. Secondly, it’s close to East Coast Park, and HDB flats near the beach have access to exclusive sea views, especially those staying on the higher floors.

And of course, this point would be incomplete without something parents tend to look out for: good schools in the area. Which brings me to my next point…

6. Schools

There actually aren’t many schools in the area. In fact, there are only 3 Primary schools and 7 Secondary Schools/Junior Colleges in the area.

But here’s the thing; out of these 10 schools, majority belong to the top few in Singapore. To exemplify that notion, here are the rankings of some of the schools located in the area, based on how well the school and its students perform.

1. Tao Nan School (2^nd out of 184 Primary Schools)
2. Ngee Ann Primary (41^st out of 184 Primary Schools)
3. Victoria School (17^th out of 154 Secondary Schools)
4. Chung Cheng High School (35^th out of 154 Secondary Schools)
5. Victoria Junior College (3^rd out of 19 Junior Colleges)

7. Shopping Areas

Marine Parade is a relatively small area compared to its neighbours, Bedok and Tampines, seeing how it occupies an absymal 6.12 square kilometers.

Nevertheless, there are many places to shop, despite the distinctly small area. There are about 6 shopping malls, and they are all actually within walking distance of each other (that’s how small Marine Parade is). Some of the really big ones would have to be Parkway Parade, I12 Katong and Roxy Square.

Now you know why houses here are so expensive, huh?

8. Marine Parade has good food too!

To be honest, Singapore’s a practical food paradise.

And Marine Parade, being part of that food paradise, does not disappoint.

One of the most distinctive food you can find at Marine Parade will definitely be its famous 328 Katong Laksa along East Coast Road.

There’s also a lot of undiscovered good and cheap food at various markets and hawker centers around Marine Parade as well. One example would have to be the Fried Carrot Cake at 50A Marine Terrace Market, that has become the talk of the town.

Apparently, it became famous after Joseph Schooling, Singapore’s gold medalist mentioned that this particular store, Bee Bee Carrot Cake, is his favourite.

That’s star power for you!

9. Joseph Schooling

In the 2016 Summer Olympics, Singapore obtained its first Gold medal. The victor? Joseph Schooling.

Edging out the legendary Michael Phelps in the Men’s 100M butterfly, the young swimmer clinched gold and in the process, created history. Additionally, he also broke the Olympic record, and was the first Southeast Asian male swimmer to receive a Gold Medal.

At this point, you might be wondering, why am I mentioning Joseph Schooling? Well, that’s because he lives at Marine Parade as well. Though he’s not the only famous person living in the area, but well, he’s gotta be the most famous after his wins and achievements.

10. Political

Oh! Did you know, that the Marine Parade constituency was created in 1976 by Mr Goh Chok Tong, the former Prime Minister of Singapore? Bet you didn’t, huh?