Foreigners unfamiliar with Singapore would naturally say "Tam-Pines", while Singaporeans will just go "Tam-Penis" without any qualms.

Well, here's some news for you: Although the canonical spelling is "Tampines" now, there used to be variations and one of it was "Tampenis".

How did it get its name?

In old maps and old newspapers, Tampines went by many different names.

They included Tampinis, Tempines, Tampenis and Tampenes.

In the past, Tampines was a place covered by forests and swamps.

The many names of Tampines actually originated from the Tempinis trees (not pine trees, mind you) that used to grow there.

But Tempinis trees are no longer abundant in Singapore.

In fact, they have dwindled in numbers to the extent there are only two old specimens of the tree in Singapore left, which can be found in Changi and St. John's Island.

They are listed as "Heritage Trees."

So, how did they settle on "Tampines?"

Given all these different names, the Singapore Rural Board standardised the spelling of the place to become "Tampines" after consulting with the Malay Union.

From 1939 onwards, all new street signs in Singapore bore the name "Tampines."

In reality, however, people took awhile to get used to the standardised name and variations were used up until the 1980s.

It was only after the construction of the Tampines housing estate that the new name became etched into the public consciousness.

From forest to bustling town

Tampines has come a long way, having been transformed from a forested, swampy area to a bustling town.

These are some pictures of what the place used to look like:

Early developments in the place involved rubber plantations and sand quarries.

In the late 1970s, construction began for the new housing estate.

[related_story]

New construction methods also expedited the development of the town's infrastructure as more facilities were built in the area.

Once it was built up, it became the third largest new town in Singapore, after Bedok and Jurong West.

For instance, here's a look at the Tampines Round Market in the 1980s.

A supermarket:

As of 2017, Tampines has a population of nearly 240,000 residents.

Top photo from NAS