History & Origins
Woodlands is a residential town at the Northern part of Singapore and is connected to Johor Bahru, Malaysia's Southernmost city. Early in its history, Woodlands served as a village for small time shopkeepers & vegetable farmers from the Marsiling area. It only started developing from 1972 onwards, when the first estates of HDBs were built. It later became the regional hub for Northern Singapore, upon the completion of the Woodlands Bus Interchange in 1980. Further development from 1981 through 2004, saw numerous HDB estates (8 neighborhoods in total) being built to accommodate a growing population.

Housing
Woodlands comprises of 4 smaller areas - Woodlands, Marsiling (West & Southwest), Woodgrove (South) and Admiralty (East). Each has been built to be relatively self contained, with its own commercial areas and accessibility options. Woodlands is home to an estimated HDB resident population of 242,500 in approximately 68,153 HDB flats. Private housing in the area comprises of developments such as The Tennery, Northoaks, Bellewoods & Twin Fountains

Transportation & Connectivity
Woodlands is currently served by 3 MRT Stations (Marsiling, Woodlands & Admiralty), with another 2 future stations planned (Woodlands North MRT station & Woodlands South MRT station). There are also 37 connecting bus services that depart from Woodlands Bus Interchange (161, 168, 169, 178, 187, 856, 858, 900, 900A, 901, 901M, 902, 903, 903M, 904, 911, 912, 912A, 912B, 912M, 913, 913M, 925, 925#, 926, 950, 960, 960e, 961, 961#, 962, 963, 963e, 963R, 964, 965, 966, 969).

Education
Woodlands is home to 12 Primary Schools (Admiralty Primary School, Evergreen Primary School, Fuchun Primary School, Greenwood Primary School, Innova Primary School, Marsiling Primary School, Riverside Primary School, Qihua Primary School, Si Ling Primary School, Woodgrove Primary School, Woodlands Primary School & Woodlands Ring Primary School) and 9 Secondary Schools (Admiralty Secondary School, Christ Church Secondary School, Evergreen Secondary School, Fuchun Secondary School, Marsiling Secondary School, Riverside Secondary School, Woodgrove Secondary School, Woodlands Ring Secondary School & Woodlands Secondary School. The Singapore Sports School, a specialized Independent School in Singapore that offers an integrated sports and academic programme for secondary and post-secondary students also resides in Woodlands.

Shopping
There are 3 main shopping malls in the Woodlands neighborhood. They are Marsiling Mall, Causeway Point & Woodlands North Plaza. Causeway Point, one of the largest shopping malls and the 7th largest suburban shopping mall in Singapore, houses 250 shops and outlets spread over 6 floors. Its major tenants include Cathay Cineplexes (cinema), Cold Storage (supermarket) & Courts (furniture and electrical appliances retailer).

Recreation & Amenities
With over 13 parks in Woodlands, residents don't have to go far to get their share of greenery. Among the most visited parks are Marsiling Park, Treehaus Park, Vista Park, Greenwood Sanctuary, Fu Shan Garden, Woodlands Crescent Park, Admiralty Park and Woodlands Waterfront Park. Woodlands Waterfront park is a scenic and tranquil 11-hectare coastal park that houses a large playground, a 1.5km long waterfront promenade, a seafood restaurant providing an unobstructed view of the Straits of Johor.

URA Master Plan
According to the Singapore Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and its Master Plan for the North Region of Singapore, Woodlands Regional Centre is set to become the Northern Gateway to Singapore with the future cross-border rail link to Malaysia. It will feature over 700,000 square meters of commercial space and will be the anchor to develop the ‘North Coast Innovation Corridor’. Plans are also in place to build a pedestrian mall that runs through the district as well as to continue to develop the park connectors and cycling paths as part of the ‘150km Round Island Route & Rail Corridor’.