City One


City One Shatin is a residential precinct in Sha Tin, New Territories, Hong Kong. The estate occupies approximately of land. The estate was named City One as it is on Lot 1, Shatin Town. It has a census area population of 24,758 people. City One is the largest private residential estate in Sha Tin District. There are a total of 52 blocks of residential buildings with 10,642 units. Each tower is about 30 storeys with units ranging from to an area of, offering different floor plans.

History

City One was an important project of the Government's plan on developing the Sha Tin New Town in 1979. of land was reclaimed for the construction of the estate. With massive reclamation, the land which City One was built on was formerly Yuen Chau Kok and the Tide Cove. City One was a joint venture between New World Development, Henderson Land Development, Sun Hung Kai Properties and Cheung Kong Holdings in the 1980s.

Construction

The construction of the City One Residential Apartments was completed in seven stages :
The property was developed by four major developers led by Henderson Land Development Company Limited.

Demographics

According to the 2011 Population Census the population of the City One census area was 24,758 people. Approximately 44.2% of the population were male, 93.8% were ethnic Chinese, over 93.6% of residents spoke primarily Cantonese. Although English was the second primary language, only 2.9% spoke it as their first language. The drastic change of demographics and social norms in Hong Kong due to the influx of China immigrants under the post-transfer-of-sovereignty policy of assimilation to draw in more Mandarin speaking migrants had been reflected in the population census of City One. International students from China and China immigrants made up mostly of the 2.2% who speak Mandarin and other varieties of Chinese making it the third largest language group in the estate, just 0.7% behind English, which is an official language in Hong Kong. City One had an educated population with over 42% of the population holding a degree, diploma or vocational qualification. This level of education attainment was reflected in the estate's employment patterns: the most popular occupations for employment are Associate professionals, Managers and administrators and Clerical support workers. The median monthly domestic household income was HK$32,000, compared with $20,700 in Hong Kong overall.
According to the 2016 population by-census, the population of City One had risen slightly to 25,524.

Amenities

;Sports and Recreation
City One includes a standard swimming pool, several basketball courts, tennis courts, squash courts, table tennis courts, and playgrounds situated on the podium of the newer phases. A jogging trail is available alongside the nearby Shing Mun River. A roof top park was located on the top level of Fortune City One. The arcade surrounds a public open area where local events are often held. A private library managed by the City One management committee provides lending services exclusive to residents of the estate. There is also a community centre administrated by the Hong Kong PHAB Association next to block 35.
;Shopping
Despite being a residential estate, City One is able to satisfy all shopping needs of residents. There are two shopping centres. Local businesses including home appliance stores, variety shops, book stores, jewellers, beauty salons, optical centres, boutiques, bottle shops and confectioneries are main tenants of the two arcades. There are also larger business chains within. The ParknShop Superstore offers daily groceries and necessities. Pharmacies Mannings and Watson's, provide shoppers with varieties of healthcare and personal products. Convenience stores Circle K and Seven-Eleven support 24/7 services. The City One Shatin Post Office of the Hongkong Post provides postal and bill paying services in the heart of the estate. Branches of HSBC, Hang Seng Bank, Bank of China and ATMs of other banking institutions are conveniently scattered within the two shopping centres.
The estate was originally planned with three local shopping malls. However, developers had altered the blueprint to a two shopping centre scheme. Land reserved for the third shopping centre is now built with a wet market and three more blocks of residency above it. The wet market, renovated in 2013, has all kinds of Chinese and Asian grocers, butchers, florists, greengrocers and general stores.
;Dining
Local restaurants like Kam Wo Court offer casual Hong Kong style meals. The famed local dessert chain Hui Lau Shan have one of its shops in the estate. Major fast food chains such as McDonald's, Café de Coral, Fairwood, Yoshinoya and KFC have outlets all around with extended opening hours. Cantonese restaurants, such as Fook Choi Restaurant and Glorious Chinese Restaurant, are venues for Chinese cuisine for weekend family dinners and festal banqueters. Other eateries are Sai Kung Sing Vietnam Restaurant – a prize-winning SE Asian restaurant, No.1 Korean Food House, Waitei Japanese Restaurant and Genki Sushi, which are ideal for Japanese gourmets. Starbucks and La Kaffa are where residents and students chill and grab an afternoon cuppa. Nevertheless, bakeries like Norika, Maxim's and A1 offer residents and commuters with freshly baked breakfast every morning.

Health and education

The Prince of Wales Hospital and Yuen Chau Kok Clinic are adjacent to the estate. A number of private doctor offices and general practitioners could be found available in the two shopping centres for less urgent patients.
There are two pre-schools, two primary schools and two secondary schools nearby:
;Pre-school
;Primary School
;Secondary School
City One is divided into two constituencies in the Sha Tin District Council, City One which has been represented by Wong Ka Wing and Yue Shing which has been represented by Leung Ka Fai. For the legislative council, City One is part of the New Territories East electorate.
Also see District Councils of Hong Kong and Legislative Council of Hong Kong

Churches

City One Baptist Church is the largest Christian fellowship in City One. It is a branch church of the Baptist Convention of Hong Kong. COBC was established in 1984, serving people in all age groups. Worships are conducted in both Cantonese and English language. Most of the gatherings take place at Baptist Lui Ming Choi Primary School and Citymark Plaza in Siu Lek Yuen. Other fellowships in City One include a congregation of the Chinese Rhenish Church and International Fellowship North, an English speaking church in the Citimark Building. Kowloon Pentecostal Church Shatin Chapel in Pentecostal Lam Hon Kwong School holds Sunday services as well.

Transportation

;Buses
The City One bus terminal is the terminus of route 61R, 62R and 88R operated by Citybus. Citybus operates several routes from City One to the central business district in Kowloon and on the Hong Kong Island. Many Kowloon Motor Bus bus routes serve City One as a hub, services to Kowloon, Hong Kong Island and other suburbs in the north New Territories are run with high frequency. Long Win Bus route A41 express service connects City One to the Hong Kong International Airport. Green Public light buses connects City One to the rest of Shatin with routes to Fotan, Ma On Shan and Tai Wai. Red Public light buses operate to/from Mong Kok after hours.
;Trains
City One Station, in the southern part of the estate, is a railway station on the Tuen Ma Line. Trains run between Wu Kai Sha Station and Kai Tak Station. Tai Wai Station and Diamond Hill Station are the interchange connected to the East Rail Line and Kwun Tong Line.
As part of the Sha Tin to Central Link, the Ma On Shan Line is being extended through a new tunnel to Diamond Hill, Kai Tak, and Kowloon City to couple with the West Rail Line in 2018.
;Taxis
As along with all other areas in Hong Kong, City One is easily accessible by taxis. Red urban taxis are chartered to serve the District of Shatin.
;Driving
The estate is served by the Sha Tin Road freeway and the Tate's Cairn Highway is in close proximity. Road links between Shatin and Kowloon are provided by the Lion Rock Tunnel, and Tai Po Road. Traffic to the northwestern New Territories has been improved by the Shing Mun Tunnel which links Shatin with Tsuen Wan.
Access to the northern New Territories has been greatly improved since the opening of the Tolo Highway in September 1985. This, together with Sha Tin Road and Tai Po Road, forms a highway system which connects the New Town with Tai Po and beyond. Connection to Sai Kung has been provided by Sai Sha Road since October 1988.
Urban Kowloon can be reached within 20 minutes and Central on the Hong Kong Island in 35 minutes with normal traffic conditions.