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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 been populated as early as the late 18th century by Malay fishermen who arrived from Sumatra. The area was then cleared for agricultural plantations by David Brown, a partner of Captain Francis Light.
Urbanisation of the area began in earnest in the 1960s, when residential estates were established within the area. Gelugor gradually turned into a suburb, helped by its strategic location right in between the city centre and Bayan Lepas to the south. In 1969, Universiti Sains Malaysia was founded at Gelugor and is now one of the top Malaysian public universities.
Soon after Light came ashore in what is now the city centre in 1786, his Scottish partner, David Brown, cleared the jungles around Gelugor to make way for agricultural purposes, including spice and coconut plantations. Brown also brought in labourers from India to work in the estates. He eventually became the largest landowner on the island in the early 19th century.
Up until the end of World War II, Gelugor remained a rural area. Prior to the war, the British Army converted one of David Brown's houses into the Glugor Barracks, to be renamed later as Minden Barracks. The army camp was occupied by the Imperial Japanese Army during the war. It was again put in use during the Malayan Emergency and the Indonesian Confrontation, before being closed for good in 1971 following the withdrawal of all British armed forces from Southeast Asia.
The development of residential estates at Gelugor began in the 1960s, originally to house civil servants. Also in the 1960s, a proposal to establish Penang's first university was mooted. Eventually, the Penang University () was founded in 1969, before being relocated to the former Minden Barracks in 1971. The university has since been renamed Universiti Sains Malaysia, now one of the foremost public universities in Malaysia.
Rapid Penang routes 11, 13, 102, 206, 301, 302, 303, 304 and 401 serve the residents of the suburb, by connecting Gelugor with the city centre and other destinations such as the Penang International Airport, Ayer Itam, Tanjung Bungah and Balik Pulau. Route maps rapidpg.com.my Route maps rapidpg.com.my Route maps rapidpg.com.my Route maps rapidpg.com.my Route maps rapidpg.com.my Route maps rapidpg.com.my Route maps rapidpg.com.my maps rapidpg.com.my Route maps rapidpg.com.my
In addition, a cycling lane has been installed along the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway as part of the move to encourage cycling as a form of alternative transportation. This -long cycling lane extends from the city centre towards Queensbay Mall, south of the Penang Bridge.
Primary schools
High school Gelugor is home to one of the top Malaysian public universities, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). It was ranked fifth within Malaysia by the QS World University Rankings . USM is also the only university in Malaysia to be accorded APEX University status by the Malaysian federal government and one of the handful autonomous universities nationwide.
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