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Did you know that Whitefield was initially an old British outpost? And two time UK Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, used to frequently visit the area when in India. It is interesting to know that in the first decade of the 1900s there were under 50 houses, and the area had over 2000 acres of land fit for cultivation. Matter of fact, in 1907 there were only 130 residents :O Whitefield remained a quaint settlement until the late 1990s, which was when Bangalore was hit by the IT boom. It has since become a major hub for the Indian technology industry, ultimately resulting in Whitefield becoming a major part of Greater Bangalore. The International Tech Park, Bangalore (more commonly known as ITPL) in Whitefield is one of the country’s first information technology parks.
Photo credit: Meera K
Despite the rush hour traffic which can get crazier in Whitefield, as compared to other parts of the city and the water shortage problem, this village-turned-suburb-turned-city, virtually fabricated by the IT revolution, is now setting the cultural tone for the rest of the city. Housing offices of several reputed IT and ITES companies, Whitefield has become a hive for housing and development projects, as well as 5 star hotels, international schools, hospitals, entertainment mega-malls and more recently even art theaters.
In an interview with Times of India in August last year, Carlton Braganza, owner of Opus and Opus in the Creek, Whitefield, had this to say: “In the past four-five years, Whitefield has emerged as a new hub of culture. In terms of numbers, Opus in the Creek closely matches the original one in the heart of the city. We’re doing a festival there next month, with three days of DJs, bands and a flea market. Four years ago when we started Opus in Whitefield, it made perfect sense because we felt it had a ready-made catchment area, and most people are willing to spend.”
The traffic and water problems should soon be taken care of, with the Namma Metro project catering to Whitefield under Phase 2, during which time the Metro network will be extended from Byappanahalli to Whitefield covering 13 stations in between, and with the BWSSB expected to supply the region with the execution of Cauvery Water Supply Scheme Stage IV, Phase II. BWSSB was granted Rs.1000 crore for various water projects in 2012 including supplying water to areas of Greater Bangalore, which includes Whitefield amongst others.
Whitefield is very well on its way to becoming the leading hub of New Bangalore, and if you’re already a resident of Whitefield, you can relate to the advantages of living close to the following resource points:
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1. Hotels & Malls
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2. Tech Parks
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3. Theaters, Museums & Art Galleries
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4. Hospitals & Schools
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So as you can see, one is never truly far from a hospital, school, hotel, a cinema, a mall or even any recreational centres when living in Whitefield. If you happen to be a resident of Whitefield, maybe you can tell us in the comments below, what is your favorite part about living in Whitefield? 🙂